Another great article from Daily Writing Tips that I just had to share.

As English evolves, word meanings shift and turn, sometimes reversing themselves altogether. These ten words have shifted their senses over the years. In some cases, we are wise to likewise be flexible; in others, we relax our vocabulary at the expense of useful distinctions:

1. Decimate

The literal meaning of this word, as all you lovers of Latin (not to be confused with Latin lovers) know all too well, is “to reduce by one-tenth,” supposedly from the punitive custom of selecting one out of ten captives by lot and killing those so selected. But the senses for this rhadamanthine Roman policy have proliferated, so that now it means “tithed,” “drastically reduced,” or “destroyed” as well.

2. Disinterested

Commonly employed to mean “not interested,” disinterested has a precise, useful meaning of “neutral, unbiased.”

3. Enormity

Some people would reserve this word to mean “monstrously wicked,” but, in truth,
it is properly invoked to refer to anything overwhelming or an unexpected event
of great magnitude, and thus it need not be invariably corrected to enormousness
except when it is clearly in reference to a loathsome occurrence.

Refrain, however, from diluting the word’s impact in such usage as “The enormity of the new stadium struck them as they approached the towering entrance.”

4. Fortuitous

This word means “occurring by chance,” but its resemblance to fortune has given it an adopted sense of “lucky.”

For meticulous adherence to the traditional meaning, use fortuitous only in the sense indicated in this sentence: “His arrival at that moment was fortuitous, because her note
had not specified the exact time of her departure.” Nothing in the context qualifies his arrival as fortunate; the sentence merely states that he arrived in time without knowing that he would do so.

The informal meaning is expressed here: “His fortuitous arrival at that very moment enabled him to intercept the incriminating letter.” In this sentence, the time of his appearance is identified as a lucky stroke.

5. Fulsome

This term originally meant “abundant, generous, full,” but that sense was rendered obsolete when the word acquired a negative connotation of “offensive, excessive, effusive.” Conservative descriptivists rail against the use of fulsome in a positive sense, but the cold, hard fact is that this sense has been increasingly resurgent for many years, and the adulatory meaning is now much more common than the condemnatory one.

If you wish to stand fast before the tsunami of inevitability, be my guest, but fulsome as an exquisite insult has been consigned to the dustbin of history. Some commentators recommend that because of the word’s ambiguity, it’s best to avoid its use altogether.
If you insist, make sure the context is clear.

6. Ironic

The impact of ironic has been diluted because many people use it to mean “coincidental,” when its traditional definition is “counter to expectations or what is appropriate.”

7. Literally

Some folks get exercised when this term is used in place of its antonym, figuratively. However, in a hyperbolic sense, that meaning is justified. Unfortunately, that sense is literally overused.

8. Notorious

This term is occasionally used in a neutral sense, but that’s not an error, but the word literally means “known.” However, its dominant connotation is that the fame is a result of infamy.

9. Peruse

This victim of definition reversal literally means “to use thoroughly,” and its first sense is that of careful steady or attentive reading. However, many writers (myself included) have employed it as a synonym for scan — enough writers, as a matter of fact, that its second sense is “to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner.”

Unfortunately, these mirror meanings mean that if you use the word, I advise you to support it with context that clarifies the intended sense.

10. Plethora

Plethora originally referred to an excess of something, but that usage is rare now, and more often the sense is simply of abundance. The medical meaning of swelling caused by an excess of blood is all but unknown.

I love these articles and hope my readers do as well. I love expanding my word knowledge and this is my favorite ezine for spelling and grammar and word usage information.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

I recently did two press releases for my client Ann Evanston, AKA The Warrior-Preneur. I was very excited to try my hand at doing these as I had, frankly, never done any before!

The first was announcing Ann’s being named one of the TOP six Marketing Consultants by about.com ! The second was the announcement that Social Networking Coaching Club is now offering Certification and Licensing for Coaches! Not only did I get to write these press releases, I also
get to manage Social Networking Coaching Club as one of my duties as Ann’s assistant.

Here are some of the tips I have picked up about copywriting and writing press releases:

Copywriting is a special technique that allows you to promote companies, individuals
or some special events. Copywriting is one of the most significant elements of advertising.
It should be considered the tool that helps your company promote itself.

Your returning clients already know the quality of the products and service that you provide and reliability of your business, however, most people will find or “discover” your site by the terms they put into search engine boxes.

How is copywriting performed? Whatever company you have and products and services
you provide, you should stick to several important rules. Despite the fact that copywriting has changed during the last decade due to the wide use of the internet, some fundamental rules still apply.

Copywriting might look simple but it should comprise several indispensable elements.

First, it must have an intriguing and appealing headline that induces your visitor to explore your text further. It must contain a subheading where main features of the heading are restated. The most important part of the copywriting copy is certainly the body. This reveals the major points of your text. It should be easy-to-read, logically structured and coherent.
It should contain a number of paragraphs that should restate the major idea of the content.

Ideal copywriting content should emphasize the advantages of the company, its uniqueness and clearly state why visitors should purchase at your company. One should remember that there are plenty of other companies and web sites that might sell identical products and services. In order to be successful you should stand out from the crowd.

This applies in offline and online copywriting. If the technique is performed professionally,
it leads to the increase of traffic on your web site. When writing the copy, remember that
one of the most important elements of the copywriting content is persuasion. One should persuade your visitors to take further actions and purchase some products or services at your company.

If the principles of persuasion, action, desire and motivation are applied in your copywriting copy, one can be sure that it will bring the results.

I hope this post has helped to plainly define what copywriting is and how it is applied.
I checked the pricing structures for press releases and other announcement tasks
and found they seemed to be prohibitive for the average business owner so have made my own Press Release Service at what I feel are excellent rates and also guarantee that they will satisfy the client and the job is not considered complete until the client is happy!

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?

For those considering outsourcing in their online businesses, the goal is to create a more profitable company while streamlining the owner’s work. Taking the time to avoid common outsourcing mistakes will make the process go more smoothly and avoid the feeling that you are spinning your wheels and getting nowhere. Or to quote Nicole Dean of OutsourceWeekly.com “You must plan your outsourcing wisely. Otherwise, you’re simply throwing money into the wind.”

As with any part of business, outsourcing has its good and bad points, however if you are aware of the potential problems before hand, you increase your chances of an enjoyable experience.

Here are 5 potential outsourcing mistakes every online business owner should be aware of in order to avoid making them.

1. Not Knowing Who You Are Dealing With

Most business owners who outsource will tell you the biggest benefit of doing so is the fact that their assistants work remotely. The number one problem when it comes to outsourcing, though, is not thoroughly checking out the contractor or company who will be performing the work. Keep in mind that sometimes this independence can work in the opposite direction if not taken seriously. Make it a point to carefully interview the people you are considering working with before assigning tasks or project to them. The person or company should be someone you can trust to represent your business.

2. Non-Communication between Owner & Assistant

Whether you are outsourcing tech support, writing, web design or something else, there is a great deal of effort needed in order to keep the lines of communication open. If you allow your workers to do work for you without communicating your goals and what it is that you need, you will find that your work might not be done as you’d hoped. Assistants are not mind-readers and do need guidance. Take some time to make sure that you and the people you outsource to understand your expectations. This is an important part of making sure that you get what you need.

3. Forgetting to Budget Wisely

In order for outsourcing to work properly, you’ll need to keep a good eye on what you are spending for the work being done. While some projects will require single payments to your assistant, others may involve recurring or retainer payments and you will more than likely have some type of contract or agreement that binds you. Some of your assistants may charge by the hour while others may invoice by project or expect payment based on a commission of some sort. Take the time to figure out how much money you can afford to spend on certain tasks and budget appropriately.

4. Under Utilizing Your Contractor & Their Resources

When you choose to outsource certain tasks, make certain you are using your assistants to their fullest capabilities and not just outsourcing for the sake of outsourcing or splitting up work between two assistants when it makes more sense to have one handle both jobs. Sometimes you can find freelancers who are willing to work on a recurring basis or who will complete larger projects at a reduced rate in order to get and keep your business. Don’t be afraid to ask potential contractors if they have room for more than just one or two jobs and don’t outsource something just to say that you’re on the outsourcing wagon.

5. Misunderstanding Your Role as the Outsourcer

As the one doing the outsourcing, you need to understand your role. In order for the relationship between business owner and assistant to flourish, you’ll want to keep the lines of communication not only open, but clear as well. Be detailed in what you expect from your help. Also keep in mind that you are probably not their only client and as much as you would love to have them all to yourself, that probably isn’t the case. Be respectful of their time and give feedback on their work. This will help them do a better job and respect your time in return.

Making yourself aware of possible problems that often occur in the outsourcing relationship now allows your business to grow by leaps and bounds. Don’t be afraid to start your outsourcing journey, especially now that you are better prepared to do so.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading
and transcription assignments along with research, blog posts, article submissions
and social media maintenance!

Why not Schedule a Project now?