Don't let by-lines pass you by

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If you work with the media, you need to pay close attention to by-lines.

By-lines tell you who wrote the story you are reading. The Economist has a policy of no by-lines, but that's the exception to the rule and is supposed to reflect that every article in that magazine is the work of the entire masthead.

A PR professional has to make note of what kind of stories each reporter follows or produces. We approach the Sunday morning paper a little differently than the average reader.

While this practice seems so obvious to me, a number of times I've been in conversation with a journalist and brought up a story they wrote that I remembered and found interesting.

Their reaction is often surprise. They so rarely get direct feedback from their readers. Most feedback these days appears to be via online comments--and much of that is ranting, complaining or name-calling.

So the next time you read an article and appreciate the content, information, angle or the writing style, drop the author a note. Their emails are usually at the end of each story. He or she will surely appreciate the feedback, and it may lead to a relationship with that writer too.

5 ideas for a better Team Canada chant

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A long-time client with business on both sides of Canada-U.S. border was telling me how much he enjoyed the Vancouver 2010 games. And then he threw down a great and fun challenge.

Dave is a proud American, but he found himself pulling for Canada during the Olympics while he was in Vancouver on business during the games.

He could not bring himself to audibly cheer for the Canadian athletes, however, and not for the reason you think! His problem? Canada's chant of 'Go Canada Go' was just too goofy.

My challenge, with your help, is to draft a new Team Canada chant that Americans can comfortably use. Let me know if you have a favorite or an alternate suggestion:

1. Apology Chant: This is a 'when in Rome' strategy and can be country-specific such as "Sorry Sweden! Sorry Sweden!" (Note: it's 'sore-ry,' not 'sahr-ry.') Or, it can be generic and fit all occasions: "Pardon us! Pardon us!"

2. Anthem Chant: "O Canada O!" While Canadians are famously polite, their national anthem carries a more-in-your-face message: Canada is "the true North strong and free." (The civility thing is just a facade. Don't believe me? Consider the brawling nature of Canada's national sport. This hommage to the anthem is all about the subtext.)

3. Obama Chant: "Yes we Canada!" About 45% of Americans will either love or hate this chant. The other 10% are undecided and could swing either way.

4. U-S-A Chant: "Ca-Na-Da!" (Chant and repeat).

5. Bilingual Chant: "Allez Canada! Go Canada!" or "Vive la Canada! Long live Canada!" If you're the guest of a Canadian government official, this is the recommended chant.

What would you propose?

Five Tips for National Grammar Day! #GRAMMARDAY

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What a great excuse to write about my favorite grammar gaffes! This blog post is intended as a friendly refresher to all who email, text, type, blog, post or copywrite for a living. (However, like good table manners, good grammar is an asset no matter what you do for a living.)

1. It's or Its

This has to be the most common grammatical error. It's just too easy to slip up. The only solution is to carefully proof every its/it's in your writing and ask your colleagues to do the same when they proof it. (You do have a second set of eyes to review your writing, don't you?)

2. Commas

Here's the deal. When two independent clauses (i.e. clauses that stand on their own as sentences) are joined with a conjuction (and, but, so, etc.), a comma is required before the conjunction.

However, if you're connecting an independent clause and a phrase, no matter how sorely tempted you are, don't use a comma. E.g.:

(W)right On Communications is up for an InfluenceSD Agency of the Year award, and our team would be honored with your vote. (correct)

(W)right On Communications is up for an InfluenceSD Agency of the Year award, and would be honored with your vote. (incorrect)

3. Possessive or Plural?

The possessive s, like it's and its, is something to proof very closely. Most often, I find that the possessive is omitted. E.g.:

The cars horn blared. (incorrect) vs. The car's horn blared. (correct)

Neither fear nor forget the possessive plural. Approach it as a thing of beauty and a sign of your awesomeness every time you get it right: The cars' horns blared. (I'm awesome.)

4. Compliment vs. Complement

This is another common grammatical challenge, especially for people who write restaurant menu descriptions, apparently.

The cabernet reduction compliments the beef. (incorrect, unless the sauce can talk)

The cabernet reduction complements the beef. (correct)

The waiter compliments your good grammar. (correct)

Complement means to go well with something. E.g. Julie, blue complements yours eyes. If you were to say this to me, you would be paying me a compliment. (By the way, feel free.)

5. Creative Prose vs. Gobbledygook

Grammar is the difference between creativity and gobbledygook, in this blogger's humble opinion. Rules are meant to be broken, of course. But it's only creative genius if you're breaking the rules intentionally. Otherwise, it's wreaking havoc.

Trying to write creative, colorful copy without a basic understanding of the fundamental building blocks of the English language is like auditioning on American Idol when your only singing experience is in the shower or for your mom. You might think it sounds good...

Respect the rules, but experiment.

Two Questions for Others

Where do you stand on commas before "and" in a list? I had a client early in my career who insisted on using one, so I adopted that practice for her and hung on to it by habit. Since that time, I've had another client who prefers no comma before "and." I have two rules of thumb: 1) whatever you choose to do, be consistent, and b) if you're writing for a client and he or she has a strong preference, adopt it and be consistent.

I proofed this post as best as I could, but if I made any typos, misplaced commas, etc. please let me know so that I can improve. Thanks!!