Archive for November, 2008

What’s Up, Wordy? (Number Two)

Monday, November 24th, 2008

We only have three questions to answer for this installment of “What’s Up, Wordy?” Hopefully by next month we’ll have more readers and questions. Otherwise, I’ll have to ask myself questions and that could get awkward.

Q. What is the weirdest company you’ve ever edited or written for?
—Gotcha329

A. I can’t actually say the name of the company, and I wouldn’t technically say it was weird, but I would have to say the most unorthodox editing project I have done (at any point in my career) was for a distributor of urn pendant lockets.

Basically, you put a picture of the deceased person on a locket and inside would be either some remains of the cremation or something else of sentimental value. Uhm…yeah.

Q. [Like one of the questions in C.C. Hunter's interview], what annoys you the most while you edit papers?
—Anonymous

A. Seeing superfluous capitalization at the beginning of words (or for an entire word) irks me. That and more than one exclamation point or question mark at the end of a sentence. Do you REALLY need To do THAT?!?!?!?!

Q. How would the holidays affect timing [the due date] for my copy editing service?
—Nancy T., NM

A. The project in question might be postponed a day or so, depending on your selected time frame. For example, if you ordered a 24-hour edit on the 26th of November, I guarantee you that it wouldn’t be done the next day on Thanksgiving.

Other than obvious holiday conflicts, you should have your project finished within your selected time frame. Wordszilla will let you know the expected finish date before you have to purchase anything.

Closing

Feel free to participate in next month’s “What’s Up, Wordy?” blog post by emailing your questions to feedback@wordszilla.com or by leaving a comment at the end of any blog post.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing ServiceLuis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Guest Interview: Utah Web Design Company

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Similar to the first guest interview, we had to keep a reasonable amount of anonymity with the name of the individual and the company’s name. This installment features C.C. Hunter, and he works at a Web design company in Utah County.

Just like last time, and most likely from now on, this interview was conducted via email. I find this approach to interviewing not only more effective with time and travel, but it allows the interviewer to formulate an adequate response.

The Goods

Luis Bonilla: What is your job title and what are your general duties?

CC. Hunter: I supervise a team of writers, including over 50 freelance writers, for a Web design and hosting company.

LB: What is your personal impression when you read something from a co-worker or upper-management that has horrible grammar, spelling errors, or a lack of professionalism?

CH: It’s most detrimental if it is your first opinion of someone. If I’m reading a writing sample from someone who is applying for a position with us, I won’t even consider them if they have spelling errors in their sample.

LB: While writing website text, what do you feel are the top three most important things to do (i.e., things to keep in mind, items to watch out for, etc.)?

CH: First, does the text have an audience and a purpose? If you’re not writing with this in mind, it doesn’t matter how great your spelling is. Second, you have to know how to write. This takes practice. Third, if you can explain your products or services better than your competition, you’ll have an edge over them.

LB: When reading your client’s website content, what are the most common mistakes that you see? What annoys you the most?

CH: Common mistakes include “its/it’s,” “there/their/they’re,” and “are/our.” Sometimes a writer will try to be too creative or use several big words that are supposed to make them sound smart.

LB: Talk about the importance between the aesthetics of a website and the written content of a website. Are they the same? Is one more important than the other?

CH: The aesthetics won’t get someone to your website, but content with keywords can. You must have a combination of both. The images and the text can work together.

LB: Why do you think that, in some circles, the skill of writing isn’t as highly regarded as other professional skills? (Especially talk about website design.)

CH: If you’ve gone to school at all, you pick up some basic writing skills. Because of this, you think that you can write text for a website. It takes the right kind of writer to write something that sells a product or service.

Interview Summary

Thank you C.C. for answering my questions and giving some insight on written communication. Two notions really stuck out to me after reading his answers. The first was that, in the world of Web design, the images and aesthetics will not initially bring people to your website. Creative, professional, and error-free writing is what really helps shoppers to get interested in your product or service (during the first glance at the search engine results, for example).

Secondly, I think some individuals consider the ability to write and the aptitude to write are one and the same. This fallacy can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication, and missed business opportunities on the Internet.

What C.C. mentioned at the end of the interview, in my opinion, is noteworthy: When creating a professional business website, it takes a professional writer—skilled in writing for the Web medium—to yield good results.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Write an Essay More Easily by Using an Outline

Monday, November 10th, 2008
“Words can only hurt you if you try to read them. Don’t play their game….”—Zoolander (2001)

It’s true that there are not many people alive (or dead) that enjoy writing essays. Although it won’t be as exhilarating as rappelling down Mount Vesuvius, if you implement an outline, your essay shouldn’t be as time consuming and should be more focused.

Professors require different types of essays, we all know this. Whether it’s a three-page narrative or a fifteen-page research project, the way you devise an outline will be the key to an effective essay.

What to Do, Where to Start

First and foremost, nail down what the professor is asking you to write about. If you have more than one option to choose from, select the theme that you feel will be easiest to come up with the required amount of pages.

Next, formulate a thesis statement (something you’re trying to prove or answer). This step is crucial, as it is the pathway for your entire essay. Now, there isn’t a concrete “right” or “wrong” as long as you can back up your argument with facts, researched evidence, and/or logic. As always, your professor is the ultimate judge of the aforementioned sentiment, so keep that in mind as you write.

The Outline

Subsequently, draft out your entire essay which should include the introduction/thesis statement, the body with elaborative points, and the conclusion. I find using Roman numerals to allocate sections works best.

I. Introduction/Thesis Statement

i. What are the themes/arguments?
ii. Purpose of the paper?
iii. What do you hope to accomplish?

II. Theme/Argument Number One

i. Explain why this point is relevant to your thesis.
ii. Use examples from books (or other credible sources).
iii. Use notes from class discussions for extra ideas.
iv. How does this support your thesis statement?

III. Theme/Argument Number Two

i. Explain why this point is relevant and corresponds to “number one.”
ii. Use examples from books (or other credible sources).
iii. Use notes from class discussions for extra ideas.
iv. How does this support your thesis statement?

IV. Theme/Argument Number Three

i. Explain why this point is relevant and corresponds to “number one” and “two.”
ii. Use examples from books (or other credible sources).
iii. Use notes from class discussions for extra ideas.
iv. How does this support your thesis statement?

V. Conclusion

i. Reiterate thesis statement in a non-repetitive fashion.
ii. Review your main points for (or against) the theme/argument.
iii. Acknowledge two (or more) sides for the theme.
iv. Add personal insight as to why you chose a particular side.
v. Close argument/essay with a definitive point.

More to It

What I outlined is not meant to be the only way to construct an essay. But, for those that don’t know where to begin, it is an excellent way to have something to work with as you flesh out your project.

This outline can also be tweaked and amended to fit your particular essay requirements. For instance, you might need to write for two separate arguments or need five “body” paragraphs to explain your point and meet page demands. As long as your essay has the main, basic components, you should be fine as you write.

Additional Points to Remember

Here are some items that I found helpful while I was writing essay after essay during my college days.

  • Use multiple, credible sources to substantiate your arguments.
  • Sometimes it’s better to say “I feel that…” than making a general, universal statement.
  • Ensure that you’re using the professor’s desired writing format (i.e., MLA, APA, etc.).
  • If you’re after a high grade, perhaps you might have to write what the professor wants to read (I’ve sold out once or twice and I feel spectacular!).
  • Reuse ideas or previously written essays* if they are comparable to your current project.
  • After you finish writing, take a 24-hour break and then review your essay.
  • Before you turn in your essay, double-check it, read it out loud, have a friend read it, go to the writing lab, enlist a copy editing service, do something that will catch the little mistakes that make professors cringe.

*Personal anecdote: I had a professor that told me and my classmates that if we reused the same essay twice (for the beginning and ending class projects), he probably wouldn’t notice. I thought to myself, “Hmmm….”

I wrote a decent essay for the beginning of the semester (received something like a B+ on it). Then, towards the end of the semester, I handed in the same exact essay (only changing the date).

Did he find out? Did I get a bad grade? Was he just being sarcastic when he said that?

Oh, yeah. I received an A the second time. And the professor, to my knowledge, was none the wiser. Genius…pure genius.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing ServiceLuis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Professional Outgoing Business Emails

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Have you ever received an email from a company and wondered, “Dang, Gina…did they read this at all before hitting the send button?” Whether it’s another company or a customer that receives your email, it is extremely important from a professional standpoint to send out emails that are accurate, purposeful, and uniformed.

Accuracy

Of course, almost every email program has a spell check feature. That’s great. But does the spell checker find each possible typo? Nope. For example, what if one of your clients has the last name of Abbot…or is it Abbott? The all-knowing spell checker deems both are spelled appropriately, so it would be helpful to make certain you have the right spelling. The only way to do that is to proofread.

The scope of accuracy in emails doesn’t just stop at client’s names. Some companies like to put a twist on conventional spellings for their business name. Is it “A-2 Copiers,” “A2Copiers,” or “A2 Copyers?” What about promotional emails…did you mean to offer 15% or 25% off of your product?

We can go on and on with various email typos that could cost your company money or weaken its professional image in the eyes of clients and shoppers. I’m not saying that every business needs a copy editing service for outgoing emails, but it would be helpful to have some sort of peer edit or quality control measures in place to ensure that your email message is correct.

Purposeful

Many individuals in the workplace have dozens if not hundreds of emails to sift through each day. Most will not have the time nor patience to read through a long-winded email, so it’s best to keep the content as focused as possible.

As you list items or ideas, the use of bullet points is an effective way of displaying information quickly and neatly. When lists won’t work, try condensing paragraphs into two or three full sentences. Ask yourself if the sentence is pertinent for the reader’s understanding. If not, it might be best to leave it out as lengthy emails are rarely read in their entirety anyway.

Uniformity

In my opinion, one of the most unprofessional email practices is having differing compositional formats within the same email. For example, I have seen an email that had the first two paragraphs written in Times New Roman with a 14-point font, while the ending two paragraphs were bold Arial with an 11-point font.

Additionally, one email I came across had “website” spelled as one word at the beginning, but had it spelled as two words (i.e., Web site) towards the end. Having your email appear as if it has been written by three people at the same time will portray your company as negligent and inexperienced at written communication.

If most of your company emails are templates (i.e., you simply change the client name and date before sending), then have someone take the time to standardize the emails to ensure a better experience for your clients.

Take Pride

More often than not, the difference between sending out professional emails or unfavorable ones is consideration. It takes effort and a little extra time, but the benefits of reviewing and finalizing outgoing company emails cannot be measured (at least by me because I don’t have the proper analytics).

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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