Give Me a Tweet But Hold The Profanity

Look, I’m a huge proponent of social media engagement as Facebook and Twitter have propelled personal and professional connectivity to new heights. What’s disconcerting, however, is the plethora of profanity tied to some tweets, in particular. Call me prudish, but when a certain actor, now unemployed, set off “#thataintwinning” on Twitter like a raging blaze, it was as if the foul language laden dogs had been unleashed.

Adding insult to injury, the N-word also registers with Twitter frequency the same as a teenager’s texting thumbs.  Today, some defend the N-word as a casual endearment, but it replicates the same ignorance when it was coined ages ago. Plain and simple, history cannot be erased so in many circles, the word still conjures hurts.   

By no means is this an attempt to suppress free speech but a call to implore the vocabulary crippled to lean on more respectable posts. Anyone who relies on profanity and the N-word to express his or her thoughts due to stunted growth in the English language is the surefire mark of a loser like Charlie Sheen(less). Tell me, where’s the winning in that?      

Gossip Writing Sizzles With Verbal Striptease

To produce an effective writing piece, connecting with the targeted audience is crucial. If gossip writing is your pen's flavor, check out Michael Musto's tips for turning up the heat:

  How to Serve Dish

Lyric check and Spell check, Where Art Thou?

Three days after the Green Bay Packers doused Big Ben’s flame, it’s not the overhyped ads, but Christiana Aguilera’s lyrical misfire that shines blindingly. Before the final note’s fade, Facebook and Twitter were already clogged with thumbs down “disses.”   

So now, in hopes of casting a blackout on Aguilera’s Super Bowl flop, the Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league baseball team, have rolled out the redemption carpet with a repeat performance invitation. Was the singer was so smug that she dismissed adequate preparation as passé? If so, she was dead wrong to do so, especially on Jerry Jones’ colossal stage.   

Similarly, utmost quality is my expectation whenever I open the New York Times, a publication hailed journalistically superior. Even if its digital dependence has rendered the proofreader jobless, factual accuracy void of misspellings is not exactly a demand extreme. Discerning eyes don’t long to peer at Steele when the correct spelling is Steel, as in Danielle, the famed author. In “Repeat Offenses,” Phillip B. Corbett exposes the newspaper’s repetitive faults.

Whether Aguilera or the New York Times, the lingering question remains: “Lyric check and spell check, where art thou?”    

Sources:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2011/02/08/christina-aguilera-gets-chance-recover-super-fumble/

http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/repeat-offenses/       

Sealing the Sentence Deal

During a discussion at a cocktail party about communication prowess, a banker echoed: “Some of my college-educated colleagues don’t know Diddly.” As a business professional engaged in various industries, I’ve experienced the stupefied effects that incomplete and ill-formed sentences often evoke. Since most people realize spell check’s fallibility, you’d think they’d proofread more carefully, right? Wrong.

It’s not merely a matter of proofreading but first and foremost, one must be familiar with the art of sentence construction. NYT columnist Stanley Fish who penned, “How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One” dishes that most of us aren’t up to par when it comes to writing a sentence. Giving Fish’s new book more than a distracted glance might help cure this communication ill.  

Here’s an excerpt from NPR:

“Fish is something of a sentence connoisseur, and he says writing a fine sentence is a delicate process — but it's a process that can be learned. He laments that many educators approach teaching the craft the wrong way — by relying on rules rather than examples.”

Analyzing great sentences "will tell you more about ... what you can possibly hope to imitate than a set of sterile rules that seem often impossibly abstract," Fish tells NPR's Neal Conan.

A good sentence may be easy to pick out, but learning to understand what makes it great, says Fish, will help a student become a stronger writer and a "better reader of sentences."

“Just as a student of art must learn how to describe the merits of a painting, aspiring writers must be able to articulate what constitutes a well-crafted sentence.”

Read the article in its entirety here:

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/25/133214521/stanley-fish-demystifies-how-to-write-a-sentence?sc=ipad&f=1008.      

Business Casual Invades Business Communications

Business casual, the workplace’s code for dress, frequently registers on the business communications radar these days.  Once regarded as the letter writing standard, the salutation “dear” has been detonated by the contemporary kill switches of “hi” and “hello.”

While an advocate for relaxed dress at work, I’d stray from allegiance to old school breeding if I were to endorse the casual code that has crept into business communications. For one to convey a serious tone, the ancient writing mores are still applicable in many instances.

Addressing a potential customer with whom I’d never met as “Hi Bob” in a formal letter is beyond imagination. Now, if Bob belongs to Generation Y, the practice may not provoke offense; however, in the event he’s a seasoned professional over the age hill, I’d rather play it safe with “Dear Bob.” What holds true in informal situations doesn’t always pass business communications muster.    

See the WSJ’s timely weigh in: 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576060044212664436.html

SM Rebirths Trend and Facebook As Verbs

These days, social media reigns and nowhere is this more apparent than how the English language continues to evolve. Words once categorized as nouns have suddenly taken on new life as verbs. For example, shedding its skin as a noun, the word “trend” has been reinvented as the verb, trending, to reflect hot topics popularized via Twitter.

Frequently, I’m asked “do you Facebook?” While Facebook is recognized as the name of a social media site, to many, it corresponds to a participatory act.

What’s acceptable in casual conversation is often unacceptable in formal writing. However, if you insist on utilizing trend and Facebook in the active sense, my recommendation is to keep it flowing from your lips and not from your pen. 

OMG, Texting Acronyms in Professional Documents?

Whether by cell phone or personal computer, IM and text messaging have crowned abbreviations the new communications norm.  While acceptable when conversing with casual acquaintances in this mode and via personal email, texting acronyms such as TTL, LOL, and OMG should never appear in formal writing. Plus, who has time to scour for translations?

Young people, heavily immersed in technology and overly reliant on speed, are often prone to making these mistakes. Formal writing rules are applicable to business correspondence, academic papers, resumes, covers letters and emails utilized in professional settings. Not only is the inclusion of acronyms and emoticons unprofessional, but writing continues to be governed by the audience targeted. Here’s my rule of thumb: Whenever in doubt, don’t.