Often enough, we use the word don’t and do not in our writing.  They’re real words, they convey clear meaning, I’ve got nothing against them.

Yet, often enough, your reader will skip over the “not” part, and think you’re saying “do.”  Here are some tips to help you say No and be sure your reader hears you.
Vocabulary choice
Replace don’t with a precise and unambiguous word. Here are just a few excellent candidates for the job of saying No: Avoid, ban, block, delete, exclude, forbid, hinder, obstruct, omit, prevent, prohibit, reject and stop.

Avoid submerging your toaster in water.   is clearer …

What is Online Ore?
Online Ore is a new feature here at the Gold Mine, and one that has us all fired up.  Each week, on Monday morning we’ll be featuring a new site or service to improve the life or productivity of business owners or their employees.

Online or not, each of these nuggets is a tool that can be used to find value, joy, or efficiency, either inside the workplace or out of it.

So far we have featured

• Mint, a personal finance management site.
• …
  Read More…

Throughout my recent series of postings, Build a Better E-Mail Message, I spelled e-mail with a hyphen.

While writing those three articles, my fingers kept typing email. I got so tired of having to go back to insert missing hyphens, I paused to research the correct spelling of e-mail. My usual resources confirmed e-hyphen-mail, so I conscientiously kept inserting hyphens.

However, since …

E-mail service providers are companies like Constant Contact and Vertical Response that track and manage legitimate bulk e-mailing.

So what do e-mail service providers have to offer?
Improved Deliverability
The best e-mail service providers maintain their own anti-spam protections so that they can pass the high quality e-mail reputation along to their customers.  Because emails made through an ESP call upon its email reputation (and not your own), by using an ESP you will be able to move mass mailings past most ISP level spam filters even when you are using a brand new account.

Moreover, …

First, let me tell you that I, as a writer, help businesses with their e-mail marketing.

Now, let me tell you how I, as a business owner, handle my e-mail marketing:  I turn to The Blue Penguin and to Constant Contact. The former helps me figure out what to say, and the latter helps me deliver the message.
Blue Penguin helps me focus on the message
I found Blue Penguin Development serendipitously (Internet surfing pays off!) and immediately subscribed to Michael Katz’s bi-monthly “E-Newsletter On E-Newsletters.” Sign up for this newsletter if you want success with your newsletter. No issue disappoints.

Michael …

Branding is a way to build a strong “persona” for your business that distinguishes it from that of your competitors.  It establishes and reinforces your presence in the market.

And if your business is like most others, your e-mails are an abundant source of communication and present a great opportunity to build your brand.
Branded E-mails Show Pride In Your Work

By applying your company brand to your business correspondence you show that you are backing your words with your company’s reputation.

Branded E-mails Are Distinctive

One unmarked white sheet of paper looks very much like another.  So too do e-mails …

D
Do the work so your reader doesn’t have to.
If your recipient has to work to understand your e-mail, the results could be:

• If she is your employee, she’ll read the whole thing and try to understand. She might think she understands. What if she’s wrong?
• If she is a customer, she might just stop reading. You and your product aren’t the only fish in the sea.

So the consequences, if you don’t put in a bit of work crafting your e-mail message, can be (a) work done wrong, which means work that needs to be done over or (b) …

Even in an online world increasingly influenced by social networking sites e-mail continues to play an integral part in marketing and promotion.

Like social networks, e-mail allows you to speak simultaneously and directly to clients, vendors, fans, or any other interested online parties, and unlike most social network presences, you get to define the avenue for direct feedback.

As with any marketing you want to generate interest in your company, strengthen your brand identity, and increase sales.  In addition, e-mail communications, especially bulk e-mail communications are frequently viewed as invasive, so it is important that recipients want you to stay in touch …

In Part Two of my series on writing clear e-mail messages, we’ll consider good word choice.

I’m obsessed with words, I know. I’ve got Merriam-Webster’s homepage not just bookmarked, but on my bookmarks toolbar.  Most of you are more relaxed than that, but using the right word correctly matters if you want your e-mails and other business writing to be (a) read all the way through and (b) understood.

So let’s look at a few words that confuse and how to use them correctly:

Literally and virtually are not superlatives

Virtually means nearly, almost, and for all practical purposes. …

Let’s look at ways to write e-mail messages that get results.

When you are sending information that you want your readers to act upon, and that’s the reason for most business e-mails, you want your readers to understand the message as you mean it to be understood.

First, always read your e-mail before you hit the Send button. Re-reading helps you correct typos and spot inaccuracies so that you’ll make at least a neutral impression rather than a bad one.

While re-reading your e-mail, consciously look for words that you can delete. Deleting unnecessary words gives your message the simplicity that …