Waterstone’s said it is phasing out the apostrophe in its logo because it is no longer ‘practical’ in the age of the internet and email addresses.

The company makes a fair point – apostrophes don’t sit well with World Wide Web addresses and electronic communications.

But, as John Richards, chairman of the Apostrophe Protection Society, said: “It’s just plain wrong. It’s grammatically incorrect. If Sainsbury’s and McDonald’s can get it right, then why can’t Waterstone’s? You would really hope that a bookshop is the last place to be so slapdash with English.”

In response, James Daunt, who became managing director last year when the chain was sold to a Russian billionaire, said: “Waterstones without an apostrophe is, in a digital world of URLs and email addresses, a more versatile and practical spelling.”

Either way, Waterstone’s/Waterstones have managed a great piece of PR. Just by changing their name they’ve bagged headlines on, among others, Radio 4 and the in Daily Mail. Not bad going, when the story boils down to the removal of one apostrophe.

So, what do you think? Should it be Waterstone’s or Waterstones? Does it really matter in this modern age, where LOL now seems to have slipped into spoken English as well as texting?

If you run a business which cares about getting a professional image across through use of good, plain English then please get in touch with us at www.wordworker.co.uk for a no-obligation chat.

But now it also appears that poor spelling can cost you money in a more tangible way. An online entrepreneur claims that poor spelling is costing theUKmillions of pounds in lost revenue for internet businesses.

Charles Duncombe – who runs travel, mobile phone and clothing websites – says that poor spelling is a serious problem for the online economy and claims an analysis of website figures shows a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half.

He measured the revenue per visitor to the tightsplease.co.uk website and found that the revenue was twice as high after an error was corrected. “If you project this across the whole of internet retail, then millions of pounds worth of business is probably being lost each week due to simple spelling mistakes.”

Mr Duncombe added that when recruiting staff he has been shocked at the “poor quality of written English”, a concern echoed by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), whose head of education and skills warned that too many employers were having to invest in remedial literacy lessons for their staff.

“I know that industry bemoaning the education system is nothing new, but it is becoming more and more of a problem with more companies going online,” said Mr Duncombe. “This is because when you sell or communicate on the internet, 99% of the time it is done by the written word.”

At Word Worker we couldn’t agree more. Poor spelling, grammar and punctuation put people off; they give the impression of sloppiness and raise questions over a business’s professionalism and reliability. Moreover, in the context of internet shopping, consumers could also have concerns over fraud and confidentiality – after all, if you can’t get the spelling right, how can you be expected to pay close enough attention to these areas.

If you would like some advice or help with writing a website please get in touch with us at www.wordworker.co.uk. We are also happy to proofread your website, checking for grammar and spelling gaffes.

So, on that note, have a wonderful Christmas, a Happy New Year, and here’s to a well-spelt 2012.

Apparently, the live subtitles are delivered either via a stenographer, typing the words phonetically as they listen, or by speech recognition, where someone talks into a microphone while listening to a broadcast and a computer converts their words. Needless to say, it is the latter system which has been causing problems.

Here are some of my favourite errors:

• “The Conservative Party is in favour of attacks on houses” instead of “a tax on houses”.
• Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes said she would be “hanging up Perspex” instead of “her spikes”.
• “Millions of puppies” were sold for Remembrance Sunday
• The government was “making holes for surgeons” instead of “helpful decisions”.

All this has a serious point, of course; accuracy is essential if the listener, viewer – even consumer – is to get the proper meaning. Being clear and concise is also vital.

I expect viewers of these subtitles got the point, despite the errors. But why not check the copy you are putting out for your product or service, either in marketing material, websites, or internal communications. Are you being accurate? Are your staff being so? Or are you – as one subtitle did – referring to an Ed Miller Band instead of an Ed Milliband?

For help and guidance on accurate, concise and clear copy please get in touch via www.wordworker.co.uk

But sometimes things go wrong and your reputation, or that of your business, is in danger. This should also be a time when you turn to PR, and use its tools to avert disaster and get a better result for yourself and your business.

So, what do you do in a crisis? What if you have a journalist ringing you for comments about a bad news story? How to you handle the fall-out?

Each situation is different, and calls for a different response but one thing you should never do – never do nothing. If you bury your head in the sand, wish the reporters would go away, batten down the hatches or simply hope for the best, the best won’t happen. With nothing from you, journalists can put their own spin on a story; if you “refuse to comment” or are “unavailable for comment” people will invariably draw a bad conclusion.

But this doesn’t mean you have to “spill the beans” about everything that has happened. You just need to keep calm, take a breather, and analyse what the best thing is to say.

So, if something has happened and you think the press may find out, then be prepared for that eventuality.

For example, you could have an employee arrested on a criminal charge; you might have had to let someone go and you believe they may have an axe to grind and choose to do so through the media; a customer may have a problem (real or imagined) that they are likely to shout from the rooftops.

In this case, prepare for that call by doing the following:

1. Decide who is allowed to speak to the press (senior managers or directors usually) and inform all staff that any media calls must be referred to them.

2. Make sure the spokespeople are fully briefed.

3. Come up with an agreed statement which can be issued to any reporters and don’t stray beyond it. Keep it brief, factual and unemotional. If you aren’t sure what to say, then at least say you are “looking into the matter” or “taking the matter seriously”. “No comment” isn’t the best option.

You never know, the call may not come, but at least you were prepared.

In fact, whether you are likely to experience bad news or not, it is always a good idea to decide who is the company spokesperson, and instruct staff accordingly.

And if you aren’t expecting the proverbial to hit the fan, and a call from a newspaper comes out of the blue? Then buy some time. Ask them when their deadline is (you ought to at least have a few minutes, if not hours) and promise you will get back to them with a statement. Don’t speak off the cuff unless you are very confident.

Respect journalists’ deadlines, otherwise you will only aggravate them and – as far as possible – you need to try and keep them on side.

Then make sure you do go back to them with a prepared statement. Again, come up with something better than “no comment”. Remember, they have heard one side of the story and this is your opportunity to put yours, but only let them know what you want them to know. Don’t get into a slanging match with the other side: it may make good reading but won’t do your reputation any favours.

If you are happy to be fully interviewed then go ahead – but make sure you know all there is to know about what you are talking about and prepare yourself for tricky questions.

Should you go for off the record? Journalists should respect this, and sometimes – just sometimes – it can be helpful to give them a little background information (off the record and not for publication) which might just take the wind out of their story’s sails. Again, think carefully and rationally about this first before you jump in.

If you use the services of a PR professional, they can organise all this for you, even take the calls and deal with the press so freeing you up to take any necessary behind the scenes action.

In a nutshell, be prepared if you can, don’t be an ostrich and hope it will go away, make a plan, and come up with something.

If you’d like some help and advice on PR and handling a crisis, please visit www.wordworker.co.uk

Why do we dislike journalists? One reason must be that they are always portrayed in TV drama as a rowdy bunch who loiter outside people’s doors, sticking microphones and notebooks in people’s faces just when they are at their most vulnerable. Especially good at this television stereotype are Lewis and Midsomer Murders! In real the life the national paparazzi can be as unscrupulous as they are given credit for. And, if they can’t get a good story, then they make it up – right?

Well, that may be the public perception but, like them or loath them, you need journalists if you want to get your good news stories out there. And please try to discard the TV image of them. Your average reporter, particular in local, regional or trade media, simply doesn’t behave like that. If they did, they’d pretty soon cut off their ties with the community in which they work.

So whatever your private thoughts, you would do well to get a journalist on side if you want your good news story to be published.

Here’s how:

Firstly, find out the name of the right journalist to go to. If you represent a school with a story to tell, you want the education reporter; if you run a business then seek out the business editor; a doctor or medic? Try the health reporter.
Once you have their name, and hopefully their email and telephone number too, then make contact. Ask for a face-to-face meeting; offering to buy them a coffee (or even a pint!) can work wonders.

As in any area of life, if you take the time to build up a personal relationship with someone then it works to both your advantage and theirs. They are more likely to treat your story with respect; less likely to publish and be damned if they have met you. In turn, your chances of getting your good news story out there are increased.

If you keep up a regular dialogue, a journalist will use you as one of their contacts; you may get to be the expert they turn to when they need a quote for a story.

And remember, above all journalists are very busy filling their news columns or air time and are always on the hunt for good stories. If yours falls in their laps they will use it. So don’t keep your good story hidden.

To make things even easier, provide some photos to go with your story. Again, you increase your chances of getting published and your story and photo will take up more space then just a few lines of copy.

So, get out there, get mingling with the journos, and you might find that not only are they just regular people underneath it all but they can do you some pretty good turns too and give a boost to your PR campaign.
For more advice on getting into the media visit www.wordworker.co.uk

The CBI/EDI survey of 566 employers shows 42% are not satisfied with the basic use of English, while more than a third (35%) are concerned with the basic numeracy skills in this age group. To address the weaknesses in basic skills, almost half (44%) of employers have had to invest in remedial training for school and college leavers.

John Cridland, CBI Director-General, said: “It’s alarming that a significant number of employers have concerns about the basic skills of school and college leavers. Companies do not expect them to produce ‘job-ready’ young people, but having a solid foundation in basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy, is fundamental for work.

“These findings are echoed in the OECD PISA survey which shows that between 2000 and 2009 secondary school pupils in the UK fell in international rankings for reading, maths and science.”

It’s a worrying, if not surprising, statistic and evidence of the fact that the standards of education among school and college leavers truly have fallen. That their English is getting worse is not an urban myth.

And while it’s pleasing that 44% of employers have taken action and invested in some remedial training, it’s of concern that the remaining 56% have, presumably, shrugged it off.

The use of good English is as important now as it ever was, if not more so. In this busy marketplace, it’s not enough just to shout loudly. Businesses have to be clever and to mark themselves as a cut above their competition. One way to do this is through the use of good English in all their literature, be that emails, sales material, newsletters, or website copy.

There are people out there who are put off from buying if a website uses poor English. They may be offended by the bad grammar and spelling; they may simply not be able to understand or ‘get’ the message because the text isn’t clear.

Using good text, being clear and concise, and giving a strong call to action will go a long way in winning over potential customers.

If you’re concerned about your business copy – in particular your website – or would like some advice on use of good English please get in touch with Word Worker at www.wordworker.co.uk.

Either we suppose it’s very bad news for the glorious English language to be so limited in this way, or we applaud Capello – whose English isn’t brilliant, we know – for realising that when it comes to delivering a message less can be more.

I’ve sat in many a council meeting – parish, borough, and county – as a reporter taking notes. I quickly learned that after the first two or three councillors had spoken, there would be very little else of interest to note down. Each subsequent speaker tended to reiterate what had already been said and – unless they came up with a very good soundbite indeed – they rarely added anything new to the debate.

Less is definitely more when it comes to communication, both written and verbal, in business. To write, reiterate and go on at length usually puts the reader and listener off (unless you have the verbal dexterity of, for example, Stephen Fry – whose verbosity is highly entertaining.)

Writing good website copy, newsletters and press releases involves getting to the point quickly so the reader is in no doubt about the message.

So, in the interests of brevity, I’ll finish this blog – hopefully, point made.

For advice on copywriting please contact Word Worker at www.wordworker.co.uk

The study showed that in the first few years of education, pupils generally read “above what would be age appropriate” but by the time they reached the last two years of secondary school children read “well below what might be expected at this age”.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – that favourite with tots – is one of the most popular books among 14 to 16-year-olds. It shouldn’t be. Children of this age ought to be reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Wuthering Heights, but these two classics have slipped out of the most popular books for teenagers.

So now we know for certain that children read books below their reading age – if they read at all – what impact does that have on writing for websites?

The answer is, there’s a significant impact. There is no point – if there ever was – in writing reams of text, with big words and long sentences if it goes over the heads of the readers. Visitors to a website want to understand what they are being offered. If they don’t ‘get it’ instantly, they’ll go elsewhere.

As the reading ability of the nation’s children continues to decline, businesses need to respond with appropriately-pitched text. It’s a sad case but true, that our website audience has a low average reading age and text needs to reflect that.

If you would like any advice on writing for your website, please get in touch at www.wordworker.co.uk.

But the economic downturn and a huge drop in advertising revenue have taken their toll on the industry and, sadly, many journalists are now out of work. These busy newsrooms where I once worked are far emptier of people now.

The upshot of this is that, with pages still to be filled, the remaining hacks have to rely more heavily on submitted news – in other words press releases.

This situation has turned out to be the good fortune of the PR company. Every cloud has a silver lining.

So if you aren’t sending out press releases about your genuinely newsworthy stories then it really is something that you should think about.

Editorial is free and carries credibility. Advertising and advertorial doesn’t – and it costs.

And even if you do send out a press release and it falls on deaf ears (in other words, it’s not published) all is not lost. One press release has many applications. Just because it doesn’t make it to the pages of your local rag or trade press doesn’t mean the doors are closed.

Here we’re talking about online PR. Because out there on the World Wide Web are dozens, probably hundreds, of sites where you can publish your release for free. OK, they may not be widely read – let’s be honest, they may never be read at all – but they still have a function because:

• By adding in a link back to your website you’ve helped with search engine optimisation. Remember, Google reads everything.
• When people search for your company, not just your website comes up – so does your other online activity. If a quick search brings up your website, press releases, your LinkedIn and Facebook pages and your blogs think what a busy and active company you’ll appear to run
• You can still put the releases on your own website and, by including key words and phrases, you will again help with SEO

We hope this has convinced you to try your hand at a few press releases. Make sure they are newsworthy and you’re sure to succeed. Don’t forget to include a photograph.

For any more advice please get in touch.

Ever wondered why we have them? They’re not exactly like Easter or St Valentine’s Day, which have been around seemingly forever. What’s the purpose?

The answer’s simple: PR. On the whole, these awareness days, weeks and months are generated by organisations or charities hoping to promote their cause and, by launching an awareness event, they get the opportunity to do just that.

The media will give many of these events coverage. Take Farmhouse Breakfast Week (which took place at the end of January), the organisers will have been delighted because the scriptwriters of The Archers picked it up and it got several mentions as pub landlady Jolene opened up early to feed the great and the good of Ambridge.

There does seem to be something of a deluge of these, as more and more organisations jump on the awareness event bandwagon. But there is still scope for you to get a bit of PR yourself, if a relevant day is coming up.

Here’s how. If you’re a local business, charity or organisation, you can put a local spin on a national awareness event, which will make the whole thing more attractive to your local press.

Have a Google for relevant awareness events and then think about what local or regional spin you can add which will get you some publicity as well as the event itself.

If you provide a ready-made story to your local media they’ll be delighted, if you get some coverage for the awareness event in question the organisers will be delighted and, if you bag yourself some free editorial at the same time, you should be delighted too.

If you’d like any more advice on jumping on the bandwagon of national awareness events, to get some free PR visit www.wordworker.co.uk