The best thing to do is post your infographic within your blog article. Because of the long, narrow format of an infographic, it needs a long, narrow space to do it justice. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=””…

I’ve highlighted part of this infographic (click on the image to read the whole piece) to look at some very interesting stats for businesses who practice Internet marketing. Generating Leads This graphic says “67% of B2B companies that blog generate more leads than companies that don’t.” That’s a pretty important…

Sometimes you can see the actual ROI of using Facebook…right there on your Facebook Page in one of your reader’s comment. And when you see that, make sure to comment back and “like” the comment so he or she knows you’ve seen it. Sometimes it sparks a conversation that reaches…

I know that SEO is important. I really get it. But this morning I received this from a YouTube channel I subscribed to earlier this year: [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][name…

I’m ready for you to take umbrage at this, and I say that mostly because I’m secretly pleased to use the word “umbrage.” I don’t believe in generalities, but I can say this is true of most of the men and women I know—women are “better” at social media. I…

UPDATE: Since I wrote the article below, I’ve fallen away from using Foursquare as much as I used to. I decided to re-download it to my phone to see how it’s changed. The main difference is that it’s been divided into Foursquare City Guide and Foursquare Swarm. The former is…

I just finished viewing a very helpful webinar by Randall Craig, made available to me by my client CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers—Vancouver & BC Chapter.) Here are my key takeaways For more specific information on what the new law means to you, go to http://fightspam.gc.ca. Get express consent…

Typos make me smile. This one made me jump back and shout “En garde!”

I write, produce and manage more e-newsletters than I realized. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] These days, third party suppliers make creating hot-looking e-newsletters easy. I use MailChimp (mailchimp.com, @mailchimp) which…

When you’re preparing a piece, written or otherwise, you should get in touch with someone who is an expert on the topic you’re covering. For example, in my review of Portal 2, an addictive computer/PS3/Xbox game, I interviewed my 18-year-old-daughter Taylor. Oh, and somehow a cat made it’s way into…

I am very much an amateur photographer, and I love the chance blogging gives me to develop my skills in this area on behalf of my clients. Which means sometimes I get it wrong. Check out this London Drugs blog article to see my latest lessons learned. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″…

I consider myself a social reporter for a local non-profit where I live. I attend events, take photos, make notes, interview people here and there and then produce content. This content is usually a newsletter article with a few photos, but to support the title “social reporter,” I’ve also supplied…

As an arts student, numbers aren’t my strength. Science in general can mystify me. Once, many years ago, I listened to the Stephen Hawking book “A Brief Moment in Time” during my regular 45-minute-each-way commute. I kept a grasp on each listening session for about 10 minutes. Then the concepts…

An article on MarketingProfs says “marketing spend on mobile display ads and search will surpass $1 billion on 2011.” This is not surprising, giving stats on mobile usage. Mobi-thinking.com reports that mobile Internet usage “is expected to double” by 2014 (500 million to 1 billion.) This could be a conservative…

I love Stephen Colbert. If I wasn’t in a wonderful relationship, and if Stephen was a little more physically hot (instead of merely intellectually devastating) I’d absolutely cyberstalk him. Stephen Colbert has a huge following Twitter followers: 2,197,990 Facebook Page: 1,803,942 Online votes in 2006 to have a Hungarian bridge…

People relate to emotion. In times of great emotion, physical attributes of whatever caused it are usually imprinted in your memory—music, smells, the location and what you were doing. For example, I can remember some details about first dances and new jobs, but I have a photographic memory of the…

Listening to the radio quite a few years ago, I heard someone quote David Lee Roth about leaving Van Halen. Reportedly, DLR said “I never knew how big the mountain was until I was driving away from it.” That’s pretty humble, considering the source. So here I am, just heading…

I’ve never read Hemingway. In college I aimlessly took courses on history and English poets. Recently a conversation about a trade show in Florida brought to mind driving to Key West, which made me remember Hemingway had lived there and I should maybe read one of his works and do…

I received an email from Warren Macdonald, an inspirational speaker I heard a few years ago. I just emailed him, because I found this in his newsletter: He used “eluding” instead of “alluding.” I wonder if he’ll email me back, or just think I’m too nit-picky. I got an email…

I’m excited to be working on revamping some e-books for my good friend, Derek. He runs what I like to call his “empire”—five or so different websites for the fun centre industry. Along with consulting services and a developer academy (start-up training), he also sells several e-books that haven’t been…

First amusement park tip when you’re mentally a teenager living in a 40-something body, is do the things you know won’t make you sick first. Enough said. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is phenomenal and literally made me giddy and permanently overflowing with “pinch me I’m dreaming” awe. Walking…

Today I am jetting to Orlanda to attend the 2010 IAAPA Amusement Atteactions Expo. I’m assisting with videography, tweeting, posting and interviewing in exchange for 10 sweet days in beautiful, sunny Florida. What was your last cool bartering gig? Nala

My significant other and I just watched the Harry Potter movies 1-6 over the last couple of weekends. If this seems unusual to you, read here. The first part of “Deathly Hallows” premieres November 19 at midnight. J.K. Rowling is an incredible writer and has woven an extraordinary story—really, read…

I have a lot of opinions, especially about communication. And my opinions usually start with me looking at a situation and saying “We should be telling them…” or “We should be posting…” Two things happen after I say those things—1) the thought of taking action makes their eyes glaze over,…

Hah! Not what you thought it would be, eh? This is my ideal set up for proofreading: Open, clear space, daytimer to verify dates, Oxford Canadian Dictionary, style sheet (near the bottom of the pic) and of course, plenty of fluids. It’s hard work, reading stuff – as you can…

A Harry Potter freak, that is. You can blame my daughter. I bought the first two books when she was, oh, around 10 and read them together, and then she got impatient and plowed through all the rest ahead of me, one by one as they were published (we bought…

In the years I’ve worked with Chilliwack Community Services—a non-profit organization operating in my home town—I’ve learned the power of hearing personal stories. Personal stories work for every kind of organization when you think about it, from testimonials for weight loss products to testifying for religious groups. Going where the…

In my work with Chilliwack Community Services and a few other clients, I get to interview people. I say get, because I really enjoy it. This will sound geeky, but the best part about being a writer is meeting and getting to know new people. If you don’t like constantly…

You should check this guy out. He’s an artist and the son of a colleague, and has no idea I’ve posted this about him. I was trying to remember the name of a Vancouver blogging conference, and when I remembered (Northern Voice) I recalled he did the awesome artwork for…

While my head has been buried in job 1, and freelance projects 1, 2 and 3, I realized a cool thing like BlogWorld exists. I could only skim the surface of the website, because its brilliance combined with my longing was too painful to endure. Next year, my goal is…

I got around to posting pics from my daughter Tay and my trip to NYC March 2010. We OWNED that city for a week. It was great. Check it out for yourself:

I read an article about social media recently, and found this gem: You’ll be given some goodwill for a bit, but if you’re not using the page to interact and conversate with your fans, you’ll burn up all the goodwill you’re given and people will find ways to NOT be…

Sure, not everyone has a decent camera or the time to get out and experiment with getting cool shot angles or interesting subject, or waiting for the light to be…just…right. But if you can, do it. Great shots really add a lot to your blog or website. If you want…

WordPress has added cool capabilities. I’m so going to hang around here more. Or always have my phone handy for remote blogging. Nice! Nala

In my current retail project, the editor needs factoids. These are little tidbits of information used to inform and entertain the reader, but also add some visual interest and colour to the page. The Internet is an excellent tool to scour for these, and lets you back up your writing…

Liiiike, how about writing a song, performing it on video tape and posting it to the Internet? Okay, fine. Here you go. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Warm up your writing muscles—or break through a block—with a fun exercise. Here it is for today: Write a few paragraphs about a mundane event, but make it as exciting or emotional as you can. Example: Driving my daughter to school and getting a coffee It all started when they…

Writing radio spots, headlines, blog posts etcetera pays the bills, but does it feed the soul? That implies that my fiction writing DOES feed the soul. And does it? Well, not always, because sometimes my fiction writing is, pardon the expression pure shite! But every once in a while you’ll…

Teenage sloth—let’s celebrate it!

I like many songs by the group America, but these lyrics from A Horse With No Name make me scratch my head: In the desert you can remember your name ‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain Really? Seriously, it was that hard to find better…

When something is done to someone, that is the passive voice. When you do something to someone, that is the active voice. The active voice is always the best voice to use, because: It is more interesting, because action always is (you’re welcome, Bruce Willis) It uses fewer words It…

I have a wonderful client in Chilliwack Community Services. In many ways it’s a perfect partnership, because I understand and am passionate about what they do, and they see the results of that in the writing I do for them. The passion I feel for their work drives my writing,…

In the ’80s, I was taught to double-space after every period. Don’t do this, people! This convention goes back to a time when typefaces dictated every character occupy the same space—whether it was the letter i or the letter o. Now software programs allow the right amount of space between…

When you’re communicating to staff, customers, vendors or the general public, consider the kind of information you’re sharing and then carefully choose the right tone to convey it. Read this recent article from the Globe Investor on how TD Canada Trust got it wrong.

I found this great article that examines the ethics of having a CEO hire someone to write their blog. You can read it here. I believe anyone signing their name to something should have written it. Blogs by their nature are personal, even when they’re corporate. If you can’t claim…

I recently found this in a book publishers blog comments. It was made by a reader and not the blog author: I am a gluten for punishment. In case you’re unsure, it should read “I am a glutton for punishment.” Thank you, dictionary.com, for telling us that gluten is a…

There’s a famous saying that writing is rewriting. Rarely if ever does someone have a first draft go straight to the press. When you are writing your communications, cut yourself some slack and don’t be critical of any character, word or phrase you put down on the page. Write it…

I’ve never had the chance to write a TV script, but I would love to! If you are a company that is looking for a writer for this, e-mail me and I will do it for free. That’s how much I want to try this. A screenwriting course I took…

Many times I will work very hard on various little tasks in order to clear a block of time to dedicate to writing either a blog article, a marketing piece or even the first draft of a brand report. I have lots of enthusiasm when I’m completing those little tasks,…

A possible voice from the future: “You HAVE to go see Saw XIII! It was SO AWESOME! The best one since Saw VIII!” Nothing is more powerful than a referral. In the business world we call them testimonials. Testimonials are the best advertising you can get, because they are authentic…

This is an actual Facebook group: No one really wants to believe this, but when it comes to business communication, people do judge your company by the way you communicate and the mistakes you make in your writing. The only way to avoid this is to have someone in your…

Think of a press release as exciting, breaking news about your company, product or service. Pick up any newspaper and read a couple stories–I suggest browsing well-written newspapers online such as the New York Times or even Vanity Fair magazine–and you’ll get an idea of how a story is structured….

It’s not just about the words, it’s about the idea. Great writing motivates in some way. Here’s an excellent example of taking pretty basic copy and creating something that literally moves people towards your brand. Does your copy do this? Nala

Think of your headline as an ad for your ad. Stats show that headlines are five times more likely to be read than the rest of your ad. Some simple tips for reader-friendly ads are Keep it brief–one line only Make an interesting promise–but only if you can legitimately deliver…