There are good numbers and strong words from UMB this week. The good numbers are in the annual results: Revenue up 9.3%; Margins up 20.8% from 19.3%; More revenue from China than Europe; The strong words are from David Levin, chief executive since 2005, in The Daily Telegraph speaking before the results were out. Software Read More
Month: February 2012
Be logical
The order of the words really does mattter. Sounds obvious but it’s an easy one to get wrong. Take this photo and caption that appeared in The Guardian print version on February 25, 2012 (they did a better job online). The problem is the word “her”. Which woman is it referring to? Prior knowledge tells Read More
SoS from Murdoch
Advertising sellers and journalists are toiling away on the first edition of The Sun on Sunday in Wapping. The most important job is being done by the advertising sellers. They have to persuade the advertisers that this is not the News of the World Mark II. “It’s The Sun on Sunday (SoS)” they will have Read More
Deliver what you promise when you write
Getting the right message in your headline, your title or your subject line in an email is crucial. It’s where you grab the reader’s attention. But sometimes writers try so hard to get you to read that they shoot themselves in the foot. Anyone sending out an email newsletter these days is fighting against a Read More
Yell has a plan: is it enough?
Yell is a textbook case of the current times in publishing. Its poor results this week are a combination of risky acquisitions, mountains of debt and, yes, the flood of free information on the Internet. As long as yellow pages contained the only source of information for that plumber, that pizza joint and that dentist, Read More
Show, don’t tell, for more effective writing
You’ll get more impact if you “show” readers what you mean rather than “tell” or describe. Compare these two sentences: The young man was clearly extremely drunk. The boy lurched from side to side across the pavement, spilling beer from his pint glass with every step. The first one tells you; the second draws a Read More
Dacre proposes professionalising journalism
Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, has made a proposal which may, at last, turn journalism into a real profession. He told the Leveson inquiry this week that journalists should be accredited by a body of self regulation. Only those accredited journalists would be free to attend press conferences. Regulation through press cards This Read More
Use visual images for more effective writing
Look for visual images to give your writing more lasting impact. Visual images are everywhere this weekend in the UK. We’ve got “the grit in the oyster” otherwise known as Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat MP who stepped down as energy minister on Feb 3, 2012 after being charged with perverting the course of justice. Read More
UEL students to do PPA’s top certificate
A group of 17 students at the University of East London (UEL) will do the Professional Publishers’ Association (PPA) top journalism certificate this year. UEL is keen to boost the employment prospects of its graduates. The chosen students will be able to graduate this summer with both their degrees and the PPA’s Professional Certificate in Read More