Category Archives: Social Media

Writers Guild tells writers not to write for free

Screenwriting business process explained at Vancouver Film School

Screenwriting business process explained at Vancouver Film School

The Writers Guild of America West has launched a campaign suggesting to writers that they do not write for free. Aimed primarily at screenwriters, the campaign, which uses the hashtags #NoWritingLeftBehind and #NoFreeWork, focuses on so-called “pre-writing” such as film treatments and outlines that are requested by producers without any promise to the writer of being hired or paid. However, the suggestion is a good one for any writer who has gotten past the beginner stage of creating a set of clips. It’s important for writers to stand up for their rights and to advocate for the value they add. Plus, more income lets those writers hire great editors!

Photo by Vancouver Film School, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/2lXfug

Actor James Woods’ defamation lawsuit vs. anonymous Twitter user advances in court

A defamation lawsuit by actor James Woods could have implications for users of Twitter, Facebook and other social media. As these court filings indicate, in July 2015, Woods was engaged in a war of words on Twitter with anonymous user “Abe List,” when the latter tweeted: “cocaine addict James Woods still sniffing and spouting.” Woods sued the anonymous “John Doe” user in Los Angeles County Superior Court for defamation and invasion of privacy, and has asked for $10 million in damages.

Using periods when texting now seen as jerky

Smiley frog texting

Smiley frog texting

A new study undertaken at Binghamton University in New York suggests that using periods at the end of text messages isn’t only unnecessary, it’s insincere, unfriendly and even heartless. We’ve known for some time that texting doesn’t require proper punctuation or spelling if the meaning is clear. Who wants to type out “talk to you later” or so many other phrases when “TTYL” and the myriad of other texting acronyms will do? But a period as a sign of aggression? That’s something new. Perhaps the period typist is seen as giving his or her texting partner short shrift, even though that’s unlikely the intent in most cases.

Interestingly, exclamation points were not given the same stigma as periods in a follow-up to the study. On the contrary, they were viewed as being quite helpful. Maybe that’s because, in a text-only environment, it is otherwise difficult to convey emotion, which is of course why emoticons are so popular.

It’s clear that texting is a language unto itself. But we shouldn’t mistake the loose convenience of texting for acceptable writing in other media. Articles, blog posts, business presentations, organization and outreach communications, academic papers, legal and official submissions, job applications and many other writings still need to be correct if you want to make the best impression and achieve your desired result. That’s where sharp editors and communications consultants come in. Contact us if you need to hire one!

Photo by Kevin Dooley, used under Creative Commons license. http://is.gd/h0mtnf

 

 

“Watch what you write online” is still good advice

Ever since the advent of the Internet and email, experts and other folks with common sense have warned us to be careful about what we write online. Every time a new form of electronic communication or social networking comes along (Facebook, Twitter, texting via smartphone, etc.), we are reminded of this sage advice. The latest case in point involves veteran CNN correspondent Jim Clancy, who just lost his job because of some things he posted on Twitter.

Texting as a second language

Here’s an interesting TED talk from linguist John McWhorter, who maintains that texting, far from being the English language killer that some say, is really a second language. McWhorter says that texting is more like actual speech transcribed than some attempt to bastardize written English. According to McWhorter, young people benefit from texting because it makes them bilingual. This could be a key point to remember for marketers and others who constantly try to determine what that all-important youth demographic is thinking.

Blogger Beware

A federal judge in Oregon recently ruled that a blogger is not a journalist or member of the “media”, and ordered the blogger to pay $ 2.5 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit. This is potentially a chilling ruling for bloggers everywhere, including those who blog on behalf of companies or organizations.

In the case at hand, Montana-based blogger Crystal Cox criticized Oregon-based attorney Kevin Padrick on her blog, calling him corrupt, among other things. Padrick sued Cox for defamation. Cox defended herself, arguing that (a) she was acting as an investigative journalist when she wrote her blog posts; and (b) Padrick was a public figure. Cox was thus invoking the special First Amendment protections that members of the media have when writing or speaking about public figures. Under the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York Times v. Sullivan case, in a defamation lawsuit by a public figure against a member of the media, the accuser must prove that the journalist acted with “actual malice”, meaning knowledge that the statements are false or in reckless disregard of their truth or falsity. That is a very high standard that is rarely met (which is why you can read so much trash about celebrities in tabloid papers and websites).

However, the judge in this case didn’t buy Cox’s defense. He ruled that Cox did not demonstrate that she was a member of the “media” or a journalist. The judge also ruled that Padrick was not a “public figure” under the Sullivan legal standard. Accordingly, the judge applied a much lower standard, and found that Cox had defamed Padrick.

The judge’s view in this case struck some analysts as extremely antiquated. Indeed, if the law did not keep up with new media technologies, only those who write on cave walls and papyrus would be considered journalists. Nevertheless, other judges around the country could render similar rulings in future cases. Bloggers, including those who write on behalf of companies and organizations, will need to be extremely careful that what they write is both accurate and lawful. And if they need assistance in doing so, who better than an online writer/blogger who was trained as a communications lawyer to help them? That happens to be me.

To Use Social Media Successfully, Stop Being a Broadcaster

If you use Facebook and/or Twitter for business, the most annoying and unproductive thing you can do is to try to turn these social media into one-way advertising “broadcast” sites. It’s very tempting to get on there and say, “wow, I have a free channel of communication for my business! It’s like a giant direct mail list, so I’m just going to shout every great thing about my business a bunch of times every day!”

Bad idea. Social media users are already bombarded by advertising on television, radio, the Internet, roadside billboards, in magazines, etc. The last thing they want is to tune into your “all-infomercial channel” on Facebook or Twitter.

The whole point of social networking is that it’s supposed to be social, which requires conversation and two-way interaction. As new media marketer Jeff Korhan writes, even on a purely professional Facebook business page, “I make the effort to personalize that content – giving you a sense of who I am.”

Now, it’s understandable if you’re a bit shy about adding a personal touch to your social marketing for your business, or, more likely, you just don’t have time to engage in such conversations. If so, a writing professional who can pick up on your personality or your company’s tone, knows social media, and writes with style might be just the ticket for you.

Branding Yourself through Websites, Blogs, and Social Media

In an interview I gave to the RecruiterEsq.com website last November, I stated that “workers in numerous fields, including attorneys, need to think of themselves as entrepreneurs who, beneath it all, are selling themselves as a product or brand.”

As this post published a couple of weeks ago on The Attorney Marketing Center blog suggests, attorneys at law firms should go even one step further: “If permitted, you should have your own web site or blog, your own social media accounts, your own domain name, and your own email account (you@yourdomain.com).”  According to the post, “[y]our clients have a relationship with you, not your firm. Even if you are a partner, your brand is ‘you’ and ‘you’ is what you should be promoting.”

That is a very creative and useful piece of advice.  I agree that, to the extent permitted, professionals at organizations of all types should brand themselves to their clients and potential clients using all communications tools at their disposal, including websites, blogs, and social media.