For a communications agency like Brilliant Ink, collaboration is key. But because we are a virtual team, with colleagues dispersed across the country, we often rely on technology to help us stay connected. Here are a few of our favorite tools, and best of all, they’re all free or relatively inexpensive:
Instant messaging – Our team uses Yahoo! Messenger to have online discussions about a particular challenge we’re facing, to share links and to just check in throughout the day.
Project management – For online project management, collaboration and file sharing, we use Basecamp. It’s a powerful and reasonably priced tool that allows us to set up project timelines, assign key milestones, ...
Read more »
“This is nothing less than astounding. The FDA is seeking input on social media and pharma.” – Mark Senak, Eye on FDA blog
Yes, today’s quote for the day may be a bit over-dramatic. But for anyone who works in or with the pharmaceutical industry, this is BIG news. Earlier this week, the FDA announced that it will host a public hearing to examine the issue of drug promotion via the Internet and social media.
As discussed in an earlier post on the Brilliant Blog, the pharma industry has been reluctant to dive into the world of social media. That’s because there’s been a lack of clear guidance from the ... Read more »
This month marks Brilliant Ink’s one-year anniversary. To celebrate our first birthday, we’re taking a look back at our top 10 favorite Brilliant Blog posts from the past year.
When did tactical become a dirty word? The very first post on the Brilliant Blog takes back the word “tactical.”
Trend spotting for 2009 This post from January looks ahead at some key trends for 2009. So far, it’s right on track!
Fun and games for work! A collection of writing-related quizzes provides a nice but useful break from the daily grind.
Corporate speak is punishable by death, Parts 1, 2 and 3 There are so many over-used clichés we’d love to ban from all ...
Read more »
| Date: September 23, 2009 | Author: Liz Kelly | Category: For Fun |
It’s been a long week here at Brilliant Ink so to celebrate the fact that it’s almost over, we thought it was time to bring back Favorite Words Friday. Without further ado, here are our latest and greatest favorite words:
Annexation – the act of attaching, especially in terms of a territory
Morass – a tract of low, soft, wet ground, or a confusing or troublesome situation
Efficacious – capable of having the desired effect
Hiatus – a gap or break
Dictatorial – arrogantly overbearing, befitting a dictator
Tell us your favorite words in the Comments section below and we’ll feature them in a future post.
Have a great weekend!
@annmelinger
Read more »
| Date: September 18, 2009 | Author: Ann Melinger | Category: Our Favorites |
The average American watches 3 hours of online video per month – up nearly 50% from a year ago.
How many hours of online video have you watched in the past month? One? Two? Five?
Online video consumption has skyrocketed. According to Nielsen, the average American watches 3 hours of online video per month – up nearly 50% from a year ago. There’s hardly a show on T.V. that isn’t accompanied by online “webisodes.” Nearly every large brand has some sort of online video promotion. New research shows that by 2017, monthly consumption of online video will be measured in exabytes (that’s a billion gigabytes, for those keeping track). And perhaps most interesting is the fact that one-third of people who watch a video online share it with friends, family ... Read more »
“The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.” – Barack Obama, September ... Read more »
“I’m so sorry to hear about your mother passing away. LOL. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Can you imagine receiving that text message from a misinformed but well-intentioned friend? Unfortunately, this person thought “LOL” meant “lots of love,” when in fact, the popular texting abbreviation stands for “laughing out loud.”
This sad-but-true tale was included in a recent Wall Street Journal article touting the importance of understanding texting lingo. As the article points out, even if you’re not a Gen-Y speed-texter, it’s important to know the basics. After all, if the Merriam Webster dictionary and the AP Stylebook both include definitions of the most popular text abbreviations (IMO, ... Read more »
Since we’re heading into a holiday weekend, I figured I’d stick to a lighter topic for today. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen me tweet about this site a few times before. It is most definitely one of my favorite things on the web…
The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks is a simple yet highly entertaining site that documents blatant misuse of quotation marks. I’ll admit, I’m a word nerd, so these things always give me a chuckle. But trust me, take a look at this site when you need a bit of comic relief from your latest editing project — I especially love the commentary that accompanies each ... Read more »
Unlike fiction writing, business writing demands clarity, simplicity and brevity.
Here at Brilliant Ink, we’re often asked to develop executive communications – memos, company-wide emails, blog posts and the like. Frequently, executives prefer to develop initial drafts themselves and we’re brought in to edit and refine, which usually suits us just fine.
But every now and then, we encounter the executive who’s harboring secret fantasies of being a writer. Perhaps you know an executive like this – someone with great ideas and solid business acumen, but who’s also prone to flowery prose, cringe-inducing adjectives and rambling drafts that take way too long to get to ... Read more »
