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Author Archives Tom Chandler

I’ve written copy for 22+ years. And learned a good copywriter delivers more than vowels, consonants and punctuation.

I’m Tom Chandler. And welcome to the Underground - an exploration of copywriting beyond the words.

Corporations Still Struggling With Corporatespeak In Blogs

Business blogs aren’t exactly booming — at least according to Ken Magill in a Direct Magazine post, where he cites a Forrester report documenting rapid decline in business blog growth:
Business-to-business blogging took a nosedive this year, mainly because returns on corporate blogs haven’t matched investment, according to a recent report by Forrester Research.
…the number of [...]

Posted 12 July 2008 § Copywriting § Engagement Marketing ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

Writers Rejoice: It’s E.B. White’s Birthday

The Writer’s Almanac tells us today is E.B. White’s birthday - an event worth a little celebration among the prose manufacturing set.
After all, White edited (and improved) Strunk’s Elements of Style, a book I still pull from the shelf and leaf through when writing seems like hard work.
I fly fish often, and I’m willing to [...]

Posted 11 July 2008 § Copywriting § Writer tools § Writing ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , , ,

Google Keyword Research Tool Now Displays Search Volume

Maybe it doesn’t quite eclipse the presidential race in the news cycle, but I learned (via Dave Alston) that Google’s External Keyword tool now offers keyword search volumes.

This handy little addition allows you to do simple keyword research, though serious researchers will continue to use services like Wordtracker.
Still, “Free” has a certain pleasing quality all [...]

Posted 10 July 2008 § Copywriting § Writer tools ‡ Comments (3) ° Tagged: , , ,

Yet Another Argument in Favor of Writers Blogging

Courtesy the inspiring Writer’s Almanac, served daily by Garrison Keillor and American Public Media:
Larry Brown said, “There’s no such thing as a born writer. It’s a skill you’ve got to learn, just like learning how to be a bricklayer or a carpenter.”
You become a better writer by reading great writers, and putting a lot of [...]

Posted 09 July 2008 § Copywriting § Writing ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: ,

The Ubuntu Project #3: An Update From the Road

I’m on a two-week fly fishing trip in Montana, and in the Interest of seeing Ubuntu Linux perform on the road, I brought my work laptop with me.
Not many posts? I’ve been spending my time here.
The results have been instructive, if not always thrilling.
First, let’s talk wi-fi access.
While Ubuntu glommed onto my home wi-fi [...]

Posted 05 July 2008 § Blogging § Writer tools ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: , , , , , ,

The Ubuntu Project Post#2: The Copywriter’s Software Dilemma

I’m a week into my Linux test flight, and Ubuntu is working largely as advertised.
It seems its reputation as a hard-to-use/hard to install OS is outdated – at least for Ubuntu. (For an amusing look at Bill Gates’ take on Windows XP usability, go here).

Over the last few days, I created and shipped a pair [...]

Posted 26 June 2008 § Writer tools ‡ Comments (16) ° Tagged: , , ,

The Ubuntu Project: Is Linux Right For Word Workers?

My six year-old HP laptop has never failed me. But lately, it has been making me wait.
It’s running Windows XP, and even after a clean install – once its 512K MB of RAM was burdened with service packs, security updates, anti-viral software and a modern browser - it becomes the Little Laptop That Can’t.
At least [...]

Posted 22 June 2008 § Writer tools ‡ Comments (42) ° Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Create Word Clouds From Your Favorite Text at Wordle

As Web 2.0 fanatics, we’re always searching for our next online time waster, and Wordle might be one of the best.
You cut and paste text into the box, and it generates a “word cloud” based on word usage (often-used words are shown bigger).

This next is the Wordle of my most-read post — my Value-Added Copywriter [...]

Posted 17 June 2008 § Underground Entertainment § Writer tools ‡ Comments (6) ° Tagged: ,

For $10/Hour, You Should Write “Perfect” Copy, and Lots Of It

While they’re only paying $10/hour, this MediaBistro ad tells us Mahalo’s looking for writers who:
Candidates must be excellent writers capable of writing perfect copy at a fast pace. Familiarity with online research, journalism, and wiki markup language are all definite pluses.
It’s always heartwarming to see an American tech company attempting to pay offshore prices for [...]

Posted 12 June 2008 § Business of Freelancing § Copywriting § Writing ‡ Comments (16) ° Tagged: , , ,

Learn the Success Secret of the World’s Greatest Chessplayer: Making Fantasy Pay

Garry Kasparov is the greatest chess player the world’s ever known. While few of us can replicate his impressive mental powers, we can leverage the methods he used to achieve the chess world’s highest ever rating.

His secret?
He played the game backwards.
A Strategy For Success
Most chess players view a game’s current position as a starting point, [...]

Posted 10 June 2008 § Business of Freelancing ‡ Comments (12) ° Tagged: , , , ,