19 businesses with creative names

This year, I spent a lot of time editing corporate drivel. I’ve changed “utilize” to “use” more times than I can count. To take a break from this mind-numbing task, I like to play with words. Lately, I’ve noticed puns and creative word play, particularly when they are applied to the names of businesses. Here are some of my favorites, in alphabetical order: 1. Austin Found – resale shop 2. Barton Strings – a string quartet, a play on words for Barton Springs, a spring-fed pool in Austin. 3. Cycloanalysts – bicycle shop 4. Doody Calls – pet waste removal...

Thoughts on editing, inspired by “...

One of my favorite Christmas movies is “A Christmas Story.” Although we don’t like it enough to sit through TBS’s annual 24-hour marathon of the film, one of our traditions is to watch it once at this time of year. In case you haven’t seen it, the movie is about 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and a central plot line is his quest to get a Red Ryder BB Gun. Whenever he asks for the gun for Christmas, he invariably is told, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” In one sequence in the movie, Ralphie’s fourth-grade class is told to write “a theme” on the subject,...

5 great books for the writers in your li...

In addition to any of the items on PR Daily’s 20 holiday gifts for writers, what else would the writer in your life really enjoy this holiday season? How about books that can help make his or her job easier? Here are five titles that any writer will enjoy: 1. “Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters,” by Harold E. Meyer This book contains sample letters for “virtually every business and personal letter you’ll ever have to write.” And the author means every letter. Meyer has letters for telling someone a meeting is unnecessary, firing a babysitter, answering...

7 key elements of micro-editing

I’ve previously shared my 4-step editing process; today let’s examine one of those steps: micro-editing, which focuses on the sentence level. Typically, it deals with the “technical” aspects of the article, such as sentence structure, style, usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. For now we’ll set aside spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and look at seven other aspects of micro-editing: 1. Strive for clarity. Does the reader understand what you are trying to say? No matter whom you write for, your audience will appreciate clear, concise language. Keep the...

The most indispensible jobs (in children...

The busyness trap has engulfed the workplace. CEOs pressure their executives to put in more time. In turn, executives pressure managers who then pressure their employees, with smartphones keeping us tethered to the office 24-7. Meanwhile, big-box retailers are opening their doors on Thanksgiving because shoppers can’t possibly wait until midnight on Friday to start shopping. Tim Kreider described this busyness trap in a recent column for The New York Times—a column that also inspired a PR Daily contribution from Melissa Johnson—in which Kreider describes “busy”...

19 terrible email subject lines

With the holiday shopping season closing in, our spam folders will soon be overflowing with special offers and one-of-a-kind deals. About once a week, I open my spam folder and scan the subject lines to see what not to write in an email subject line. The best email subject lines should be concise and straightforward and give the reader an idea of what the email is actually about. Here are some examples of the worse email subject lines I’ve seen. These are from real emails: • Register to Win Your FREE iPod!! This one is so generic, I skip right over—don’t even see...