Recently, I participated in a fun discussion at BlogCatalog where we came up with clever headlines for spam emails that involved rock-n-roll bands or performers. I have to say, it was a great deal of fun to see what some people came up with as far as headlines were concerned. Today, I was very pleased to see that two of the headlines I (McWriters) created were listed in the top ten! WooHoo!!!
Anyhow, take a moment and check out all of the great headlines. There are some really good, creative ones there. For all of you spammers out there…DON’T STEAL OUR HEADLINES!
Kudos to TheBigRuski for putting the discussion together and creating the top ten list!
I had alluded to the need to capture this picture in a previous post. Thanks to my sister-in-law, I know have a picture of this mistake (thanks Tina!).
Rabbit Trail: Why did Tina have the opportunity to get this picture for me? Unfortunately, she had to go to this grocery store to request a refund for a bag of coffee. Yes, it was this company’s coffee. Tina grinds her own coffee at home. Upon reaching the last bit of coffee beans at the bottom of the bag, she discovered a roasted bug mixed in with her beans. Gross! The question I had was, “I wonder if there was more than one bug” followed by, “Hey, where’s the bug’s head and legs…were they roasted off, or did they get mixed into the bag somewhere else?” At that point, I stopped asking questions. I was also relieved to recall that I had not consumed any coffee over at their house recently, haha. Needless to say, the coffee bean bug was a major turn off. Thankfully, the grocery store refunded her money without any difficulty.
So, back to the picture. Have you caught the mistake? Charity’s should be charities (the correct plural spelling). The apostrophe is a killer for many, many people. Unfortunately, this is a common mistake. Even more unfortunate is that this mistake made it out into the public arena (multiple supermarkets and their own website). Perhaps I should contact them and offer my services? 
My daughter discovered this sign recently on a local bike path here in Coeur d’Alene. The ironic thing about this particular sign is that it is near the front of a school (Woodland Middle School, by the Comcast Building)! You would think/hope that one of the teachers would have called someone about the error on the sign.
Anyhow, just in case the mistake isn’t obvious to you, there should not be an apostrophe in the word “users.”
The odd thing is that there are many signs like this on the same trail. I haven’t checked all of them, but many of the other signs do not include the same mistake. Interesting…
Gauche: awkward or clumsy, lacking social graces
“His attempts at humor weren’t funny; they were gauche.”
In modern French, the word gauche means “left” which derived indirectly from the Latin word “sinistra” meaning left-handed.
This is an intriguing word to me for several reasons:
- I’m left handed. I don’t think I’m awkward, clumsy, or lacking in social graces though.
- The negative historical implications of being left handed are very obvious by looking at the root words. Evidently the French didn’t (don’t?) appreciate those folks who are left handed.
- The Latin root “sinistra” is also the root for sinister. There is a clear association between being left handed and being looked upon as a sinister person.
Anyhow, it’s an interesting word with an interesting history! (He says with a sinister look in his eye while his left hand firmly grips a pencil.) Hehehe…
Due to the popularity of the Accent Quiz I posted a few weeks ago which received over 1400 hits, I decided to look for another fun quiz and found a good one. This one is called “Are You a Yankee or a Rebel?” This quiz is a little bit longer, but I think it asks some really good questions that everyone will enjoy. Check it out and take the test! I would enjoy knowing the results of your test.
I was firmly placed into the Rebel category (62%). My wife was a Yankee by a fair margin. For us, the accuracy of this test seems pretty good. I grew up in Texas and my wife is a Jersey girl.
Anyhow, when you have a few minutes, take the test and have fun with it!
Lyndon B. Johnson was certainly not a copywriter. He also wasn’t one of my favorite presidents either. However, he is responsible for a statement that I think would be a great mantra for a copywriter who desires to always create great, relevant, to the point content.
“What convinces is conviction. Believe in the argument you’re advancing. If you don’t, you’re as good as dead. The other person will sense that something isn’t there, and no chain of reasoning, no matter how logical or elegant or brilliant, will win your case for you.”
– Lyndon B. Johnson
While the quote does not directly discuss writing, it does relate well the concept behind any form of writing. If you’re going to write for customers, you better be good at accurately conveying their message!
