Richard Lederer, author of the book the Joy of Names, has a vested interest in his subject: his own name, he reveals means “powerful estate ruler leather worker”. But, “Must a name mean something?” (as Alice asks Humpty Dumpty).”Of course it must!” is Dumpty’s reply. In writing to promote a business or practice, using stories […]
“The key trait of nicknames is that they are bestowed upon a person by others,” Richard Lederer points out in The Joy of Names, and for three main motivations: affection ridicule group identity Nicknames may be related to: physical characteristics (Blondie, Red) mental characteristics (Brainak, Noodlehead) personality (Grumpy, Nerd, Nervous Nellie) shortening of a proper […]
At first glance, the WageWorks ad (the company provides Health Savings Accounts for employees) seems incredibly boastful: “We won’t tell you which HSA to pick. We’ll just tell you why it should be us.” On second glance, this ad reminds me of two points I made about thought leadership in recent posts on this Say […]
“There’s a reason why The Northside Social in Broad Ripple feels so comfortable,” Seth Johnson writes in Broad Ripple Magazine. (Great opening line. Bold assertion. Makes the reader want to know the why of it.) In the same magazine issue, Jon Shoulders starts a review of Taylor’s Bakery (shown above) with another good opening: “How does […]
Blog readers need to perceive you as an expert in your field, I teach at Say It For You. And for that to happen, I believe, you need to clearly state a firm perspective on your subject. There’s no lack of information sources – and no lack of “experts” (purported or real) on any topic […]
Follow us online!