15 October 2008

Don't Let This Happen To You


It seems everywhere I look I see spelling, punctuation and grammatical bloopers. Because it's my business, I am especially attuned, but you must see examples of this as well. Whether it's print advertising, billboards, Web sites or other marketing venues, I always wonder how the boo-boos made it through what should be an arduous process of checking and double-checking for errors.

We all make mistakes, but do your best to prevent embarrassing oversights by having an effective, preventive system in place. At the minimum, perform a spell check using your computer software AND have one other person review the copy before releasing your materials to the world.

Here are some examples that make my point:
  1. A huge, professionally-painted sign on the side of an old warehouse: "House's Wanted."
  2. A real estate ad describing the benefits of a remote mountain cabin: "Escape the hussel and bussel of the city."
  3. An advertisement for typing/editing services (I did not make up this! How could I?): "I am a very good typist, and have some time on my hands. If you need papers typed or edited for content or grammaracle errors, Give me a call!"
I won't be calling. Will you?


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