The Apostrophe: a Very Misunderstood Punctuation Mark by Paul Docherty

Apostrophes must be one of the most misunderstood, and therefore misused, punctuation marks in the English language. Their use is easy to get to grips with, yet so many have missed the point and either use them inappropriately, or not at all as a result. In truth, the apostrophe has only two specific uses: either to imply possession or to denote missing letters. Apostrophes cannot, and should never be used, when making a word plural. The best way to demonstrate is to show the apostrophe in use.

For example, the following uses denote missing letters.

- Don't (as opposed to 'do not')

- You're (as opposed to 'you are')

- I'm (as opposed to 'I am')

In each case you can see where the apostrophe takes the place of one or more missing letters, where we abbreviate the word (or words) as part of our everyday speech.

The following uses denote possession for singular nouns.

- The child's toy…

- A writer's inspiration…

- My wife's mobile phone…

Where a noun is plural and ends in 's', the apostrophe should come at the end of the word, without the addition of another 's'. For example:

- Your parents' house…

- The students' common room…

However, if the noun is plural and does not end in 's', then the apostrophe should be placed at the end of the word and an 's' added after it. For example:

- The people's palace…

Just remembering these simple rules could be the key to using one of the most misunderstood and maligned punctuation marks correctly. For more information on punctuation marks and many aspects of writing, try visiting http://www.freewritingadvice.com/ .

How to Write a Video Game Concept Statement by Lindsay Grace

A game concept statement, or premise, is a short, direct description of the situation of a game. It describes the player's goal, the opposition to that goal, and the means through which that goal will be accomplished. When dealing solely with the narrative portion of the script, the game concept statement reads like a screenplay pitch. Realistically, game play is described because it effects some elements of the storytelling. A short concept statement might read as follows:

"In Trick or Treat the player characters have been trapped in the labyrinth of an ancient haunted house. They must escape by destroying adversarial monsters, avoiding traps, and solving the maze. Trick or Treat is a third person perspective action game."

The goal of a concept statement is to give the reader a sense for the game. It should answer these basic questions:

- What is the goal of the game?

- How is the goal of the game accomplished?

- What are the challenges to the game

- Where does the game take place?

Most people want to add marketing jargon and implementation specifics to their concept statement. This is simply a mistake. Reporting that is it is the best game ever, or that it will be available for the PS10 in 2020 just does not strengthen a concept. To put it bluntly, the concept statement is about the concept. Concepts are general, high level notions. The concept of a car, for example, did not begin with the use of carbon fiber at the Indianapolis 500.

Do not include the following elements in a concept statement:

- Game platform (e.g. for the NES because I'm retro-chic)

- Game rating (e.g. "M" for mature)

- Game play specifics (e.g. controls)

- Game programming details (e.g. uses recursive algorithms for speed) Marketing (e.g. "more exciting than a ride on a roller coaster")

There are exceptions to every rule. There are times when it is important to add implementation details. These are exceptionally rare situations, such as a game designed solely to exploit a new type of controller or for use on a non-standard game platform. In these cases, it makes sense to touch upon the distinguishing detail.

About the Author
I am full-time professor in video game art and design. I teach at the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago, Illinois. My students are working toward Bachelor of Arts degrees in a variety of disciplines including: Digital Media Production, Web Design, Game Design, and Information Technology. I have also taught at ITT Technical schools. Lindsay Grace's Student Resources

4 New Concepts for Better Business Blogging

The Blog Squad has released a new report revealing ground-breaking strategies for Better Business Blogging.

Professionals who have been blogging for business for some time know that blogging takes resources, including personal creativity and energy. What counts is getting new clients and business results. Yet many struggle with how to do this using a blog.

"Business blogs are 'the best darn marketing tool on the planet!'" announces Blog Squad cofounder Dr. Patsi Krakoff, a retired psychologist and journalist. "However, while many professionals and small businesses are already blogging, many do not use them to their full advantage, so they're not getting the spectacular results they could."

"Like leaving a Ferrari parked in the garage, many business bloggers aren't taking advantage of their blog’s full marketing power," she adds.

To help, The Blog Squad™ team of Dr. Krakoff and partner Denise Wakeman are releasing a special report on what works and what doesn't for building and growing a business through blogging.

The report is called Better Business Blogging and it reveals four new concepts for getting results, called the CODA system.

"An effective business blog has balance in these four areas: Content, Outreach, Design, and Action," says Ms. Wakeman. "You can’t get spectacular results unless you pay attention to all four elements."

The CODA System consists of:

1. Content: writing quality posts that educate, engage, and enrich the lives of readers

2. Outreach: building relationships with other bloggers to become part of a larger community

3. Design: the little things in a blog design that contribute towards creating trust and connection with readers

4. Action: getting readers to respond through persuasive writing, encouraging a conversation, and converting readers to loyal fans and clients

Better Business Blogging: 4 New Concepts for Getting Spectacular Results, is available for free at http://www.betterbizblogging.com/.

Discover what good writing is all about by Linda Correli

Writing is a form of preserved talk, talk that has been pinned down on paper so the words can be heard again. The basic principles of good writing, apart, from grammatical correctness, might be presented as follows:

1) written sentences should sound like natural speech,

2) the words we use must be exact, fresh, full of strength and vitality. Picture making words are better than vague, general words,

3) fresh point of view will give flavor to the style,

4) humor will lighten it.

Though, it is true that written sentences should sound like natural speech, they fully present an image of the natural speech. The reasons for this are fairly obvious: natural speech is a great deal more than words; it is also tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, and even the speaker's appearance.

The whole point of writing is to create something better than we really talk - something more interesting, more thoughtful, and more effective in every way, for "effectiveness is what matters, and if an expression is confusing, ambiguous or unintentionally vague, it can hardly be an effective use of the language." (C.R.E.Parker).

The only thing we must borrow from the natural speech to achieve an air of naturalness is the rhythm of speech. Now before we speak of sentence rhythm at more length, we shall consider one of the major qualities of writing - sentence length.

To begin with, fashions in sentence length constantly change. Past generation were more hospitable to the long sentences than we are, and prose writers sometimes created sentences 200-300 words long. They are often well-arranged sentences too; after all, the thought they convey is complex and can be hardly skimmed through. Indeed, some of them present the works of art.

In the twentieth century, the tendency in writing has been toward shorter, easier-to-grasp-at-one glance sentences.

- This tendency can be easily explained by the spread of the literacy among masses of people.

- Consequently, the style of writing should be clear and comprehensive for everybody, and aimed at satisfying the demand in easy and interesting reading.

- The increase in the tempo of living and absence of leisure-reading matter must be fitted to the needs of those who read only in the odd moments of their lives, between household chores and television programs, business meetings and social duties.

Hence, what can be inferred from the length of the sentences the writer uses?

Indeed, sentence length and grammatical complexity vary from writer to writer, from idea to idea, from sentence to sentence. There can't be any general rules, which every person, who starts writing should strictly stick to. However, there are a handful of good ideas that can be applied by the writers.

Sentence length depends greatly on the complexity of the idea to be expressed. In our time, the average length of sentences is somewhere between 20-30 words. Now the simplicity and naturalness of the written and spoken language is deemphasized. So, the usage of short sentences became the custom of the day.

Short sentences can infuse a fresh spirit into the way you write and speak. Get to know why?

* The writer, who wants to persuade the audience, should remember that he will succeed best when the argument is couched in brief, even staccato sentences.

* In most readers' mind, the short sentence carries an unmistakable sense of wisdom, because down through the ages it has acted as the setting for all the familiar gems of "truth".

* Since there is no room in a very short sentence for anything but one elaborated thought, it follows that an idea to set forth in such a sentence will receive a large degree of emphasis.

* The short sentences can be used to express the feeling of suspense, excitement, or even horror. What would be a crime thriller be like without the terse, clipped sentences that portend a tense episode? The concentration upon a few bare facts adds a peculiar sense of horror or vice verse excitement to the narrative.

* The very absence of elaboration gives a writer a great opportunity to deliver the message to the reader in a simple and comprehensive way.

* The short sentences give unity to the expressed ideas, relieve monotony of too many clauses, and in general, make the expression more exact and accurate.

Undoubtedly, every writer should pay special attention to the length of the sentences he uses. Thus, the primary concern in writing and speaking must always be that our sentences fit the thoughts they are communicating.

About the Author
Linda Correli is a staff writer of http://www.CustomResearchPapers.us/ and an author of the popular online tutorial for students "What Teachers Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing in 10 Days", available at http://www.Go2Essay.com/

What is a Writer's Style Guide and Why Would I Need One? by Paul Docherty

A style guide is a means of documenting your approach, as a writer, to the main elements of writing style that you believe need to be consistent. Style guides are generally associated with specialist types of writing like technical writing, commercial or business writing, journalism and web copywriting. In each of these cases, there is a need to ensure that the writing style is consistent and so guidelines are usually published to allow more than one author to contribute while ensuring that the finished piece does not carry or exhibit the personal style of a writer but that of the publication, company or website.

For publications or companies with a large number of contributing authors, a style guide is essential if the completed publication is to be coherent and consistent.

Many creative writers eschew the need for a style guide, believing that the ability to follow a standard English writing style should be an innate quality for any writer. While to a certain extent this could be argued to be true, a style guide provides a means of documenting basic rules or features of your writing that will allow you to ensure consistency in your written output. Technical writers, for example, will generally have a style guide for a particular customer or project to ensure that the data they deliver will be in an acceptable form and will be in keeping with previous deliveries or other publications that the customer already has. In many cases, this style is dictated by a recognised standard.

The lack of a single authoritative source on style for written English means that there is, and will always be, healthy debate on the elements of style. The use of punctuation and correct grammar is well established but style is much more than just the correct usage of punctuation, grammar and vocabulary.

Each publication, company or writer will have a view on any number of elements of the style of their writing. Creative writers may not be worried about headings, lists, trademarks or the use of special terminology, whereas a bid proposal writer or a technical writer may need to take heed of all such considerations in their daily work.

For any writer, but particularly for the freelance writer, a style guide should be an invaluable tool. Freelance writers should continually develop style guides for each customer or publication type that they work with. It is important that, as a freelancer, you can demonstrate an ability to follow a prescribed style, but equally that you can learn and record what your customers prefer from their comments and feedback. This will help increase your customers' satisfaction in the long term and will help place you as their supplier of choice for written material or content.

But what's wrong with a creative writer using their own style guide? Well, nothing. Can you imagine how much time it might save in proofreading and correction if a creative writer knows that they've followed a set style from the outset in certain areas?

About the Author:
Paul Docherty has over 13 years experience of technical and business related writing, as well as operations management and project managing complex technical writing projects. For more free advice and articles on how to make the most of your writing either as a hobby or as a career, try visiting http://www.freewritingadvice.com/ and http://www.freewritingadvice.com/articles/

85% Of All Business, Other Writing Contains at Least One Grammar Error

The majority of adults are unable to write letters, emails or presentations without making grammatical errors, according to a new survey by WhiteSmoke, Inc., developers of an advanced English grammar and writing engine.

Of 5,000 writing samples analyzed, 85% contained one or more errors.

'Be', 'have', 'do', 'in', 'on’, and 'at' caused the most problems, with 27% of writers forgetting to include these words when needed. Also missing were 'a', 'an' and 'the'.

Nearly one half of 1,000 survey participants, age 18 – 80, claimed grammar and spelling were important. While 50% checked their writing for grammar errors before they sent it to their bosses, only 11% said grammar mattered when writing to friends and family.

The research by WhiteSmoke coincides with the launch of its latest release -- WhiteSmoke 2008 Extended Edition.

Following missing word errors, 24.3% of participants forgot to put a question mark, period or comma in the right place.

Some 7% of writers mixed up subtleties in subject-verb agreement. Writing, for example, "the members of the team runs well," which should instead read, "the members of the team run well." Other problems include spelling, using wrong words, and repeating words.

Unlike many other grammar checkers and spell checkers, WhiteSmoke 2008 Extended Edition spots missing words and faulty punctuation and helps people improve their grammar by showing them why it is suggesting changes. The spell checker dynamically updates to keep up with the pace of new words being introduced such as "Obama" and "Facebook".

WhiteSmoke 2008 Extended Edition offers several new functions that can improve English writing. Based on patented natural language processing, WhiteSmoke performs advanced and context-based English grammar, spelling, and punctuation checking, as well as text enrichment to enhance writing with synonyms, adverbs and adjectives.

The State of Business Writing Today by Mary Anne Donovan

There is a crisis in the workplace today, and believe it or not, it's about the quality of writing. That's right: poor writing skills are at the core of issues such as low productivity, inferior quality, and poor customer relations.

Think about it. Modes of business communication have changed radically in the last ten years. Previously we conducted most communication verbally, either by telephone or in person -- meetings, visits, etc. But in this digital age we have become communicators by the written word. Business is conducted internationally via email and instant messenger, and often we never even meet the person on the other end of the keyboard. What this means is: we are what we write!!

Consider the following:

* More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth grade level.

* A whopping $225 billion is lost by business each year because of poor reading, writing, and math skills.

* 71 % of surveyed executives reported that good writing is critical to business success, yet just 26 percent offer any kind of writing training.

* 30 % of all business correspondence is initiated to clarify a previous correspondence.

When a business is represented poorly in its written communications â€" poor grammar, inappropriate tone, misspelling, ineffective format, and so on â€" then everything else about that business is in question. The logic goes something like this:

"If they don't care enough about their written communications and correspondence, then how competent is their customer service and what is the quality of their products?"

In general, the impact of poor writing on a business is difficult to measure, and therefore, we tend to disregard it, and search instead for some elusive solution to our miscellaneous business woes. Cease your search for the elusive Holy Grail, and look instead at the quality of your and your employees' writing. You may be amazed at what you find!.

About the Author
Variety is the spice of life and the source of great fodder. So says writer, scholar, teacher, and business practitioner Mary Anne Donovan. Mary Anne has been teaching in both graduate and undergraduate programs for the past nine years, with a specialty in business, technical and professional communications. In addition, she is the Chief Editor of Writer Online, a professional ezine for writers and lovers of writing. Mary Anne has her master's degree in liberal studies with a concentration in digital virtual literacy and rhetoric from Empire State College. The blog can be found at http://www.businesswriting-courses.com/

Better Business Blog Writing Tips Revealed

The Blog Squad is teaching Better Business Blog Writing for professionals with a two-part teleseminar May 19 and 21, 2008 via teleconference and webcast.

Open to professionals with business blogs, the two-part series is designed to improve the quality of business blog content and get better results.

Business blogging experts, Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D., and Denise Wakeman, also known as The Blog Squad, specialize in helping business owners get more results with their blogs.

They teach the "4E's" for better blog writing: how to educate, entertain, engage and enrich readers through blog content.

"Many professionals struggle with finding time for writing on their business blogs. And they don't have a system for writing blog content that works for getting clients," explains Dr. Krakoff, a former journalist and psychologist. "Better Business Blog Writing Class aims to greatly improve blog writing quality and speed up the time required to post."

The Blog Squad's 4E's of Better Business Blogging suggests that each post be reviewed for these four factors before publishing:

1. Educate your readers with valuable information or tips that are relevant to your niche.

2. Entertain readers by including stories about your own personal experiences with the topic.

3. Engage them by asking them to respond. Since blogs are interactive, readers can leave comments, but you must encourage them.

4. Enrich the lives of readers by showing them how they can save time, money or energy. Stimulate their thinking and inspire them to act in new ways.

"When you write with readers' interests in mind, they'll subscribe to your blog and keep coming back, converting to loyal fans and clients," adds Denise Wakeman, cofounder of The Blog Squad™.

Better Business Blog Writing takes place via the web and telephone on May 19 and 21, 2008 at 5 p.m. ET. For more information, visit www.BetterBizBlogging.com/BBBWC.

Free Audio Version of Guide to Proposal Writing

The Foundation Center, in partnership with the New York Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), is making available free of charge a new audio version of "The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing," the most popular book in its Fundraising and Nonprofit Management Series.

The first audio product to be issued by the Center, the new audiobook was recorded by two New York-based RFB&D volunteers. The entire "Guide to Proposal Writing" is included in the audiobook. For web visitors' convenience, the recording is divided into tracks corresponding to chapters in the book, and users can listen to the chapters that interest them or download the entire audiobook as a single mp3 file. "The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing" is also available as an AudioPlus(c) CD in RFB&D's library for those with visual disabilities.

"RFB&D is celebrating 60 years of providing people with print disabilites equal access to the printed word. We were delighted to partner with the Foundation Center on this most worthy project," said Diane Crupain, executive director of RFB&D New York Unit.

"I have had clients who could not read the small type in books and who were uncomfortable with the computer," said Judith Lee Taylor, research and training coordinator at the Foundation Center's Cooperating Collection at United Way of Tyler/Smith County in Tyler, Texas. "I applaud the Foundation Center's awareness of the needs of this population."

Listen to or download the audiobook at http://www.foundationcenter.org/getstarted/learnabout/audiobook.html

How to Use Readability Formulas to Help You Write Better

We can dissect the term "readability" into "read" + "ability," which translates into the ability to read. Readability has nothing to do with either legibility or literacy. In fact, readability is more of a judgmental exercise for the targeted audience. George Klare (1963) defines readability as "the ease of understanding or comprehension due to the style of writing." We can consider readability as means to measure the difficulty of text or page layout, so the writer knows how effectively his text will reach his target audience before he publishes or distributes it.

We can assess readability through readability tests by applying readability formulas. Readability formulas are mathematical in nature; each formula's primary aim is to measure the grade level a person must have to read and comprehend a text. Writers consider readability formulas as simple ways to judge read-ability, i.e., the difficulty level of a text.

Readability formulas measure certain features of a text based on mathematical calculations. We base these readability measures on a handful of factors; the most common factors include the number of words in a sentence, as well as the number of letters or syllables per word. Most readability formulas are based on one semantic factor (i.e., the difficulty of words), and one syntactic factor (i.e., the difficulty of sentences). We don't need to calculate other factors, as they tend to make the formulas more complex and achieve little in return.

Another fact about these formulas is that you don't need readers to read out (or try to read out) the text. However, readability formulas don't always work with 100% accuracy.

Importance of Readability Formulas

It requires a great deal of effort to come up with some kind of text. This text may be unique in its contents, yet it fails to serve its purpose of making the reader understand and use it. The problem many writers face is how to assess the "readability" of their text. Readability formulas offer the solution. By applying these scientific and mathematical principles, the readability formulas aim to present an objective analysis about the readability of a particular text.

Commonly Used Readability Formulas

Researchers and writers have been using readability formulas since 1920 and, over the years, they have spent a lot of time devising the most accurate and scientific formulas to assess readability. Some of the popular and commonly used formulas include:

1. Rudolph Flesch's Reading Ease Formula;
2. Flesch's Grade Level;
3. J. Peter Kinkaid's Flesch-Kinkaid Index;
4. Robert Gunning's Fog Index;
5. The SMOG Readability Formula;
6. Fry's Readability Graph;
7. New Dale-Chall Formula;
8. Powers-Sumner-Kearl Readability Formula;
9. FORCAST Readability Formula; and
10. Spache Readability Formula.

You can use a free readability formulas tester at http://www.readabilityformulas.com/ to assess the reading-level of your text.

Why Use Readability Formulas?

Despite their much-criticized shortcomings, many organizations consider readability formulas an important tool to evaluate the readability of text. Here are reasons why you should use readability formulas:

1. Most Americans have limited reading ability, which means their reading grade-level balances between average and poor. It makes sense to prepare text in plain English if your readers have limited reading capabilities. How do you determine if your text is readable from your readers' point of view? Simple. Use readability formulas.

2. If the text is not readable, the purpose of writing it in the first place gets defeated. For instance, let's assume you've written an instruction manual for your employees. If your employees cannot read this manual, they will never understand the true meaning of its contents; this will adversely impact their productivity. Using readability formulas can prevent such a scenario and tell you beforehand if your text is of any value to your employees.

3. Readability formulas help you to prepare a readable text. In other words, these formulas can save you time and money that you might have wasted in writing a complicated document, which is not useful for the target audience.

4. Just imagine how frustrated your target audience feels trying to read an ill-prepared document. Studies show that enforcing difficult text can have adverse effects on the overall mood and psychology of your customers. They may feel confused by a clumsily prepared text and opt for another provider.

5. Preparing text costs money. If you produce an unreadable text, you are increasing your organization's operating costs. By using readability formulas, you are almost 80% sure that your readers find your text useful; thereby, keeping your costs down.

6. Most reputable word-processors, like MS-Word, have a built-in readability formula feature that helps you to assess the readability of a document. Or you can use a free readability formula tester at http://www.readabilityformulas.com/ to access the reading level of your text. If you can gain such a useful insight into the document without manually calculating the readability, why won't you use it?

The underlying message of each formula is the same: if you use shorter, average sentence lengths and fewer big-lettered words, you can reduce the reading level and increase the speed and ease of reading.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jesse Dawson is the author of "Can YOU Read Me Now? How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience," a free e-book available at Readability Formulas. He is a contributing writer for http://www.lousywriter.com/, a free website that helps writers and non-writers learn about english grammar. He also serves as a forum moderator at Writing Answers, where he helps writers and non-writers fix English writing problems.

3 Easy Ways to Edit Your Documents by Arun Sinha

Most business documents such as emails, memos and reports contain excess words. Fortunately, you can edit out much of the bloat in your text by simply following the three steps described below.

1. Omit meaningless modifiers.

We often bulk up our prose with adjectives and adverbs that don't add new meaning or interest. Examples:

close scrutiny (scrutiny, by definition, is close)

advance warning (you can't warn someone about the past)

end result (results are always at the end)

past history (as opposed to future history?)

could potentially (potentially implies that something could happen)

unexpected surprise (if it was expected, it wouldn't be a surprise)

This is an easy edit, because such modifiers don't modify. Banish them.

2. Delete redundant word pairs.

We've become so used to seeing certain words in pairs, we never stop to ask whether we really need both words. Here are some frequent offenders:

first and foremost

full and complete

each and every

any and all

if and only if

intents and purposes

Of the two words, the second is usually redundant. It may give the impression of adding emphasis, but it only adds hot air. You can almost always safely delete it, along with the "and."

At times, however, the second word may suit your purposes better than the first. I'll leave that to your judgment.

3. Erase the phrase "the ________ of."

This phrase litters business documents. In its most common form, it looks like one of these:

the state of

the field of

the age of

the act of

This edit has the biggest payoff: the entire phrase gets cut. For example, instead of "the state of Florida," just say "Florida." Everyone will know you mean the state. Similarly, "the field of geology" can be replaced by "geology."

There may be instances where you need the phrase for clarity, but most of the time, you'll do better without it.

The phrase also takes the following form:

the running of

the printing of

the construction of

Here, you can't delete the entire phrase, but you can get rid of "the" and "of." Doing so would result in:

running

printing

constructing

The above edits will go a long way toward making your work crisper and increasing its impact.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Arun Sinha is founder and president of Access Consulting, a marketing communications and technical writing firm in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. Visit Access Consulting to sign up for your monthly One-Minute Communications Tip. Every month, you'll receive an actionable idea or technique on an aspect of business communications, distilled into about 150 words.

Prominent Author and White Paper Guru, Michael A. Stelzner, Releases First Video on Successful Marketing Strategy

Acclaimed author and founder of Stelzner Consulting, Michael A. Stelzner has released his first video in a series of videos that detail how he successfully generated over 60,000 B2B leads and how businesses and entrepreneurs can use the same strategies for success.

The strategies revealed do not involve email, blogs, social networking or any of the new Internet marketing fads.

The first video of the series can be seen at this link -- http://www.marketingwhitepapers.net/video/ .

Michael Stelzner is considered the leading expert in the field of creating lead generating white papers. He is a highly sought after speaker and has presented at marketing conferences across the world. He is also the founder of WhitePaperSource.com.

Stelzner's best-selling book, "Writing White Papers" is a practical and engaging guide to creating compelling white papers that generate long-term sales. The book reveals new techniques for selling by educating, how to craft persuasive messaging, details for writing the core of any white paper and creative marketing efforts to attract leads with white papers.

Michael A. Stelzner, has authored over 100 white papers for industry leaders such as Microsoft, FedEx and Motorola, and his book is the definitive resource to help anyone master the art of writing white papers.

How to Make Your Press Release Reader-Friendly by Jesse Dawson

Writing and formatting a press release is easy. If you format your press release according to "industry standards" and include all the essential information, then reporters and editors will likely read your press release.

Follow these formatting rules to create a reader-friendly press release:

Rule # 1: Use mixed case. NEVER SUBMIT A PRESS RELEASE IN ALL UPPER CASE LETTERS. As you can see, it's difficult to read and marks you as an amateur writer.

Rule # 2: Adhere to all rules of grammar and style. Grammar mistakes and sloppy style use affect your credibility. PR distributors will reject your press release with excessive errors. Polish your writing with a grammar and style checker, such as WhiteSmoke Software or StyleWriter Software.

Rule # 3: Trash the HTML. When sending your press release to online media, do not embed HTML or other markup languages in it. Such computer-coded formatting will negatively impact the readability of your press release. Use a free readability formulas tester at http://www.readabilityformulas.com/ to ensure you've written your press release between a 5th and 8th grade reading-level.

Rule # 4: Use more than one paragraph. If you can say everything in only a few sentences, then your press release is probably not newsworthy. Some experts may tell you that you should never write a press release longer than one page. I have found that you should write a press release as long as it takes to tell your story. If that means one and a-half or two pages, then that's how long it should be. Do your best to keep it concise, but don't remove important information just to make it fit on one page.

Rule # 5: Include a summary paragraph for online submissions. Some online news services want a one-page summary of your press release. This is because some distribution points only receive your headline, summary and a link to your press release. This is not necessary with print, television or radio media.

Rule # 6: Write your press release on a word processor instead of composing it online. When you've finished writing it, print it out, and proofread it. Rewrite, edit, and proofread again, until you've got it exactly how you want it, and you have no mistakes. Because most people have trouble proofreading their own writing, ask a colleague to proofread it for you.

Rule # 7: Do not include your e-mail address in the body of your release -- especially if you submit your press release online, or publish your press release on your website or blog. You can include your e-mail address in the "Contact Us" section; if it goes online, prepare yourself for spam, since it's going into public domain. Most online media services provide a "spam-free" place for your e-mail address, and most of your local media prefer your telephone number.

PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

Use this basic press release template to format your press release:

Step # 1: At the top of the page, on your company letterhead, write the words "PRESS RELEASE" in all capital letters. Center and bold it.

Step # 2: Hit the Enter-key twice, so you go down two lines. On the left hand side of the page, write the release date. If it's for immediate release, then write "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" in bold-faced CAPS.

Step # 3: On the same line, but to the far right, write the words "CONTACT INFORMATION" or "CONTACT INFO." in bold-faced capital letters. Go down to the next line, and list the contact person and his/her phone number.

TIP: Sometimes it's a good idea to include two contact people and two phone numbers -- for example, the office number and cell phone number. You can also include your e-mail address.

Step # 4: Hit the Enter-key twice again, and type in your headline. (Center and bold-face your headline, but not in all CAPS). Write a headline that is short, snappy and relevant. You want to grab the reader's attention.

Step # 5: Go down two spaces again. This is the body of your press release. You should double-space your text and use a 12 point font, such as Times New Roman or Arial. Leave plenty of white space in your press release -- use at least one to two inch margins around your page.

Step # 6: In your first paragraph, provide the readers with enough basic information to keep them reading. The body of your press release should answer the five "W" questions -- Who, What, When, Where and Why. Because you've only got a few sentences, make every word count.

Step # 7: In the second paragraph, answer the "So What" question. Explain why readers might find this information interesting, and why they should care about it. The second paragraph is an ideal place to include a quote, or an emotional tidbit, to add human interest to your story.

Step # 8: In the third (and often final) paragraph, answer any questions the reporter or journalist might have about your story. Here is where you can include information about your company, or any technical explanations.

Step # 9: Make your press release long enough to say what you need to say. If it goes beyond one page, then include the word "MORE" under the last line on the first page. Capitalize and bold-face it.

Then on the second page, on the top right hand side of the page, write "Page 2." On the line under that, write the title of your press release again.

Step # 10: Continue where you left off. When you finish your press release, center these symbols under the last line, "###" (without the quotation marks). This lets the reader know you're done.

That's all there is to it. You now have a perfect press release.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jesse Dawson is the author of "Can YOU Read Me Now? How to Use Readability Formulas to Write for Your Target Audience," a free e-book available at www.ReadabilityFormulas.com. He is a contributing writer for www.LousyWriter.com, a free website that helps writers and non-writers learn about english grammar. He also serves as a forum moderator at www.WritingAnswers.com, where he helps writers and non-writers fix English writing problems.

E-mail Writing - 'They'll Know What I Mean' Just Doesn't Cut it

Author: Paul Docherty

Have you ever wondered how people coped in the world of business before e-mail? If you're under 30, you've probably never worked in an office or with a company that didn't have it. So how did people manage without it? Easy: they communicated.

Most businesses will admit that, while e-mail has some wonderful advantages, it isn't exactly without its pitfalls. We have a whole generation of workers coming through the ranks now who don't have the communication skills that many before us had. The art of conversation is undoubtedly dying and the business world will suffer as a result.

Senior managers are realising that much of the miscommunication and misunderstanding in business today can be attributed to an impersonal communication style made so easy by e-mail. E-mail is a breeding ground for misunderstanding and ambiguity, with most people sadly ill-equipped to deal with the medium as a form of communication.

So where is it falling down? To understand, we have to look at some of what human communication is about. Any formally trained manager will be able to tell you about active listening, body language, neuro linguistic programming and all the well-studied aspects of human interaction but the most astounding argument against e-mail has to be in the art of verbal conversation. Of the three aspects of verbal communication; words, voice intonation and body language (sometimes also known as words, music and dance) only 7% of the message we give is derived by the other person from the words we use. A further 38% is derived from the voice and intonation, while a staggering 55% of the meaning of our face-to-face verbal communications is derived unconsciously from the body language. It's therefore not difficult to see why e-mail could be seen by many as a deficient and potentially dangerous modern menace.

It's not all bad though. E-mail is still one of the most valuable tools available to modern business: the time savings alone make it worthwhile in many instances. There is, however, a need to fully understand the effect of using e-mail and what is lost from the 'conversation' as a result of restricting our message to only 7% of the available method. By appreciating the deficiencies of e-mail, we can start to compensate. As I mentioned earlier, ambiguity is a killer in business. If you use e-mail daily, you must learn to use unambiguous language, to be clear in your meaning and to make sure that the recipient of your e-mail is left in no doubt as to your meaning. Unfortunately for many people, though, this results in long-winded messages, somewhat defeating the instantaneous appeal of e-mail in the first place. But being clear in your message doesn't mean you can't be concise and efficient with your words. Indeed it's all the more reason to practice your writing skills.

Whenever possible, ensure that you draft important e-mails in advance of sending them. Take some time to read what you've written and analyse what meaning could be taken from it. If you can see more than one potential meaning, you can bet your recipient will too: so reword it.

Being aware of the limitations is half the battle in making sure that your e-mails are clear and result in what you intended, not what someone else thought you might have intended. In the world of business "They'll know what I mean..." just doesn't cut it.

With good advice freely available on the internet these days at sites like http://www.freewritingadvice.com/ - there really is no excuse.

About the Author:
Paul Docherty has over 13 years experience in technical and business writing and managing large complex engineering-based technical writing projects. More of Paul's writing can be found at http://www.freewritingadvice.com/

Differences Between UK and US English by Paul Docherty

George Bernard Shaw is famously quoted as having said that the British and the Americans are two nations "separated by a common language." In reality, there is no real difference in the application of the language in grammatical terms between American English and British English: sentences are constructed in an identical manner and the application of punctuation is the same.

The main area of difference is in the vocabulary and spelling used. There are many differences in these areas, not immediately apparent to a many people but afficionados of Hollywood movies will be able to identify a few of the more obvious differences without difficulty. For example:

gas (US) v petrol (UK)

soccer (US) v football (UK)

apartment (US) v flat (UK)

attorney (US) v lawyer (UK)

sidewalk (US) v pavement (UK)

If you are a writer considering writing either in the UK, the US or both, you will need to ensure you tailor your writing for the readership you are trying to target. The use of American vocabulary, and particularly spelling, in British publications is frowned upon and will immediately switch a reader off; that's if it ever gets past an editor first. Likewise, use of UK-specific vocabulary will have a similar effect in the USA. It is far better to take account of this at the beginning, than be put in the potentially embarrassing position of having to rewrite your text.

Of equal importance when understanding the differences between American and British English vocabulary and word usage, is spelling. There are some significant differences which, if not taken into account by the writer, will highlight that you may not have fully investigated your target audience. Again, for example:

center (US) v centre (UK)

donut (US) v doughnut (UK)

favorite (US) v favourite (UK)

tire (US) v tyre (UK)

catalog (US) v catalogue (UK)

color (US) v colour (UK)

If you are looking to write for both markets, it is worthwhile acquainting yourself with more of these kind of differences. It will also be useful to get a hold of UK and US English dictionaries (Websters for the US and Oxford OED for the UK).

Use the internet to look for key differences and ways in which the language is developing on each side of the Atlantic. Since the UK and the US are separated by an ocean and several thousand miles, we will increasingly find that the dialects of British and American English will continue to diverge as the modern languages develop. It is also worth investigating the now apparent differences in English language usage between the generations as well, especially in the modern urban environments.

About the Author:
Paul Docherty has many years experience in technical writing, business sales proposals and managing large engineering technical writing projects. Recently he has contributed significantly to many websites including http://www.freewritingadvice.com/

Secret of PR Writing that Beats the Band

Great marketing-oriented writing has a discernable "beat" readers can practically dance to. But without that rhythm, such writing sinks to the level of nails across a chalkboard, warned business communications "percussionist" Rich Smith, Newsdesk365, while picking up a pair of awards April 30 for outstanding PR writing.

Forget about learning the difference between a preposition and a participle. To master the art of barrier-busting PR writing, first learn the difference between a paradiddle and a pataflafla.

So suggests a marketing-communications agency wordsmith who believes that the skills necessary to craft great writing are not unlike those required to play the drums - and that acquiring the latter can improve the former.

"You make music with words if you string the right ones together the right way; but when you read a razor-sharp piece of prose, a driving piece of prose, it's not a melody you hear playing in your brain - it's a rhythm," asserted Rich Smith, Newsdesk365 (http://www.newsdesk365.com/), while last night (April 30) picking up a pair of Capella awards for excellence in PR writing from the Public Relations Society of America, California Inland Empire Chapter (http://www.prsaie.org/).

"Take drum lessons and you're likely to find yourself doing a better job writing brochures, press releases, and speeches," continued Smith, whose Yucca Valley, Calif.,-based word lab specializes in overcoming reader tune-out.

"Drummers rivet audiences any time they break into a pounding solo, and it's all done with a beat, which is exactly what PR writers need to be able to accomplish on paper," he told those on hand for the awards ceremony at the Riverside Museum of Art. "Nothing causes audiences to disengage faster than writing that has no sense of rhythm, no timing, no pulse."

Smith, a 1976 magna cum laude graduate of the journalism school at California State University, Long Beach, took his first drum lessons when he was 10 and by 11 was able to perform drumbeat rudiments such as the paradiddle and, later, the pataflafla. He still plays, but only for recreation and to help ensure his writing maintains its edge.

Three Pesky Comma Errors by David Bowman

When writers use commas correctly, they help readers make sense of text. However, when commas are not used correctly, readers may have to ponder over a sentence to understand its meaning. This causes the reader to think about the writing instead of the message being delivered, which is always a sign of poor writing. At Precise Edit, we see the same three comma errors repeatedly, so we offer the assistance below to help you improve your own writing.

Problem One: Comma before conjunctions that join two independent clauses

First, let's define the terms. In this case, the term conjunction refers to the coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Some people use the acronym FANBOYS to recall this list of coordinating conjunctions.) The term independent clause refers to a complete sentence, whether it stands alone or is part of a longer sentence. Basically, if the independent clause were to start with a capital letter and end with a period, you would read it and say, "Yup, that's a complete sentence." Now let's examine an example using this rule correctly.

I saw her, and I smiled.

Both I saw her and I smiled are independent clauses. All you need to do is add punctuation, and they would be complete sentences. These two sentences are joined by the conjunction and. According to this rule, a comma should be placed in front of the conjunction. Sure enough, the comma is there. (We did say that this is a correct example.) You might be thinking, "Yeah, but if you leave out that comma, I will still understand what the sentence is about." Well, that was a simple example. Let's look at a couple of others that are a bit more complicated.

She looked at me, and Bob, under the tree, sighed.
If you leave out the comma before and, the reader will have to decide whether she looked at only me or if she looked at me and Bob. Only when you reach the end of the sentence can you determine that she is looking at me and that Bob is the person sighing.

Bob saw her looking at me, so wistfully he walked away.

If you leave out the comma before so, the reader might think that she is looking at me so wistfully. Instead, Bob is the wistful one. Without that comma, the reader might unconsciously correct the sentence this way:

Bob saw her looking at me so wistfully. He walked away.

In doing so, the reader fixes your punctuation incorrectly and has an incorrect understanding of what you are trying to communicate.

Be careful with this rule. Sometimes what looks like an independent clause might only be a phrase with an implied that. For example:

I knew that she loved me and she always would.

The phrase she always would looks like an independent clause, but it isn't. It is actually an abbreviated form of that she always would. The complete sentence is I knew that she loved me and that she always would. This doesn't require a comma according to the rule.

Problem Two: Comma after every item in a series (not including the last item)

First, let's define our terms. By series we mean a list. For example:

She saw me, Bob, and Tom glaring at each other.
See that comma before and? It is referred to as the serial comma, or, for our British friends, the Oxford comma. That's the comma many writers leave out. To be quite honest, some editors say that comma is not necessary. After all, they say, the commas in the list are filling in for the word and, and since the and is already there, adding the comma is redundant. Why, then, do we say that you should add it?

Here's the reason. Our first task as editors is to improve reader understanding. Sometimes items in lists are complicated and comprise two or more other items. Without that comma, the reader may have difficulty understanding how the items are grouped. For example:

Mary saw me, Bob and Tom, and Frank walking in her direction with amorous looks in our eyes.

With the comma after Tom the reader knows that Bob and Tom are walking together and that Frank and I are walking alone. Without the comma, the sentence is still correct, though clumsy, but it conveys a different meaning. The sentence

Mary saw me, Bob and Tom and Frank walking in her direction with amorous looks in our eyes no longer tells the reader that Bob and Tom are together or that Frank and I are walking alone.

Based on the previous example, you might be thinking that you should simply add the comma when it improves understanding but that you don't need it otherwise. Since we believe that punctuation use should be consistent (i.e., not changing from sentence to sentence), we always add that comma.


Problem Three: Comma after introductory subordinate phrases

First, let's define our terms. A subordinate phrase is a phrase that begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., since, when, although, as). These phrases are not independent clauses (think: complete sentence) because of that subordinating conjunction. They must be attached to an independent clause. Subordinate phrases tell when the main action occurred, provide a condition for it to occur, give opposing information about the action, or show cause and effect. (We have another article about subordinating conjunctions that you may wish to read if this is confusing.) For example,

Since she did not like any of us

is a subordinate phrase. If you were to take away the subordinating conjunction since, you would have an independent clause, but with that conjunction, the phrase can no longer exist alone (at least not correctly). The other term, introductory, is easy to understand. It means at the beginning of the sentence. Now let's examine an example using this rule correctly.

Although we were besotted with love, we knew that our quest for her affection was pointless.

(Note to our young adult readers: that's life.) The phrase Although we were besotted with love is a subordinate phrase giving opposing information about the main action knew, and it is at the beginning of the sentence. Thus, it needs to be followed by a comma.

Like the previous rule, some people agree with it, and others think it is only necessary when the introductory subordinate phrase is longer than some arbitrary number of words. For example, some people say to use this comma when the phrase is five or more words. However, like the reason why we always use the serial comma, we prefer to be consistent. You will need to make your own decision on this. Because this rule can be a bit confusing, we're providing a few more examples.

As he ran away from Mary, Tom fell and skinned his knee.

Although his knee hurt, the pain in his heart consumed his attention.

Because his affections had been crushed by Mary's indifference, Frank gave up on her and called Susan instead.

If Susan was not home, he would call Clara.

Here's an example of a sentence that would be confusing without that comma:

While Susan did not want him, calling her seemed like a good idea.

Without the comma, the reader will read

While Susan did not want him calling her...

which will make sense until the reader gets to seemed like a good idea.

Some people think the editors at Precise Edit are too picky. We like to think of ourselves as "detail oriented." That sounds better, right? Really, though, we are simply trying to improve reader understanding and writer professionalism. Applying the rules above will help you do the same.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit (http://preciseedit.com/), a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

How to Choose the Best Readability Formula for Your Document

Presently, there are more than 200 readability formulas developed by various scholars since the 1940s. Only a handful of these formulas are reliable to determine the reading-level of a sample text. This article will help you to decide which readability formula or formulas to use on your documents. Identify your industry, then select the appropriate readability formula.

EDUCATION

The primary role of the education sector is to distill good education to students at different grade levels. Written text in the form of textbooks, journals, literature and so on, forms the backbone of a good education system. Here are different readability formulas to use on your documents according to the grade level:

1. Dale-Chall: Dale-Chall Readability formula is a general formula suitable for all kinds of texts.

2. Spache: Spache Readability Formula is ideal for texts for up to 3rd grade level students.

3. Powers-Sumner-Kearl: The Powers-Sumner-Kearl readability dormula is ideal for text geared towards primary age children (age 7-10).

4. SMOG: McLaughlin’s SMOG Readability Formula is appropriate for text aimed at secondary age (4th grade to college level) readers.

5. Flesch Reading Ease: The Flesch Reading Ease readability formula is a general formula suitable for all kind of texts.

6. Gunning Fog: The Gunning Fog Index readability formula is ideal for education material aimed at businesses, like business magazines and journals.

7. Fry Graph: The Fry Graph readability formula is a general formula suitable for all kind of texts.

8. Coleman-Liau: The Coleman-Liau readability formula is ideal for text aimed at 4th grade to college level readers.

9. McAlpine EFLAW: The McAlpine EFLAW readability formula is ideal in determining the ease of reading English text for ESL/EFL (English as a Second/Foreign Language) readers.

HEALTH CARE

The Health Care Industry produces a large amount of literature relevant to patients, doctors, pharmacists, researchers, and so on. Here are some tips to decide which readability formula or formulas to use:

1. Dale-Chall: Useful for any kind of text.

2. Flesch Reading Ease: Useful for any kind of text.

3. Fry Graph: Useful for any kind of text.

4. Gunning Fog: Ideal for business publications and journals.

5. New Fog Count: Useful for technical documents and manuals.

6. FORCAST: Ideal for technical manuals and forms.

7. Raygor Estimate Graph: Useful for any kind of text, including literature and technical documents.

MILITARY AND GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

Military and government agencies developed several important readability formulas to measure the readability of enlistment applications and technical manuals. Military and governmental agencies typically use these readability formulas:

1. Automated Readability Index (ARI): Ideal for technical documents and manuals.

2. Flesch Reading Ease: Useful for any kind of text.

3. Flesch-Kincaid: Ideally suited for manuals, forms and other technical documents.

4. FORCAST: Most appropriate for multiple-choice quizzes, applications, entrance forms, etc.

5. Linsear Write: Ideal for technical manuals.


PUBLISHING

The publishing industry includes newspapers, magazine, books, journals, and online media. Publishers mostly use the following readability formulas to make their documents readable:

1. Dale-Chall: Useful for any kind of text.

2. Flesch Reading Ease: Useful for any kind of text.

3. Fry Graph: Useful for any kind of text.

4. Spache: Ideal for texts aimed at up to 3rd grade level students.

5. Powers-Sumner-Kearl: Ideal for text geared towards primary age children (age 7-10).

6. SMOG: Appropriate for text aimed at secondary age (4th grade to college level) readers.

7. Gunning Fog: Ideal for business publication and journals.

8. Coleman-Liau: Ideal for text aimed at 4th grade to college level readers.

9. Raygor Estimate Graph: Useful for any kind of text, including literature and technical documents.

10. Laesbarheds Index (LIX): Useful for documents of any Western European language.

Businesses and organizations can use a free readability formulas tester at http://www.readabilityformulas.com/ to find the reading-level of any document or to learn how to use readability formulas.

Britannica Opens Site for Free Access to Web Publishers

Bloggers, webmasters, online journalists and anyone else who publishes regularly on the Internet can now get free subscriptions to Britannica Online (http://www.britannica.com/).

Anyone interested in participating in Britannica's new WebShare initiative can apply for a free subscription at http://signup.eb.com/ or get more information at http://britannicanet.com/.

The free subscriptions are part of Britannica's effort to increase awareness and use of its extensive information resources, which include articles written by many top scholars, some of them Nobel laureates.

"It's good business for us and a benefit to people who publish on the Net," said Britannica president Jorge Cauz. "The level of professionalism among Web publishers has really improved, and we want to recognize that by giving access to the people who are shaping the conversations about the issues of the day. Britannica belongs in the middle of those conversations."

In addition to the free subscriptions, Web publishers can also bring the value of Britannica's content to their own sites by linking to any articles they find relevant to the topics they are writing about.

Access to much of the site, including full-text entries from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, normally requires a paid subscription. There's an exception to that rule, however: When a Web site links to a Britannica article Web surfers who click on that link get the article in its entirety.

"This means that when you are writing something for the Web, whether it's about Tibet, the U.S. presidential election, global warming or the Peace of Westphalia, you can give your readers additional information about the topic just by pointing them to the appropriate Britannica articles," said Cauz. "If an article normally requires a subscription to access it, your readers will get it anyway, even if they are not subscribers.

"Bloggers, journalists, and Web sites link all the time, of course, but they may not realize they have the option of pointing to Britannica articles. So let me be clear: they do."

Cauz said that Web publishers can link to as many Britannica articles as they like.
The company also plans to provide special tools, such as widgets and clusters of topical articles related to current events that will make it easy for online publishers to find and use Britannica material on their sites.

The public is also invited to follow Britannica's Twitter stream, a daily "tweet" featuring a link to a Britannica article pertinent to the news of the day. This feature, at http://twitter.com/EBWebshare, requires a free account.

Additional features designed to facilitate the use of Britannica content around the Web will be introduced in the months ahead.

Interested writers and publishers can go to http://britannicanet.com/ for more. The site has instructions, a registration form, currently available topic clusters, eligibility guidelines, and a Britannica-written blog to keep visitors up to date on the program and how it is being used. The social media version of this release is available at http://britannicanet.com/?page_id=34.