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Why you shouldn’t use &

By Scott Flood on July 29, 2020 in General rants, Online Words, Writing Advice 0

I’ll be the first to admit that the ampersand (that familiar little “&” mark) can be handy now and then. But it’s one of the most-misused tools in the punctuation toolbox. The ampersand is a graphic replacement for the word “and.” Used properly in graphic design, it can even be a thing of beauty — […]

Neglecting your website’s most important element?

By Scott Flood on July 21, 2020 in Marketing Wisdom, Online Words 0

Companies and organizations devote an amazing amount of time to agonizing over what their websites should look like. They review a host of different design approaches and spend hours trying to determine exactly how each page should function. Then they slap some content in place. What kind of content? “Take that stuff from our last […]

Two simple tips for better speeches

By Scott Flood on July 7, 2020 in General rants, Marketing Wisdom 0

Did you know that public speaking is a bigger source of fear for most people than the idea of dying? Fortunately, most people die only once, but you may face multiple occasions in your career or civic life in which you’re forced to share important information in front of a crowd. There’s a lot of […]

Are you misusing quotation marks?

By Scott Flood on July 1, 2020 in Online Words, Writing Advice 0

We’d have a tough time surviving without quotation marks. A famous writer once observed, “Quotation marks allow us to identify what someone actually says, as opposed to simple statements being made by the writer.” Okay, I’m that writer, but the quote illustrates one of the primary roles of quotation marks. The other is to denote […]

Improve your writing by starting in the middle

By Scott Flood on June 23, 2020 in Online Words, Writing Advice 0

Many people regard having to write as sheer torture. Unfortunately, nearly every job or business endeavor demands a certain amount of that torture. The good news is that there’s a simple trick that can make your writing easier and more effective. That trick is starting somewhere in the middle. If that sounds odd, consider that […]

What color is your copy?

By Scott Flood on June 17, 2020 in Marketing Wisdom, Writing Advice 0

Want to know how effective your copy is likely to be? To find out, highlight it in two different colors. Whether you’re developing a blog post, a brochure, a web page, or any other channel, take a few moments to highlight all of the sentences that are really about your customer and his or her […]

Seven steps for dealing with the media

By Scott Flood on June 9, 2020 in Anything else, Marketing Wisdom 0

Business owners and managers who find themselves in the media spotlight often complain they’re being harassed, persecuted, or treated unfairly. However, many of them suffer that treatment because of their own actions in dealing with reporters and editors. To keep from becoming your own worst enemy, follow a few common-sense strategies. Take control. Reporting the […]

Contractions really aren’t painful

By Scott Flood on June 3, 2020 in General rants, Online Words 0

One of the biggest misconceptions about writing involves those handy word combinations we call contractions. You’re familiar: cannot becomes can’t, will not shortens to won’t, and so forth. When professional writers insert those contractions into their work, clients are often confused. Some doubt the competence of the writer they’ve hired or assume that the writer […]

Recent webinar on web writing

By Scott Flood on May 28, 2020 in Uncategorized 0

Recently presented a webinar on writing for the web for Level Two Coworking in Plainfield. I appreciate the opportunity to educate businesses about making their online presence more effective! Webinar presented in May 2020 for Level Two Coworking

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