<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:32:12 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>[ blog ]</title><subtitle>[ blog ]</subtitle><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/atom.xml"/><updated>2010-02-04T20:37:00Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>Perfection, Indeed.</title><category term="fun with grammar"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2010/2/4/perfection-indeed.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2010/2/4/perfection-indeed.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2010-02-04T20:27:38Z</published><updated>2010-02-04T20:27:38Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>I make mistakes all the time. State instead of stage. From for form. You know. I'm certain there are typos and grammatical errors throughout my little blog.</p>
<p>However, I hope (really, <em>really</em> hope) I would catch something like this before sending to print:</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 500px;" src="http://www.charlotte-works.com/storage/perfection.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1265315783309" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Now ... who wants a margarita?</p>
<p>(From the drink menu at Chili's. Photo taken Feb. 2010, Destin, Fla.)</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>What's Your Type?</title><category term="design"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2010/1/25/whats-your-type.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2010/1/25/whats-your-type.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2010-01-25T23:14:01Z</published><updated>2010-01-25T23:14:01Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>A fun, extremely well-put-together online quiz from Pentagram: <a href="http://pentagram.com/en/new/2010/01/what-type-are-you.php">What Type Are You?</a></p>
<p>Sort of like Myers-Briggs, but shorter and perhaps with more practical results.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><a href="http://pentagram.com/en/new/2010/01/what-type-are-you.php"><img src="http://www.charlotte-works.com/storage/WTAY_TraditionalProgressive.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1264461420479" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Less Milk, Fewer Cookies</title><category term="fun with grammar"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/11/23/less-milk-fewer-cookies.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/11/23/less-milk-fewer-cookies.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-11-23T20:42:01Z</published><updated>2009-11-23T20:42:01Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 500px;" src="http://www.charlotte-works.com/storage/Windows7.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1259009228168" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>(Image, grammar catch courtesy of <a href="http://copyranter.blogspot.com/2009/10/hopefully-windows-7-is-smarter-than-new.html">copyranter</a>)</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Why Copy Editors Still Matter</title><category term="fun with grammar"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/11/21/why-copy-editors-still-matter.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/11/21/why-copy-editors-still-matter.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-11-21T23:40:02Z</published><updated>2009-11-21T23:40:02Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>The following slide show, in Jay Leno "Headlines" style, and on the verge of NSFW, illustrates why copy editors do indeed still matter. (I wish I had one.)</p>
<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1GLo_3eobg4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1GLo_3eobg4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Hey, I Know! Let's Start an Email Campaign!</title><category term="client work"/><category term="email marketing"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/10/3/hey-i-know-lets-start-an-email-campaign.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/10/3/hey-i-know-lets-start-an-email-campaign.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-10-03T17:57:52Z</published><updated>2009-10-03T17:57:52Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>Email campaigns. Everyone's got one. But does anyone actually read the emails?</p>
<p>When I receive an HTML marketing email from an organization/company I'm even somewhat interested in, I'll read the subject line, then briefly scan the headlines (at least the ones at the top of the window). On rare occasions, I'll click on a link, but taking this extra step is certainly the exception. I mean, really, how many of these emails come through the inbox on a given day? I shudder to count.</p>
<p>So I was surprised when a new client wrote with some statistics from his latest email newsletter, which Charlotte Works wrote. The client reported a 30 percent open rate, the website saw record page views ... along with a number of website sales that were direct results of that email campaign. This news made my day. I was shocked, but happily so.</p>
<p>Given this information, I'm going to make an effort to put my cynical bent aside, and figure out ways to reinvigorate the email campaigns I work on. PWR New Media, which does really, really nice work, put together a slide deck on turning out interesting email campaigns, likening the process to planning a dinner party. I think this is a great idea.</p>
<p><a href="http://releaseit.pwrnewmedia.com/?p=75">The PWR intro</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>While whipping up a little party recently, I realized that delivering a good email campaign is a bit like throwing a great dinner party: You need to know your audience, design a great menu, use fresh ingredients and serve it all up with appealing plating for mouth-watering success. When you get it right, you can truly improve your relationships and wow your target audience. So I tossed together this little presentation to share my thoughts&hellip;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The slide deck:  <img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNTQ1OTI*NTk5MTYmcHQ9MTI1NDU5MzA4NDE*MiZwPTEwMTkxJmQ9c3NfZW1iZWQmZz*yJm89ZWZkOGM3Y2IxMTJiNGY3N2FmN2I1NDJmNmIyMDZkODImb2Y9MA==.gif" border="0" alt="" width="0" height="0" /></p>
<div id="__ss_1998089" style="width: 425px; text-align: left;"><a style="font:14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;display:block;margin:12px 0 3px 0;text-decoration:underline;" title="Cooking Up Successful Email Campaigns" href="http://www.slideshare.net/Malayna/cooking-up-successful-email-campaigns-1998089">Cooking Up Successful Email Campaigns</a><object style="margin:0px" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=cookingemailsuccess-090914194635-phpapp02&stripped_title=cooking-up-successful-email-campaigns-1998089" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=cookingemailsuccess-090914194635-phpapp02&stripped_title=cooking-up-successful-email-campaigns-1998089" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>
<div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a style="text-decoration:underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/Malayna">Malayna Williams</a>.</div>
</div>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Good Ole Mississippi</title><category term="fun with grammar"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/27/good-ole-mississippi.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/27/good-ole-mississippi.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-07-27T17:43:04Z</published><updated>2009-07-27T17:43:04Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>A friend saw my blog recently, and my <a href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/5/12/fun-with-grammar-quotation-marks.html">nod</a> to the <a href="http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/">"Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks</a>. He pointed me to another prize-winner from that site called "<a href="http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/2007/04/i-feel-safer-already.html">Security Guard</a>." My friend's wife is the lucky one who stumbled upon this "fantastic scene off of I-20 in Missisippi" and managed to photograph it for the record books.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.charlotte-works.com/storage/security_guard.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1248716774703" alt="" /></span></span></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Got a Good Story?</title><category term="pr"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/27/got-a-good-story.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/27/got-a-good-story.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-07-27T17:25:01Z</published><updated>2009-07-27T17:25:01Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>What a great idea: <a href="http://www.understandingmarketing.com/2009/06/04/pr-checklist-for-media-relations/">a point-by-point guide for figuring out whether your small business story is a good one to pitch to the media</a>. Not surprisingly, the most points (seven!) goes to answering "yes" to the following question:</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you have any <strong>customers</strong> that are willing to speak to the reporter on behalf of your company?</li>
</ul>
<p>Other high-rankers are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Do you have any <strong>industry analysts</strong> or other industry insiders who can speak to the reporter?</li>
<li>Is your announcement TRULY the <strong>first time</strong> anyone has ever done this?</li>
</ul>
<p>Definitely worth a scan: <a href="http://www.understandingmarketing.com/2009/06/04/pr-checklist-for-media-relations/">PR Checklist for Media Relations // How to Get Your Story in the News</a></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Fun With Grammar: Kmart-Style</title><category term="fun with grammar"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/15/fun-with-grammar-kmart-style.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/7/15/fun-with-grammar-kmart-style.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-07-15T15:01:04Z</published><updated>2009-07-15T15:01:04Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>From the neighborhood Kmart. (Yes, I live in a neighborhood with a Kmart.) Someone really tried hard to figure out just the right spot for that apostrophe.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.charlotte-works.com/storage/kmart.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1247670171888" alt="" /></span></span></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>See You Soon, Don!</title><category term="ads + marketing"/><category term="distractions"/><category term="random opinions"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/6/30/see-you-soon-don.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/6/30/see-you-soon-don.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-06-30T21:51:00Z</published><updated>2009-06-30T21:51:00Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>I am a huge Mad Men fan and was very pleased to see the new promos running, finally giving us an air date for Season 3 (August 16). I was just a little confused why they used Times New Roman (bold, ital) in one of the promos, seems so strange and, I don't know, trifold-brochure-from-seven-years-ago-like:</p>
<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eQ_CBnLD89c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eQ_CBnLD89c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Press Release Envy</title><category term="pr"/><id>http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/6/18/press-release-envy.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.charlotte-works.com/journal/2009/6/18/press-release-envy.html"/><author><name>Charlotte Works</name></author><published>2009-06-18T16:38:01Z</published><updated>2009-06-18T16:38:01Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>What fun someone must have had, writing <a href="http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_061109a.html">the press release for the updated AP Stylebook</a>:&nbsp;</p>
<p>
<blockquote>
<p>06/11/2009</p>
<p>AP Press Release&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>New edition of AP Stylebook adds entries and helpful features</strong></p>
<p>NEW YORK -- Twitter, the social networking tool that has turned millions of people around the world into instant micro-bloggers, has made it into the 2009 edition of The Associated Press Stylebook, along with complicated business terms such as credit default swaps and derivatives that have gained more exposure amid the global recession.</p>
<p>The new edition of the Stylebook adds a "Quick Reference Guide" to make it easier for users to answer the most common questions on topics such as abbreviations and acronyms; homicide, murder and manslaughter; and polls and surveys.</p>
<p>Twitter, the Middle Eastern eggplant dish baba ghanoush and texting as a verb are among more than 60 new or updated entries in the new AP Stylebook, which includes more business, food, medical and Arabic terms and expanded information on major U.S. and international companies.</p>
<p>The range of new business terms also includes collateralized debt obligations, Libor, recession-proof, reverse auction, securitization and solvency.</p>
<p>The subscription-based AP Stylebook Online also has been improved, with audio pronunciation guides for newsmakers, an updated search function and detailed information on U.S. and international companies. The Online version is updated throughout the year and allows users to customize with their own listings, examples and local deviations from AP style.</p>
<p>Updates and additions in the AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, the standard reference tool in newsrooms and many professional offices across the country, reflect changes in word usages and in society.</p>
<p>There are new entries on adoption; storyline; the differences between coma, minimally conscious state and vegetative state; and different types of diabetes. The verb form of text, texted and texting has been added to the Stylebook.</p>
<p>The new entry for Twitter notes that the social networking Web site limits messages to short Tweets. The verb forms are to Twitter or to Tweet. Besides baba ghanoush, the new food entries include chipotle, Key lime and Parmesan.</p>
<p>New sports listings include knuckleball, timeout, tipoff, USGA for United States Golf Association, and water sports.</p>
<p>There also are more Arabic transliterations and terms, including Al-Quds, hajj, hijab and kaffiyeh.</p>
<p>Changes include the spelling of cesarean section, instead of caesarean section, allowing CEO on first reference for chief executive and mpg for miles per gallon, and requiring first and last names of sitting U.S. presidents.</p>
<p>[and so on]</p>
</blockquote>
</p>]]></content></entry></feed>