ComHacker.org

by Patricia Mayo

Maybe being lazy is a good idea, according to - you guessed it (well maybe you didn’t) - Seth Godin. He calls it “keeping copy out of the way of your message“… but I know better.

Photo by Paul Mata

This isn’t the first I’ve heard of the concept. A lot of great and well-renowned books on copywriting say pretty much the same thing. Some of my favorite quotes by famous authors say pretty much the same thing.

Get to the point. Quickly.

But, you see, I have a little problem with broad stroke “solutions.”

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Trisha, @mayobrains on Twitter

by Patricia Mayo

Did you notice something strange in the last few entries? There’s columns and microposts and strange pictures - oh my!

Photo by Bart

Over the last couple days I have broken my blog more times than I can count - all in the name of improving my writing style. Of course, it helps that it all looks neat and fancy too.

Really I’m just trying to forcibly train myself. Some people write long paragraphs - I write long sentences. Sure it may not seem like a bad habit. However, I believe if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.

by Patricia Mayo

Ever wish you had the time to do X, Y, and Z… and Z-1, Z-2, and Z-300? At any given time, you have a zillion ideas and not a second to spare for you to actually put them to action.

Don’t let all those great ideas go to waste anymore - get yourself a virtual clone!

Photo by Andrew Walsh

I don’t know exactly why 500+ people follow me on Twitter (thank you!), but whenever I talk about my virtual assistant, anywhere between 10 and 25 people chime in all at once.

“What does your virtual assistant do for you?”
More than you think a virtual assistant could do - it’s only limited by your imagination!

“How much does it cost to keep a virtual assistant?”
Per month - less than you earn in one working day. Not kidding!

“How can I impart my knowledge so a virtual assistant can help -me-?”
That… is just a bit more complicated.

Working with a virtual assistant really is simpler and easier than most people want to make it. The key to having great cheap help is, quite simply, superb communication and the right tools.

by Patricia Mayo

“Just say it.”

Yesterday Seth Godin noted two statements he found annoyingly over-used in his own writing - “just” and “sort of.”

While I applaud him for his self-analysis (honestly I think that’s how The Man is still likable and hasn’t let the fame get to his head) - ridding of commonly used phrases in your writing just willy-nilly can be hazardous to your readership.