tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-257355182011-04-22T05:46:58.535+03:00Proof reading, editing and copywriting thoughts from Finland. On weekdays my name is e-Teksti.Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.comBlogger431100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-2511471188277216972008-06-02T10:05:00.003+03:002008-06-02T10:17:26.047+03:00

I try to keep this (rather scarcely-updated) blog to "official" business of mine, but I think MGMT's album, Oracular Spectacular, deserves a mention.In a word, fantastic. A burst of musical colour, the record is an energetic, adventurous experience. It's a wild mixture of all things disco, Bowie, 80s synths, big drums, and anything else you can think of. I liken it to staring through - or perhaps

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-13508915216757984792008-04-16T11:15:00.002+03:002008-04-16T11:21:35.634+03:00

As an employer, I would make a point of firing any employee or HR representative who ever suggested that a potential employee should have a "can-do attitude". It says to the candidate, "we couldn't think of anything else to write, and to be honest we aren't really sure what we're looking for, plus everyone else puts this in their job ads, so, erm...."What's wrong with a bit of honesty? "We want

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-8852002837674646582007-07-23T10:54:00.001+03:002007-07-23T10:57:08.227+03:00

"Nu jazz"It just sounds punchable, doesn't it?

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-56625982291031815372007-07-23T10:44:00.000+03:002007-07-23T10:48:32.048+03:00

I've been silent for a long time. I just haven't felt in the right place to post for ages, but here's a wonderfully simple but effective piece of advice from one of my favourite blogs, Polon Copywriting, talking about Dylan Thomas' way with words."His language is beautifully poetic. But he made it that way by working hard at it, revising some of his poems as much as 500 times. Even on holiday he

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-79824860013268497242007-05-15T09:54:00.000+03:002007-05-15T10:03:07.866+03:00

Over the past couple of years I've established a genuine (I hope!) and very useful friendship with Aaron Bateman who works at Eye for Image, a copywriting agency in Copenhagen. The guys and girls there, led by Aaron, have now launched a blog for that extra bit of freedom in putting forward opinion and general pontification on all things EFI related - social media, language, Denmark, and much

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-57807640207608687552007-05-07T15:08:00.000+03:002007-05-07T15:12:47.541+03:00

I'm rubbish at not being busy; it's been a quiet period for work from all my customers. Things are picking up now, but the last few months have tested my patience as well as my confidence. The trick is in keeping things ticking over in these lulls.What do I do? I read. I scan blogs for tips. I look back over previous work to learn how to tweak it better next time for the same client. I read books

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-53953316522861453442007-04-03T14:42:00.000+03:002007-04-03T14:59:22.672+03:00

I suffer from it all the time. "Oh God, I don't know ALL these rules. Here we go, I'd better do another Google on 'compare to versus compare with', or on my favourite 'which vs. that' agghhhh.Polishing people's work brings with it an unspoken commitment that you can spell, you know what subject-verb agreement is, but without these books I'd be doing a lot more googling:1) The Oxford Dictionary

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-22450871523069548312007-03-23T09:02:00.000+02:002007-03-23T09:14:56.581+02:00

Reading Communication Overtones this morning, specifically Kami' s post on the three steps for corporations looking at getting started in social media, she points to Southwest Airlines' blog, Nuts About Southwest, as an example of a successful corporate blog. Interesting blog, but what really scared me was the level of 'brand commitment with which some of the customers were posting.One fellow

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-68564961885954320462007-02-26T10:57:00.000+02:002007-02-26T11:09:28.829+02:00

That's how work has been over the past few months and I have no complaints. A good balance of creating original copy for some major ad campaigns on-line and fiddling with other people's copy. Some online, short and sharp copy for technical products, where 'speed' and brevity are important, was very enjoyable to write. Fiddling with it after customer comments was just as enjoyable.Blogging is not

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-12195357528993938512007-01-26T08:51:00.000+02:002007-01-26T09:13:10.248+02:00

Everyone has those sites and tools they just can't live without. Head buried in other things leaves me with this rather uninspiring but, hopefully, useful post. My top 5 essential tools, sites I visit at least once a day (or once an hour in some cases).Cambridge Dictionaries - the cornerstone of daily work for meWebcredible - these guys really know their stuff: accessibility, usability, writing

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1168864829818669602007-01-15T14:37:00.000+02:002007-01-15T14:42:00.736+02:00

I often use Google as a dictionary, not so much in the strictest sense of the word, but you look up a word in the dictionary and, fine, you get the official line. If I want to know how and where a phrase or word is used in context, Google, or indeed any search engine I guess, is great for doing this.It especially helps me if I'm working on technical documents and I'm reading something saying 'did

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1166695541319463002006-12-21T12:02:00.000+02:002006-12-21T12:08:38.910+02:00

Another good tip, which I found through Polon. They linked me to the Scamp blog where the advice is, if you're struggling to crack a brief, Pretend You're Two Blokes In The Pub. Great tip, and links to more of Scamp's 'Tuesday Tips'.

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1165309863478912782006-12-05T11:05:00.000+02:002006-12-05T11:11:03.486+02:00

A significant new relationship started for me recently, working with TenFour Communications based in Helsinki. Plenty of exciting projects are on the horizon as part of this relationship and I'm already in the thick of things. The future looks good.

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1164739039249279712006-11-28T20:34:00.000+02:002006-12-05T11:24:14.046+02:00

Taken from Polon where they post some great copywriting articles. Seems the perfect set of rules to live write by: 1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.4. Never use the passive voice where you can use the active.5. Never use a

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1163064013549515012006-11-09T11:18:00.000+02:002006-11-09T11:20:13.560+02:00

Nick Usborne asks. Nick says:'If you can’t articulate the basic value proposition to someone in the street in ten seconds or less, you’re not going to be able to build a truly effective home page for your business.'How right he is; in fact, you're lucky if you get even 10 seconds on the Web...

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1162810010890017432006-11-06T12:42:00.000+02:002006-11-09T11:24:40.636+02:00

Finally a nice high-profile article on the BBC News Web site, regarding jargon. Specifically, the article is about a survey by Investors in People, about workplace jargon and how it excludes people.The survey points out that "The most effective bosses recognise that one of the keys to engaging, motivating and enthusing people is to communicate in a way which everyone can easily understand."'Blue

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1162558508311262662006-11-03T14:18:00.000+02:002006-11-03T14:55:08.323+02:00

Kami Huyse on her blog Communication Overtones, a blog focused on PR, in her first post discusses PR's position in relation to new media and technology.Kami discusses the fact that 'new PR' isn't new PR at all, new media hasn't rendered PR obsolete, and the 'paperless office' still isn't here! I had a think today about all the new gadgets, tools and phrases flying my way and felt quite behind the

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1161930717798862182006-10-27T09:28:00.000+03:002006-10-27T09:38:03.550+03:00

Brought to my attention by Out-Law.com (a newsletter about technology law from Pinsent Masons) a comma in a contract, regarding termination terms for a large power company in Canada, might end up costing one of the parties involved $1 million Canadian Dollars. You'd hope that now they would check up on clauses and comma usage....http://www.out-law.com/page-7426

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1158827114666747432006-09-21T11:18:00.000+03:002006-09-21T11:30:31.503+03:00

Blogging and writing in general can (should) be fun, when you've got something to write about. Reading Dave Taylor's article about finding topics to blog about, the basic message is 'write what people want to read, not what you want to say'. Dave's good example is the photographer with a blog writing about 'why I'm a great photographer' - how boring would that be...?Dave writes The Intuitive Life

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1158760039694516542006-09-20T16:28:00.000+03:002006-09-20T16:47:22.206+03:00

A good case study - you might ask 'Is there such a thing'? In my opinion yes, (here he goes again) if they're well written...Case studies suffer from a bad reputation. They can be long, bloated documents, churned out to make up the numbers for some government funded project. They can be poorly structured, with logic or no flow of ideas in the language, appalling obscure section titles and leave

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1157094902381086752006-09-01T10:11:00.000+03:002006-09-01T10:18:17.533+03:00

You wait 5 years for them to come along, and the WCAG, guidelines on making your Web site accessible, aren't that accessible themselves, at least in terms of language!As pointed out by Trenton Moss of Webcredible:"Another major criticism of the WCAG 1.0 guidelines was how difficult it is to find specific guidance and answers. It doesn't take too long to discover that the WCAG 2.0 guidelines quite

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1155884771889253342006-08-18T09:56:00.000+03:002006-08-18T10:06:57.266+03:00

This article I dug up from Elisabeth Dahl at EEI makes some good points about the delicate process of writing a good description. The thought process that goes into choosing the 'right' words for something is what I probably enjoy most about writing. Fitting it all together is what brings about that tremendous sense of satisfaction when a piece of writing is finished.Elisabeth describes the

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1155533161111341682006-08-14T08:20:00.000+03:002006-08-14T08:26:01.120+03:00

Annoyance time again. I received my weekly Proofreading newsletter in my inbox on Friday; one of the articles was about an errant comma in a contract which cost the company concerned $2.1 million! Sounded interesting so I went to read on, only to discover after a few clicks that I'd have to register with the Canadian online newspaper in which the story appeared. Frustrating.Point being, if

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1154676236932373932006-08-04T10:16:00.000+03:002006-08-04T10:26:28.926+03:00

Practice makes perfect they say. Occasionally I like to polish up on the many rules and nuances of the English language and I find these very useful for the odd 'remember what this rule is/what this type of word is called' situations:Proofread Now's Grammar Tips archive(Their newsletter is useful as well, is focused on American English)Cambridge Dictionaries OnlineMy most visited site by quite a

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1153139843927274362006-07-17T15:29:00.000+03:002006-07-17T15:37:23.926+03:00

I'm breaking my silence briefly to respond to an interesting question from Amy Gahran, who asks 'Starting conversations online, what's different?' For me, as with Amy, it's the element of control you have. You decide when, where and how to start a conversation, you hold the cards. You might take part in a conversation you wouldn't normally go for in a face-to-face situation. You might not cover a

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1152614801251310572006-07-11T13:44:00.000+03:002006-07-11T13:46:41.263+03:00

If anyone's out there, sorry for the long break. I am in UK at the moment working on lots of things with my main customer business, so I haven't had much time to blog about the nuances of writing! I will be back at the start of August.

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1151475383265320532006-06-28T09:08:00.000+03:002006-06-28T09:16:23.266+03:00

I've recently been reading a blog titled Captain Picard's journal. Don't run away, I am no Star Trek geek (no offence intended to the writer of this blog). I have watched Star Trek, however, and the reason I like this blog so much is that if you know what these characters are like on television, you'll see how perfectly the writing gets inside their heads. It is a brilliant example of empathy

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1150701473261883692006-06-19T09:57:00.000+03:002006-06-19T10:17:53.293+03:00

I get stuck writing all the time. If I didn't I'd figure something was wrong. Somtimes it is easy to get lost in the detail and suddenly start worrying about tenses, verbs, minor points of grammar, headings, paragraph size, all sorts of stuff. I occasionally have panic attacks and start reading my Penguin guide to grammar, thinking I have suddenly forgotten how to write properly.Sit back, think

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1149835246330009682006-06-09T09:26:00.000+03:002006-06-12T22:16:51.480+03:00

How many times have you seen an error message and actually understood what is going on?'Error 6214, server supercalifragilisticexpialidocious database restart, please report this 6214 error to rumplestiltskin immediately'Was that my fault, did I click on something I shouldn't have? Is it their fault, what is going on, I feel scared, I'm off to the BBC site where I feel much happier because they

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1149834021964573722006-06-09T09:08:00.000+03:002006-06-09T09:22:45.263+03:00

Amrit Hallan has a great article about the elements of good copy on his site amrithallan.com . The first rule he mentions, Keep It Simple, is one I whole-heartedly agree with for all forms of writing. Overblown language and complicated constructions stick out like a sore thumb and simply turn people off, and this rule is particularly relevant on the Web. If you're not talking your readers'

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1149581677396545992006-06-06T11:04:00.000+03:002006-06-06T23:55:42.916+03:00

A frequent error in web writing, as pointed out by this excellent (again) article from Webcredible, written by one of my favourite experts, Nick Usborne.Every bit of 'written' content on your site is important and this includes the page title and meta description. Here, you're putting up your hand and showing the searcher/reader/potential customer that you are there, and that your site content is

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1148913263290787982006-05-29T17:29:00.000+03:002006-05-29T17:34:23.290+03:00

I´m on a Spanish break at the moment, hence the lack of posts. It isn´t raining on the plain, or indeed anywhere near Barcelona at the moment. Normal service, if indeed anyone is reading this, will be resumed on my return next week.

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1147268027277259922006-05-10T16:28:00.000+03:002006-05-10T16:33:47.280+03:00

It's rare in my experience that the proof reader gets much thanks for working on a text. How does the food chain work out? Writer -> top plaudits, and deservedly so. Editor -> Normally an honourable mention? Proof reader -> If you're lucky, and we remember who you are...!Anyway, recently my work volume has upped a few notches and it really puts a smile on my face when I get feedback from clients,

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1146763737791225982006-05-04T20:22:00.000+03:002006-05-15T10:49:12.280+03:00

Once in a while I get to work on an editing assignment or 'proofreading plus' where I get more of a free rein with the text. Most of my work is tinkering here and there with texts, correcting errors and tidying things up. When you get to work on a job where you are allowed to flourish a little, play with the text, rewrite to how you as a writer think something could come across better, it is very

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1145940763501803302006-04-25T07:52:00.000+03:002006-04-25T07:57:15.663+03:00

The Plain English Campaign people have been taking the fight to purveyors of confusing writing and ridiculous jargon for years; I'm with them all the way. I particularly like the fact that a lot of what they talk about nowadays involves the Web. They give a Web Award every year and its great to see that this year and in the recent past, plenty of public sector organisations have been getting in

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1145440317956896132006-04-19T12:46:00.000+03:002006-04-19T12:53:04.813+03:00

...when it is editing. It seems people have different ideas about which is which. If you're in this line of work it's important to draw the line somewhere so that you can charge accordingly. I won't take on work without seeing a sample, generally. The only exception is if it's familiar material from a regular client and if I trust the project manager involved.I learnt this after my first

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144948669115962362006-04-13T20:14:00.000+03:002006-04-13T20:17:49.123+03:00

I'm taking on a job for what I think is the Finnish equivalent of Trading Standards. It has made me realise how varied this work can be. I would never have thought I would be looking at documents about wine labelling regulations, but it has given me a new lift and got me thinking about all sorts of areas where translators might need text proof read. Time to get that Yellow Pages out again and

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144908385979709102006-04-13T08:52:00.000+03:002006-04-13T09:06:25.986+03:00

I've been editing and proofing a lot of instructional material recently: manuals, software help files, among other things. Pretending that you are the person using the software/product/Web site to which the instructions relate is the best way to sort out any glitches in the text.It has long been accepted that good Web writing follows the same principle. Sit and think: what would my customer/

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144819256538193222006-04-12T08:11:00.000+03:002006-04-12T08:25:55.640+03:00

Plenty of other more experienced and well-known Web writing experts have espoused the value of a good sub-heading. Sites I read regularly all agree on this, including the excellent Nick Usborne on his Excess Voice site and a site I use a lot for its straightforward, understandable advice on Web content, WebcredibleSubheadings are like climbing footholdsI see subheadings as footholds on a mountain

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144736749044989642006-04-11T09:15:00.000+03:002006-04-11T09:26:57.810+03:00

Writing is what I do, so I figure if I'm doing this then why feel guilty about taking time out from 'real' work to write here. If this goes in the direction I want it to, then it will (hopefully) focus on issues relating to my work and anything I think might interest others. I like to think (am I deluded?) that every time I write I'm getting in some practice, reawakening those tired brain cells

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144662421958926902006-04-10T12:33:00.000+03:002006-04-10T12:48:17.116+03:00

Since starting to learn Finnish I've had countless conversations with people about grammar, the rules and the ins and outs of various cases, tenses, punctuation, everything you can think of really. In my assignments, proofing and editing, clarity is always the deciding factor - sticking rigidly to the rules is further down the list of priorities. I'm dealing a lot with non-native writers of

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144646969907234992006-04-10T08:20:00.000+03:002006-06-30T12:16:23.976+03:00

...anyone I can get my hands on frankly. Being a one man business means being everybody's friend. I've not turned a proof reading job down yet despite what the subject matter or medium may be. Initially this had me thinking 'what am I doing?' but now I'm more than a year down the line I'm glad I have taken on all those jobs: now I can boast working with all kinds of material that I would have

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25735518.post-1144611336077119742006-04-09T22:34:00.000+03:002006-05-03T22:36:56.690+03:00

Spring finally comes to Finland, and outdoors now looks like a giant dirt-flavoured slush puppy. Seriouslly though, I've been looking forward to seeing the ground again after 3 months of snow cover. Despite being cold and rather dark, the winter has been a very successful period with more and more jobs rolling in from Finnish clients. I started working with a great company here in Tampere called

Charlie Basshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04285545592244704591noreply@blogger.com0