Avoid Meaningless Words
By Tim Berry
From Seth Godin’s post Meaningless, published today… There are words that now have no meaning at all… ‘Well’ and ‘so’ have been doing this work for a long time, but add to that the more syllabic words like ironically, literally, and hopefully. And don’t forget all the adjectives, beginning with ‘very’ and ‘really’ that (ironically) make something... Read More »
New Dictionary: F*cking Means Really. Seriously. Dammit.
By Tim Berry
Hey, younger people, are you really all okay with f*cking as a synonym for really? Seriously. Do we need a new dictionary? I caught a great post on Medium the other day: Jon Westenberg’s Why Copying the Habits of Successful People Won’t Make You Successful. Toward the end, he comes up with a brilliant highlight... Read More »
I Really Don’t Like All This Sh*t
By Tim Berry
Some of the best and brightest, some of the most educated people I know, have decided that it’s cool to use the word “shit” to replace the old-fashioned words “things,” “stuff,” “work,” and so on. That’s too bad. Of course I remember “get your shit straight,” a phrase that’s as old as the golden age... Read More »
Blogging in “A Tornado Full of Shrieking Trolls.”
By Tim Berry
Do you care about writing? Do you do it often? Do you do it related to business? Oh, wait, I’m sorry: I should call it content, as in content marketing. It’s not just writing, or blogging; it’s content creation. Or, in a delightful post on the oatmeal.com, simply Making Things. There’s a lot there, on that... Read More »
Seductive Sales Copy: So Easy to Say, So Hard to Do
By Tim Berry
I just read How To Write Seductive Sales Copy Like Apple on Kissmetrics. Good stuff. See, I’m doing it. But, oh, yeah, it’s really hard. And it seems so easy when you look at it. Post author Henneke Duistermaat gives great examples, taken straight from Apple copy. Inspiring, but hard to do. For example: One big idea. Short,... Read More »
Do You Know The Single Most Powerful Word in Business Writing?
By Tim Berry
Whether it’s email, Twitter, Facebook, or — going back to the ancient days — even business letters and proposals, the single most powerful word in business writing is “you.” Whatever else happens, if you start with “you” then you are on the right track. You asked me … You missed this … You suggested …... Read More »
Are Spelling and Grammar Obsolete?
By Tim Berry
Am I being too critical? Do you react like I do to blatant spelling errors? Do they spoil messages for you? Glaring grammar and spelling errors distract me. Yesterday I received an email from somebody asking me to help him find an “inverstor” because he’s had “alot” of interest and he “truely” believes he could... Read More »
You Can’t Eat Truth Either … But it Still Matters
By Tim Berry
As blogger, former full-time journalist, and long-term entrepreneur, I’m offended from all three sides by journalists complaining that bloggers don’t get paid on the Huffington Post. I’m offended by the envy. The money Arianna Huffington and her investors made on the sale of Huffington Post to AOL was classic entrepreneurship, earned by taking risks. They... Read More »
