No more bad news

“Don't bring me bad news, no bad news
I don't need none of your bad news today”
-Patty Griffin

Superstorms. Blizzards. Fiscal cliffs. Political gridlock. Abuse of power. Misuse of trust. Violence – against children, girlfriends, partners, friends, neighbors, elders, strangers, animals.

The news is full of mind-numbing, soul crushing, energy sapping bad, bad, bad, bad stuff.

I can only expect locusts, frogs, and pestilence next.

What I need is more balance. More good news.

Incredibly, I found some:

• A man and his dog are reunited after 10 years
• Science says the holidays won’t make you fat
• Increases in health care spending have been declining for about a decade

And there’s more good stuff at such sites as:

• Making a Difference
• HuffPost Good News
• Good News Daily

So when the news get you down, and you begin to feel the crushing weight of so much bad stuff happening in the world, take the time to search out some goodness.

It’s there. Waiting to be found. Taking a backseat to all those sensational headlines attracting attention.

Buh-bye

The writing in emails is typically a casual affair, IMHO.

The acronyms can be hard to decipher, depending on the IBK.

And rude (IBK = idiot behind the keyboard).

So I've been delighted by recent emails that have included sign-offs that make me smile.

A sampling:

•  Have a prosperous day (from an administrative coordinator)
• Sent from my [device], so pardon my typos (everyone with an iPhone)
• Cheers (sent from overseas)
•  Mit freundlichen Grüßen (from an American with a global perspective)

I also get a lot of exclamation points!!!! A/k/a screamers!!!!!! As in: Thank you!!!. Thanks!!! 

I don't get a lot of "Ciao!" in emails, but I often get it in face-to-face meetings. Make that cheek-to-cheek greetings, because it's often accompanied by air kisses on alternating cheeks. These can be awkward for Americans, who get tangled up in which cheek goes first and how many kisses are enough or too many. 

For my emails, I've gotten into the "Best regards" habit. It was something I picked up years ago, after a company lawyer included it in his email. It seemed sincere and, at that time, a little different. It stuck.

Until next time...Adios! Au revoir! Avtio!

What exactly do you do?

I write for a living. For businesses. So naturally my ear is attuned to copy, especially when it’s intended to draw readers into learning more about a company.

Recently I ran across several examples of epic fail.

Below are word-for-word descriptions from actual websites (with original typos and grammar glitches).

BTW: I still don’t know exactly what these companies do.

• We at [company name] earned vertical niches in global industry through our ability to respond to our clients with custom solutions that resolve issues rather than conceal conceptual and architectural flaws with boiler-plate responses that never quite fit the client’s need. Capability, ingenuity, response, and a commitment to excellence are the foundation of every [company name] relationship.
  
• [Company name]is the business improvement company that helps you motivate the people who drive your business. We providing tailored solutions that help you get the most out of your most valuable assets: your people.
  
• For companies seeking specific bio-based solutions, we orchestrate the disparate activities that facilitate technology development in order to deliver a customized solution. Specifically, we work hand-in-hand with you to identify relevant technology and determine its technical feasibility. If technical feasibility is promising, we will collaborate to develop, scale-up and deliver a de-risked commercially-viable technology package customized to your precise needs.

A Google search of “customized solutions” turned up 2,370,000 results. In 0.40 seconds

Hard to believe there’s that degree of customization among companies that lack the creativity to simply explain who they are and what they do.

You don't have to be a writer to recognize lazy writing -- or to shudder at what this implies for the brand or the business.

To boldly go

I never knew space could be so much fun. Or Twitter. Or following tweets from space.

Even William Shatner can’t resist.

Here’s his exchange yesterday with Chris Hadfield, currently in orbit on the International Space Station:

From @WilliamShatner: "@Cmdr_Hadfield Are you tweeting from space? MBB"
‏From @Cmdr_Hadfield: "@WilliamShatner Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we're detecting signs of life on the surface."

Within 24 hours, that exchange was retweeted 4,191 times.

Even more amazing than this life-imitating-art-imitating life scenario between Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and the soon-to-be Commander of Expedition 35 are the photos Hadfield posts to Twitter from 240 miles above earth.

Here are a few of my faves:

• "These mountains near Sochi, Russia remind me somehow of corduroy pillows." pic.twitter.com/O6s2KRzZ 
• "Great Belt Bridge, Denmark, connecting Zealand and Fyn. Straight lines stand out against nature when viewed from space." pic.twitter.com/PyCYt2jp 
• "Like a Hole Punch - confetti of farms using central irrigation in the American Southwest. Jan 2, 2013." pic.twitter.com/LRB9KI6T 
• "Mojave Desert and the lake beds of Edwards AFB where I attended test Pilot School, and where the Shuttle first landed." pic.twitter.com/KCqt6iIn 
• "A view of the Suez Canal, as it opens into the Mediterranean. A great mix of nature and powerful human engineering." pic.twitter.com/asqfHKkn

There’s much more to see and read on Twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield

Or on the NASA/ISS or Canadian Space Agency sites.

If you aren't able "To boldly go where no man has gone before," as least you can read the tweets.