Tag Archives | mistakes

9 tricks for better proofreading

By Scott Flood on November 30, 2021 in Writing Advice, Mistakes & Mishaps, Publications & Enewsletters

Is proofreading important? Have you noticed the dramatic increase in the number of typos and other mistakes in materials produced by companies and organizations? I suspect it results from three factors: emphasizing haste over quality, relying on software spellcheckers, and unfamiliarity with spelling and language. Granted, the mistake someone at your company makes may not […]

7 marketing mistakes to avoid when moving online

By Scott Flood on November 23, 2021 in Marketing Wisdom, General rants

The COVID-19 crisis led many B2B marketers to rethink how they reach out to prospects and customers. Stepping up your online presence may be a wise move, but only if you avoid some common mistakes. Whether you choose to beef up your website, expand blogging, introduce email marketing, host webinars, or take a stronger stab […]

More media mistakes and mishaps

By Scott Flood on November 18, 2020 in Mistakes & Mishaps

It’s time once again to present some typos and other amusing mishaps that appeared in the media. I don’t poke fun at individuals for making mistakes, but professionals should know better. All three of these examples involve the use of the wrong word. In each, the writer chose a homophone of the intended word, and […]

Latest batch of goofs and gaffes

By Scott Flood on April 8, 2020 in Mistakes & Mishaps, General rants

Been noticing more typos and other errors in articles, posts, and other materials prepared by the media? You’re not alone. We all make mistakes (I’ll admit to more than my share), but newspapers and other professional media outlets used to have procedures in place — such as a team of eagle-eyed copy editors — to […]

Year-end goofs and gaffes

By Scott Flood on December 30, 2019 in Mistakes & Mishaps, General rants

From time to time, I share embarrassing mistakes writers shouldn’t have made. I don’t target well-meaning amateurs — only professional writers and editors who should know better. Some recent examples: A September political newsletter from the Indianapolis Business Journal referenced a candidate forum by noting, “It wasn’t a true debate persay; all of the questions […]

Getting naked at the grocer and other flubs

By Scott Flood on January 16, 2019 in Mistakes & Mishaps, Online Words

A local food retailer undergoing a major renovation apparently intended to plead for patience on a social media site, but wound up asking for participation in a nudist event. The retailer’s post asked customers to “please bare with us,” which is actually asking them to disrobe. Clearly (I hope), the store wanted customers to “bear” […]

When proofreading, don’t skip the familiar

By Scott Flood on August 8, 2018 in Online Words, General rants, Mistakes & Mishaps

Whether mistakes are just amusing, horribly damaging, or simply embarrassing, they don’t belong in your marketing communications materials. That’s why proofreading is so important. That said, there’s a certain kind of error that proofreaders miss more often than any other … and it’s quite embarrassing (well, not as much as substituting a call-in sex line’s […]

Another set of goofs and gaffes

By Scott Flood on September 20, 2017 in Mistakes & Mishaps, General rants

I’ve recently seen several mistakes involving the wrong word used in place of another that sounds identical, but is spelled differently and carries a vastly different meaning. An Indianapolis Star article about flooding had a caption that began “Storms dye down …” The writer meant to say “die down,” as in taper away, not “dye […]

Who really gives a damn about typos?

By Scott Flood on December 21, 2016 in Online Words, General rants, Mistakes & Mishaps

Maybe you think that those of us who call attention to typos and similar mistakes are being pedantic, or anal-retentive, just plain picky. If the meaning is conveyed, who cares about whether the words are spelled right or sentences are properly structured? Nobody, if it’s a comment about your Saturday night outing at the local […]

MORE MISTAKES, MISHAPS, AND OUTRIGHT GOOFS

By Scott Flood on November 18, 2015 in General rants, Mistakes & Mishaps

As you’d expect, the Indiana School Boards Association is an advocate for schools, so it’s no surprise that the Summer 2015 issue of their Journal included an exhortation from the group’s president to get members fired up. But you’ll probably be surprised that she was calling for the group to “lead the fight for pubic […]

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