Your word is your brand

As technology advances, new forms of communication etiquette emerge. Such is the case with e-mail. Who was it that officially decided that WRITING IN ALL CAPS WAS CONSIDERED YELLING IN CYBERSPACE? I don't know, but now that's an accepted rule.

During the past decade or so, email "Do's and Don'ts" have evolved and will probably continue to do so. One of the classes offered at Workplace ESL Solutions is Business Writing, where you'll learn how to write concisely and professionally. Every word that leaves your mouth or your pen reveals a little bit about you and creates your brand, whether for good or for bad. It's important to know how to do it well...in any language!

To help get you started, below is a list of some helpful tips to improve your email writing:

DO'S:
* Write a clear subject in the subject line
* Divvy up a long email with several topics into separate short emails that address one topic
* Press the send button after doing a quick edit and spell check
* Keep sentences short
* Don't use text abbreviations in emails
* Keep paragraphs short
* Use white space between paragraphs
* Respond quickly to an email you receive

DON'Ts:
* Write in all caps
* Reply to "all" without paying attention to who is going to read it
* Forward inappropriate jokes at work
* Write long, long emails so the reader has to scroll
* Use "urgent" or "important" on every email you write

Happy emailing!

I've Already Blogged About Hotdogs and Shower Filters...now what?

                                                                 By Trina Boice
                                                          http://www.boicebox.com/

So, you've joined the ranks of bloggers on the Internet!  Great!   You quickly wrote about everything you were passionate about and now you're starting to draw a blank, eh? 

Some days the ideas and words flow quite easily, but then there are the days when you just can't think of anything original or worthwhile to say.  Don't force it.  The most important thing about blogging is to be authentic.

Sometimes you just need a little inspiration to get you started.  I recently discovered a cool tool that does just that.

Brian Proctor, the son of Bob Proctor (The Secret) was interested in receiving inspirational quotes and stories that would set the tone for each day. He created a free auto-sending email service (before it was common to do so) with an inspirational quote Monday through Thursday and a story on Fridays.

When you sign up for his free emails you'll receive plenty of inspiring ideas that can quickly get your own creative juices flowing. Enjoy!

To start receiving great blog ideas, click on this little box: