Do the architects of social media platforms believe users are incapable of knowing what’s good for them?

The evidence seems to indicate that.

It’s Your Choice – Sort Of

Right on the heels of my post on unannounced changes by various social media platforms, I learned of yet another Facebook change.

While reading the local newspaper, The Idaho Statesman, I came across an article about the change, Scam Alert: Sure, I use Facebook, but I still want some privacy.

No, the writer is not accusing Facebook of a scam. It is the regular column for the local Better Business Bureau – although it would not be surprising if scam artists figured out some way to profit off the latest change.

Places Everyone

The new feature is Places.

It tracks your location through your smart phone and lets your Friends know where you are – like the local Starbucks.

The problem with Places is that other applications have access to that information – so now they know where you eat, shop, hang out.

Are you starting to see the problem here? Wait, it gets better.

• The default setting in Facebook allows this feature automatically
• Your Friends can check you into this feature

When I accessed my privacy settings, I noticed this statement:

“There is a false rumor that Facebook shares your location without your knowledge or consent.”

The first time your friend checks you in, you receive notification, which you can decline to share.

You know what, Facebook? That’s annoying.

Let Us Decide How Cool We Are

Undoubtedly, the creators of Places, thought it would be cool and hip to let your Friends know where you are. I am sure my use of the phrase “cool and hip” shows just how out of touch I am in that regard.

The really annoying aspect for me is the assumption that I want this feature.

One would think after all the flak Facebook received on its privacy settings, we would not have this problem.

Here’s an idea – send a simple communication outlining options.

That goes for any social media platform.

When Did We Lose Control?

I believe we humans have a fundamental need for control – like breathing and eating.

We don’t like when we lose control or it is taken from us.

I have been yelling at Microsoft Word for years to “Stop thinking for me.”

I appreciate the incredible competitiveness of technology. I marvel at the creative genius. All I ask is let me decide if I want your latest hot feature.

Do not default our choices.

By letting us decide what we want and when, maybe Facebook would not have the need to post defensive statements about false rumors.

What do you think about automatic defaults and changes that social media platforms make?

P.S. If you want instructions on changing the default settings of Places,click on this link => Editing Facebook Places Settings.

i-Stock Photo Credit TPopova

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To paraphrase Merriam-Webster, communication is an exchange of information.

At times; however, businesses put the communication cart before the horse.

The Communication Journey

The horse leads the cart. Imagine the horse as business communication to customers and the cart contains your product or service. You developed that product or service by finding out what your customers wanted.

The Expected

Customers see that horse coming down the road and they know it carries your product or service.

Your customers like what’s in the cart. Sure, they might change a few things, but overall, they like knowing your cart has what they want.

The Unexpected

Then one day, your customers see the horse coming down the road. Your customers wait until the cart pulls up. They look inside and the contents changed.

What happened here? Where are the contents they loved? Why did you change this?

• Some customers applaud the change
• Some scream, but adjust to the change
• Others take their business elsewhere

Changing the Journey

The horse in our story has very special powers. It is a talking horse. On this journey, the horse carries the content to its customers.

Along the way, the horse asks the customers what they think about the contents of the cart.

The customers tell the horse they really like what’s in the cart.

Some offer ideas for changes to the cart. Some need prompting from the horse on what they would change.

In the end, some of the contents change, but the customers knew about the changes because all along the way, the horse communicated with them.

The moral of the story? Use the talking end of the horse if you don’t want customers kicking you in the other end.

Taking a Different Path

A previous post described unannounced changes made by LinkedIn® and Facebook. Users simply logged in and discovered the “overnight” change.

Since that post, additional changes occurred – some in apparent response to customer outcries. Here are a few examples.

LinkedIn®

Dramatically changed the layout of Group discussions – Initially the change eliminated the News tab.

That change mixed promotions, news articles, blog postings in with discussions. Customers hated it. Recently, LinkedIn® added a Promotions tab.

Eliminated edit features in Comments - This change still exists. In the past, Comments had an edit feature that allowed a limited time for editing your comment before posting. It was especially nice for correcting typos.

As we all know, you find typos only after you hit the Submit button. Now your choices are leaving the typo, adding another comment correcting the typo or deleting the comment and starting over.

Added another security layer to sign-in – After signing in with your username and password, a second security screen popped up, asking for a confirmation of a Captcha image.

I complained about this to customer service, who referred me to an article about occasional verification. When I wrote back that this was not “occasional,” but occurred each time I signed on – even multiple times a day – customer service responded that it was a new procedure.

This annoying change has suddenly gone away. Please don’t let LinkedIn® know that.

Facebook

Removed badges on Profiles – I posted a Donate button on my Facebook profile for the 3-Day, 60-mile Walk for Breast Cancer.

Several contributors used the button for their donations. Unannounced, the Donate buttons disappeared. Only a posting from the 3-Day advised us of the change.

Clearing the Path

In the above examples, the businesses put the communication cart before the horse.

With LinkedIn® and Facebook’s ingenuity, I bet they could make that horse talk. If the old mare is mute, there are several available tools:

• Online surveys
• Tweets
• Posts on walls, home pages
• Emails
• Focus groups

In the case of LinkedIn,® communication on the changes occurred AFTER the change – cart before horse syndrome.  With the Facebook change, there was NO communication.

Technology changes happen with mind-blowing speed and regularity. It waits for no man – sometimes not even the customer.

What do you think about communication and changes in product and services?

i-Stock Photo Credit: TomasSkopat

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When you hear the term passive voice, do you have an uncomfortable flashback to your grammar teacher?

Perhaps the rebel in you dismissed the lecture on active versus passive voice, but kicking some passive voice booty actually strengthens your business writing.

Passion Not Passive

In our 24/7 media world, grabbing someone’s attention is a challenge.

• Passive sentences choke the life out of business writing
• Readers hit the snooze alarm and lose your message
• Passive sentences are also habit-forming

I have done some editing in my career. Isn’t it amazing how easily you find the errors in other’s business writing?

Not wanting to be the pot calling the kettle black, I worked on kicking the passive voice from my own writing. I’m still a work in progress.

Seizing Control

Picture your story. You have your Subject and Action.

Along comes Action, leaping in front of Subject or, in some cases, wiping out Subject all together. That is what passive sentences do.

Before you say, “Well, isn’t that what Action is all about,” ask yourself, if you were Subject, wouldn’t you want control?

How about some examples?

Passive Sentence

• Example 1: The dog was hit.
• Example 2: The hitting of the dog was done by the boy.
  

Did you see what Action (hit) did?

In the first example, it kicked the Subject right out of there. Now the reader does not know who or what did the hitting.

In the second example, Action jumped in front of the Subject (the boy).That confuses the reader.

Active Sentence

The Active voice – The boy hit the dog – lets everyone know that the boy hit the dog – not a car or someone else.

Tips for Recognizing Passive Voice

There are clues for spotting passive sentences – even without the help of Microsoft Word. Passive sentences:

1. Use a form of be (is, are, was, will be, has been)
2. Follow #1 with a verb or participle
3. Use a past tense

Example: The example has been completed. Easy as 1, 2, 3,

Control – Not Elimination

It isn’t English without exceptions. There are times where a passive voice works.  Here are a few examples.

When your readers don’t need to know who did the action -The mail was delivered yesterday.

It adds nothing to use the active voice – The mailman delivered the mail yesterday.

The subject is unknown - Paper was thrown all over the floor.

If you don’t know who threw the paper on the floor, a passive voice is acceptable. Unless, of course, you have passive paranoia, then you write Someone threw paper all over the floor.

Power Menu

Using a pinch of the passive voice, while seasoning your business writing with power words, produces savory results.

It helps Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours. Go out and kick some passive voice booty.

i=Stock Photo Credit 3DClipArtsDe

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It’s Health Care Tuesday at my health care blog, Simply stated health care.

Here’s a sneak peak at today’s topic.

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That ringing in your ears may not be your cell phone.

What’s Your Number?

A study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine reported that regular use of a mobile or cell phone appears related to chronic tinnitus.

Tinnitus is that annoying ringing or buzzing in the ear. Continue reading at Simply stated health care

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It’s day 30 of the 30-day Ultimate Blog Challenge. My results exceeded my expectations.

No, I did not become the #1 blog in the blogosphere – go figure. I don’t think I want that. I certainly don’t expect that.

Blog Boost

I learned some valuable things from the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Here are just a few.

1. Daily blogging was easier than I thought

I really expected to struggle with blogging daily for 30 days. The challenge gave me the kick in the rear I needed and I found it was not a problem.

Going forward, I do not plan on weekend business blogging. That’s my quest for a better life balance, but I will blog Monday through Friday. That’s my goal.

Before the challenge, I blogged 2 – 3 times a week. Now that I learned daily blogging is possible, I want to keep it up during the week.

2. Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours

I created my tagline because I always had a knack for making the complex simple. I like it simple.

Another lesson learned was that others appreciate simple, too. My posts that received the most response were those that had simple how-to instructions or tools for making it simple.

This lesson helped me narrow my target. I am going to review my categories and create simple how-to posts or share great tools and blogs that make it simple.

I would love to hear from you about what topics you’d like to see. If I don’t know the answer – I am no techie genius – I will find out for you – and me.

3. Guest blogging is more than a fad

Guest blogging seems to be the topic of the day. During this challenge, I did a guest post at Danielle McGaw’s blog and she contributed a post to mine.

Danielle asked me to combine my freelance status with my 30+ years in the health care industry. Although it had me thinking I had better practice what I preach, it was a fun departure to write Health and the Freelance Writer – the Novel!

Here are some of the lessons learned from guest blogging.

• I wrote on a topic I probably wouldn’t have come up with – so thank you, Danielle
• It was a pleasant relief to know I had my post covered for the day Danielle’s post was published
• I used that “free time” to write my post for the next day – a nice bonus – I had been creating them the day of the post
• Even I get tired of my own voice – guest posting is a nice change of pace

4. It’s all about sharing

I have always been a Pollyanna and a glass half-full kind of person. So, this wasn’t a surprise, but just a happy affirmation of how many generous people there are in the social media world that are more than willing to share.

5. Stop trying so hard

I think many of us agonize over producing the next brilliant post. Through the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I found we need to stop trying so hard. Just let it be, and write. You will never please everyone, and that’s okay. If you go in it with the idea of helping others and sharing experiences, it all works out.

Time to Share

When I started this challenge, I hoped for accountability – check, promotion of my blog-check, and an increase to my knowledge base-check. I gained all that, plus so much more.

If you participated (or are participating) in the Ultimate Blog Challenge, what lessons have you learned?

What kinds of things would you like to see made simple & clear?

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 30 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

Related posts:

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Social media users increased from 22 percent to 42 percent in the over 50 age group. Baby boomers rock.

Tweet This

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center reported the dramatic growth in social media use amongst baby boomers. Here are some of the highlights of the survey.

• 47 percent of social media users are between the ages of 50-64
• 26 percent are over age 65
• Twitter use in the 50-64 age group increased from 5 percent in 2009 to 11 percent in 2010
• 6 percent of that age group use Twitter daily – up from 1 percent in 2009

There are an estimated 80 million baby boomers. It’s a marketing segment that should not be ignored.

I don’t know if I am a typical baby boomer – I like to think so – I am certainly no technical genius, but I do like trying new things. Just give me some simple, clear instructions.

Surprised-Not Really

I am not surprised by the dramatic increase in baby boomers use of social media. We may wait to see how things shake out and we don’t follow the crowd.

We like to think we are independent thinkers – however misguided that may be.

This baby boomer appreciates marketers that recognize that age is a relative term. Keeping it simple, clear & uniquely yours is good strategy for any age.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 29 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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This is my last Saturday of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. One thing I look forward to is a Saturday and Sunday with no business blogging.

I have learned a lot from this challenge. I’ll write more about that on the last day.

Here’s a sneak preview – it really helped me remember the simple joys of Saturday.

It Isn’t Simple

I came across this quote that I like about keeping life simple.

The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn’t simple.

Doris Janzen Longacre

Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed with all the “noise’ that exists in our lives? Sometimes you want to pull the plug on the constant connection – at least I do.

Simple Joys – Right Now

In keeping with the theme of this blog to Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours, here is my current list of the simple joys of Saturday.

• Sleeping in – Well, I try. After 30+ years of getting up at the crack of dawn, I have a tough time turning off the internal clock.
• Saturday breakfast – I moved in with my 87-year-old mother after my Dad died. Before you think how altruistic of me, consider the egg-white omelet and home-made biscuits she makes me every Saturday morning. I know – spoiled.
• Creative Copy Challenge - This is one of my favorite places to visit on a Saturday morning. I did an interview with its creator, Shane Arthur, where you can read about this great community of creativity. It’s writing for the pure joy of it – and you do not need to be a writer. You take 10 words/phrases and create a story. Some are hysterical, sad, scary and everything in between. Check it out.
• Training Walks for the 3-Day - I am participating in my 7th 3-Day, 60-mile Walk for Breast Cancer that takes place in San Diego in November. Saturday training walks have no worry about getting to work so I love them. I need to raise a minimum amount to qualify to walk. I have just a bit over $800 left to raise, so if you would like to help, click on the Donate button in the sidebar. End of commercial.
• Doing nothing – I love the idea that I don’t HAVE to do anything on a Saturday. For at least one day, I can stop being an adult. Love it.

So, that’s my short list. What are your simple joys of Saturday?

i-Stock Photo Credit nicolas

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 28 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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Eighty-one percent of marketers plan to increase the use of blogs in their business.

It is number one on their strategy list.

That is according to the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report.

Caution Ahead

Perhaps the reason businesses leap into the blogosphere is the ease of implementation. Like any marketing strategy, planning for a business blog is an essential step.

The New York Times made a splash last year when it reported that 95 percent of blogs are abandoned. Granted, the statistic includes the avalanche of personal blogs, but it makes the point – think before you leap into your business blog.

Things to Think About

Here are just a few ideas for consideration before starting a business blog.

1. Why do you want a business blog?

Perhaps you feel you are running to catch the train. Everyone has a business blog, so you should, too. If you think it supports the marketing plan for your business, you are on the right track, but consider these other questions.

2. Is a business blog the best tool for your business?

Most businesses do not have an abundance of time and resources for marketing.

The top three social media tools used by marketers are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn,® followed by a blog.

Consider the tools that provide your business with the most bang for your buck. Your strategy may be a focus on just one platform or a combination of two to three. What is the best platform(s) for your customers? What are your competitors doing?

One strategy is using the blog as the hub and driving all other social media efforts to the blog. Think about the time commitment and resources.

3. What do you want from your business blog?

If you are a thought leader, a blog is a good platform for getting your ideas out. If you want to create leads, think about how you can capture contact information without chasing away prospects.

For example, requiring registration before visitors can comment on a post puts most people off. Consider offering free reports, white papers or other helpful information for capturing contact information.

4. What is the theme of your business blog?

If you are going to have a business blog, what is the theme? Think about your targeted audience and deliver what they want to read.

Give them something to care about, something of value to them, so they return. Your theme guides readers in what they can expect from your blog.

5. How will you manage the commitment?

Consistency is the name of the game for a blog. You do not have to publish content every day, but consistency counts. A common recommendation is posting at least three times a week.

That is a huge time and resources commitment. Consider how you will manage the blog. Plan your categories, your topics, and the individuals to deliver the content.

Guest blogging is a good alternative, but make sure the post supports your marketing plan and theme. Ghost blogging – hiring someone to write posts for your business – is another strategy.

A business blog is a good marketing strategy for many businesses, small or large – business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). Like all things business, careful planning is the key to success.

What tips do you have for business blogs?

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 27 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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What is it about us that needs validation? Or is validation?

Being the Best

Recently, I was reviewing answers to a question posed in LinkedIn.®

The question had to do with readers’ preferred method of receiving information. The discussion was closed and there was one answer selected as the Best Answer. What?

If you are asking me my opinion on my preferred method for receiving information, why is another person’s answer better than mine?

I suspect the author of the question recognizes the value of validation when it comes to a person’s business. However, for me, the author invalidated the opinions of the other readers.

Perhaps I’m a sore loser. Just how badly do we need validation?

You Like Me-You Really, Really Like Me

It is not just LinkedIn® where we battle for top billing or recognition.

We all measure success in different ways, such as:

• Screen after screen of Comments
• Thousand of Twitter followers, Facebook friends
• The most downloads
• The highest sales in e-books

A fellow writer, Carson Brackney, wrote an interesting post about all the experts who know just what you need to do.

What Carson shared was that the decisions you make are yours. Don’t let someone else tell you that you’re doing it wrong.

I would love to link you to the post; however, Carson is on hiatus, in the midst of “some big changes” (Carson’s words). There’s a man who is true to himself.

Whatever the measurement, we all look for success. Perhaps it is a validation of our business. Maybe it is simply gratifying. Who am I to say?

At the end of the day, how you measure yourself is what counts.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.
Dale Carnegie

How do you measure success?

Photo Credit: iStock Bibigon

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 26 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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One of my favorite things about social media is the great people you meet. Danielle McGaw is a great example of that.

We met through Twitter and found we had similar ideas on business writing.

The theme of this blog is Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours. When Danielle presented me with a guest post idea of How to Keep Your Business Writing Simple, how could I resist? Her checklist is one you will want to use in your own writing.

So sit back with me and enjoy Danielle’s guest post. Don’t forget to check out her blog, The Life of a Text Media Addict. Thank you, Danielle.

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As an administrative professional instructor at a business college, one of the most challenging parts of the course to teach was Business Communications.

As someone who writes on a daily basis it seemed so easy to me to write with proper grammar and sentence structure but almost all of my students found it a challenge.

I find that schools today do not put as much emphasis on writing skills as they used to, so the younger students especially found it difficult.

But that wasn’t the biggest challenge.

The biggest challenge for most of my students was resisting the urge to use big words, fancy adjectives, and outdated expressions that make business writing awkward.

Business writing needs to be simple.

Simple Business Writing Checklist

Here is a checklist you can keep handy when you are writing for business purposes.

After you have written your article, letter, or other writing, go through the list and ask yourself these questions:

1. Is it short?

Business writing is not better if it is longer. Many think that longer will be more impressive but chances are that the only thing a long document will succeed in is boring the reading.

Clear business writing should simply point the reader to what they need to do next with as little words as possible.

Run-on sentences are the most confusing aspects of long business documents. Instead of looking like you know a lot, it just looks like you don’t know how to communicate effectively.

2. Do you use formatting to guide your reader?

Headings, numbered lists, bulleted lists, and paragraphs make your business document easier to read.

Formatting guides readers so they anticipate what is coming next and it highlights important information.

3. Do you cut out big words?

Using simple language does not suggest that your readers will not understand it – it makes the text easier to read because they don’t have to think as much.

Instead of saying disseminate say send out.  Instead of saying strategize say plan. There is no need to use bigger words.

Simple is always better.

4. Do you eliminate redundancies?

There are many redundant phrases (phrases made up of words that mean the same thing) that are used simply because people say them all the time.

In business writing, your goal is to keep it simple though, so watch for phrases like never, at any time (never means never – saying at any time is not necessary), advanced reservations, advanced warning, and surrounded on all sides.

5. Do you skip the jargon?

Unless you are writing a very technical article or business letter that is targeted at a very specific audience that will expect you to use jargon – skip it.

Jargon is language that is used only by people in a specific industry.  Jargon is often used to make you sound more important.  Confident business writers do not need to do this.

6. Do you get rid of outdated phrases?

There are some phrases that just sound horribly outdated and make your writing sound as if it was written by an old person.

These phrases also make you appear unprofessional.  As per your request is one of the most common outdated phrases. Simply say, As you requested.

How To Improve Your Business Writing

If you have noticed that your business writing needs to improve there are two things I recommend.

Write, write, write!

First, write!  Practice writing daily and practice writing in the style that you want to become accomplished in.

As I told my students daily – you can not get really good at something that you only do a couple times a week.

Football players practice every day. Musicians play their instruments every day. Graphic artists create new graphic illustrations every day.

If you want to be a good business writer you need to do some business writing every day.

Read, read, read!

The second thing you should do is read.

How can you get good at something if you don’t have good examples to look at? Read quality magazines like Time or Maclean’s.

Find good business writers online that you enjoy and follow them.

Read books about business writing. You need to expose yourself to the work of professionals if you want to learn how to write like the professionals.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that simple business writing says a lot about you and is beneficial to your readers.

It saves you time because you have less words to write.

Simple words are understood by all, so if your audience is going to cross cultural boundaries or if you have ESL (English as a Second Language) readers, they will be able to understand it.

And don’t forget that simple business writing is a sign of confidence.

When readers see that you do not need to use inflated language they will feel that you are someone that really knows what they are talking about!

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Danielle McGaw is a full-time freelance writer and text media professional.  She enjoys Tweeting on her outdoor patio in the morning with her cup of coffee by her side almost as much as she loves working late into the night on an exciting new project. Find out more about her Life of a Text Media Addict or join her on Facebook.

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Cathy Miller – Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.

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This is Day 25 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.

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