What R U Reading and Do You Know Who Wrote It? Ghostwriters, Probably

A lot of titles and professions in the business world are misunderstood. Most of them, I would argue. That said, if you ever meet a copywriter with a big chip on his or her shoulder, I hope you'll cut him or her (OK, me) some slack.

Most copywriters can also be called "ghostwriters," and although neither is a particularly lofty title, in our information-laden world, writers of all ilks* deserve some extra... consideration, for starters. (More compensation, too - but I'll leave that topic for another day.)

This post appeared earlier this year on my blog about business writing.

What Do Copywriters Write? Everything

In the past six months or so, I've written about employment placement services, OSHA regulations,
e-parking apps, replacement windows, agricultural dust control products, hand-crafted jewelry
landscaping services and bulk mulch products, mobile pet grooming services, PeopleSoft implementations, escape room games, marketing automation, keratin hair straightening processes,
online accounting services, floral arrangements, appointment-setting software, lead paint remediation products, snow plowing and ice management techniques and a variety of medical conditions, surgeries and treatments, and reimbursement systems affecting both patients and providers.

Over approximately the same time period, my work has also appeared in three Forbes blogs, The Huffington Post, and a couple of other places I just can't mention.

I've written policies and procedural manuals for employees of companies where I've never been employed - and not just written, as in wrangled someone else's words, but written as in created and developed the policy (after discussions with several company principles or department head) and then written, for stakeholder approval. I have not written public policy but, many a hired-gun copywriter has. Sorry if that ruins your romantic notion about politicians and other public servants but hey, they're busy people. (Do you have any idea how much time it takes to raise enough money to run for office?)

My point? Information is a tricky thing. Regardless of the expert's name on an article or the name of the publication, it's quite possible the piece you're reading was written by a copywriter with a basic journalism degree in his (or her) back pocket, a fairly small balance in his (or her) bank account, and a whole lot of secrets.

Ghostwriters are not in the Fake News Business

This is absolutely not intended to be a jab at journalism, public relations, corporate information, business blogs or any other form of writing. Quite the contrary. Journalists are trained to research, investigate, interview and quickly disseminate information - real, helpful information. Not "just the facts," but the facts plus context.

As always, I highly recommend reading a lot, and thinking even more. And hey, tip your bartenders and copywriters. They're both generally undervalued in the professional world.
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*Like copywriters, ilk is a word that doesn't get a lot of respect.       In fact, many modern spell-check programs don't recognize it. (Merriam-Webster does.) I love how internet retailer Woot uses ilk in an ad for a bag that's definitely not elk.

As long as I'm rambling, I should point out that Woot is a company that appears to "get" copywriting and all that other mumbo-jumbo. Again, that's probably fodder for a whole different post. 

Fun with Words: Thanks, CJR and TSA

I'm a word-lover, so two articles from Columbia Journalism Review made me smile this week -

What do 'recombobulation' and 'binary' have in common? Well, at first you might think, not much, other than the fact that CJR recently wrote about both.

On further review, however, there may be a little more to the relationship. I've been discombobulated and I have to say, I believe it is a binary thing. Either you're combobulated or discombobulated. Based on personal experience (and a poor grasp of chemistry), I think it's something like being either solid or liquid. Frankly, I find it nearly impossible to be in both states at the same time.

Apparently, the Transportation Safety Administration now recognizes that collecting your carry-ons, shoes, and other assorted atoms and grouping them into a tighter bundle takes some time. And space. So there.

Recombobulation Takes Time. And Space. And Good Reporting. 

So, for shedding light on the under-appreciated word combobulation, I thank CJR (and TSA).

Now, back to binary. It seems a little odd that there can be so many meanings, don't you think? Does that mean two really isn't enough?

Think about it. And if you like words and wonderful writing (reporting, too) maybe consider supporting CJR.

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Speaking of words to love, remember sniglets? Since they appeared in the 1980s, they've been upgraded.