James Doan - Just Minding My Own Business

Garrett Moon, CEO of CoSchedule, says correcting typos is a massive waste of time. Complaints about misspellings derive from "ego-driven posturing," he says. He adds, "Typos and grammar mistakes are actually chances to humanize your brand." Research does not support Moon's attitude.   University of Michigan linguists Julie Boland and Robin Green conducted a study. They asked respondents to rate how desirable someone would be as a housemate. Applicants who sent emails with typos or grammar mistakes received a lower rating.  

With all the free information online, you would wonder why would people pay for similar content. This worry keeps many people from turning their expertise into products. Then I ran across an article by Katherine Martino on Treehugger.com. She explained why she prefers getting recipes from hardcover or paperback cookbooks. First, the recipes in physical cookbooks have been much better tested than most freebies online. “Ingredients are expensive and time is precious, so I cannot waste either on a non-trustworthy source,” she says.

The business book “Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins” by Annette Simmons got me wondering. While it sounds good, is that true? A class on freelance writing I attended came to mind. One night, several recent college graduates left scathing evaluations. They hated the anecdotes that middle-aged adults loved. They wanted nothing but practical to-do’s.

Executive coaches try to help clients develop “gravitas.” This allows others to perceive you as exhibiting competence and importance. The concept includes dignity, maturity and grace under fire. Someone with gravitas can inspire instant respect. I got thinking about ways to show gravitas apart from face-to-face situations. Your character, attitudes, and manner have a lot to do with people taking you seriously.

Let's talk about language, shall we? It's funny how a few words strung together can make or break our day. I mean, we've all been there - receiving an email that promises the world, only to open it and find out it's just another marketing ploy. Take this recent email I got from Kobo, for example. The subject line read "New Kobo releases, just for you," and inside it said, "Picked just for you. We think you'll love these reads." Now, as a long-time Kobo member, I was excited to see what they had in store for me. But as I scrolled through the book selections, I couldn't help but wonder, "What gives? These books have nothing to do with my reading history."