• Intro
  
• Article - How to write engaging headlines by Judy Vorfeld
  
• The Office Corner
  
• Grammar Question of the Month - Age Terms
  
• Tech Tips by Terence Kierans - Excel: Add A Watermark To Your Printed Pages
                             Word: Crop Your Images to Get Rid of Unwanted Backgrounds
  
• Tech Corner
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Word of the Month - Alliteration
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner
  

* If I were to recommend one thing to people starting an online business, it would be to research business plans and come up with something that will see them through the coming years. Initial research is vital to building a strong foundation for a business.

* Do you have any subjects you want covered in future issues? Send me an email.

Want to know how to write engaging headlines? A lot depends on the audience. Here's a sample of what I've seen in The Arizona Republic recently. My comments are in parenthesis.

  1. Twang with a bang
      Glendale gig highlights marriage of rock and country

  2. Nun but the brave
      Never underestimate the appeal of a nun who's not afraid to administer a little
      discipline (stage show)

  3. The Sooner the better: "Oklahoma" at Gammage
      (Oklahoma Sooners: get it?)

  4. Beach pollution a bummer

  5. Historical stable burned, pig is singed at Pioneer
      (Do most people know what "singe" means? I vote for pig escapes barbeque.)

  6. Woman dies after colliding with car
      (I had to dig into the article to discover that it was a two-car collision.)

  7. Timely hits brighten D-Backs' foul mood

  8. The great Wal of retail

  9. Companies hop on brand wagon

10. S. Mountain perk Article featuring several hikes people can take at South
      Mountain Park.

If you're writing headlines or headings for a business, you'll probably avoid being cutesy. But cutesy might work well for headings in an informal ezine or newsletter. In any event, aim for bright, attention-grabbing headings. The URLs below offer awesome tips and lists to help you write tightly and brightly.

Writing Effective and Eye Catching Headlines
http://tutorials.beginners.co.uk/read/id/28

Writing Headlines
http://www.internet-hosting-report.com/headlines.php

Writing Headlines People Will Read
http://www.webreference.com/content/writing/headlines.html

Action Verbs
http://www.quintcareers.com/action_alpha.html

1. TEN GREAT WAYS TO START A LETTER: Ivan Levison
http://www.levison.com/december_2002.html

2. A SHORT, JAUNDICED HISTORY OF DESKTOP PUBLISHING: Remember calculating column-inches? Remember sending copy to the typesetter? Remember wax? In any event, a terrific article by Bill Blinn.
http://www.blinn.com/news/2004-07.pdf

3. THE 21ST CENTURY ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL: Over 4.1 million secretaries/administrative assistants are employed in the United States, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Approximately 300,000 secretaries/administrative professionals are employed in Canada; millions more work in businesses all over the world.
http://www.iaap-hq.org/ResearchTrends/21centuryadmin.htm

Q. In prose or poetry is it improper to use the expression: "thirteen year-old child?" I was told I had to write it like this: "13-year-old child."

A. Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, University of Chicago Press, (7.90) says:

"Age terms: a three-year-old, a five-year-old child, a fifty-five-year-old woman." I recommend this as a guideline for prose or poetry.

A Writer's Reference, Fourth Edition, Diana Hacker(Bedford/St. Martin's) says (S5-a) that in technical and some business writing, figures are preferred even when spellings would be brief, but usage varies.

The Gregg Reference Manual, Ninth Edition (2001) (433-434) says to express ages in figures, including 1-10 when they're used as significant statistics or as technical measurements. Gregg says to spell out ages in nontechnical references and in formal writing.

EXCEL - ADD A WATERMARK TO YOUR PRINTED PAGES

Would you like to print a watermark graphic behind the data in your Excel printouts? To emphasise the private nature of a document, you can print the company's name or a phrase like "Confidential" in the background. Using WordArt makes it easy.

1. Go to "View /Toolbars" and select "Drawing".

2. Click the "Insert WordArt" button on the Drawing toolbar. Select the first style option and click "OK".

3. Type the word or phrase you want to use as your watermark, select the appropriate font and size, and click "OK".

4. Right-click the WordArt image and select "Format WordArt".

5. On the "Colors and Lines" tab, in the "Fill" section select a light grey from the "Color" box and set the "Transparency" to "25%".

6. In the "Line" section select "No Line": when you've finished formatting the text click "OK".

7. Rotate the WordArt object to set the angle for your watermark as needed.

WORD - CROP YOUR IMAGES TO GET RID OF UNWANTED BACKGROUNDS

Sometimes, when you insert a picture into a Word document, you discover that the image has too much background. Word makes it easy for you to trim the edges of an image, so you can zoom in on the subject of the picture.

Go to "View/Toolbars" and select "Picture". Select the image you want to crop. When you do, the "Crop" tool will become active in the "Picture" toolbar. (It's the one that looks a bit like two Vs on top of each other.)

Click the "Crop" tool and position the cursor over one of the handles on the image. Click and drag toward the middle of the picture to start cropping the image. Word will tighten up the border on that side, reducing the overall size of the image without distorting it.

A tip:
Crop from the corners first, then the sides. If you decide to undo the cropping, click the "Crop" tool and drag away from the middle of the picture. If you drag one of the handles of a cropped picture, the image will be distorted.

Terence Kierans
Cyberspace Virtual Services
tkierans@virtualservices.com.au
http://www.virtualservices.com.au/
We keep your project on the boil, while you sleep

1. VIDEO PRODUCTION TECH TIPS:
http://www.concord.org/resources/video/

2. ADJUSTING THE VIEW ON YOUR MONITOR:
http://www.vnunet.com/features/1155432

3. MAKING YOUR DESKTOP A POWERFUL TOOL:
http://www.volunteertoday.com/ARCHIVES%202004/April04techtips.html

1. PITCHING TIPS...AND I DON'T MEAN BASEBALL: article by Lois Carter Fay.
http://www.marketingideashop.com/PRPitchingTips.htm

2. THE SELF PUBLISHERS CLUB
http://www.selfpublishersclub.com/

3. TRAFFORD PUBLISHING'S PAGE FOR JOURNALISTS
http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/journalists.html?158211413-2469aaa

Main Entry: al·lit·er·a·tion
Pronunciation: &-"li-t&-'rA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: ad- + Latin littera letter
: the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (as wild and woolly, threatening throngs) -- called also head rhyme, initial rhyme

*By permission. From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary at www.m-w.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

1. COUNT US IN: Collection of fifteen number games from the Australian Broadcasting Company is for counting beginners. All the games are available for free download, so they can be played offline on either a Mac or Windows computer. Thanks, Barbara Feldman.
http://www.abc.net.au/countusin/

2. STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS: From advertising to zeroing in on your first customers, the A-to-Z list of essential start-up steps includes everything you need to do to get your business off the ground.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,311164,00.html

3. eHEALTHINSURANCE.COM: Compares close to 4,000 Health Insurance plans and HMOs from about 125 providers.
http://www.speedanywhere.com/heinan2.html

I enjoy Martha Retallick's postcards (www.passionatepostcarder.com). Each time I receive one, I realize I'm procrastinating in sending out a card to clients and colleagues. This will change. My brother and I, with identical cameras in hand, have been trekking around the Valley, and coming up with some delightful photos. Our grandchildren like them.

Thanks to the long-time encouragement of Serenata (www.serenata.nu), I'm using PaintShopPro to edit, enhance, and create artistic effects. Pink camels? Purple zebras? You'd be surprised.

I also enjoy the wonderful Will and Mari Bontrager collection of recipes (http://anywherebutinthekitchen.com/collections/index.shtml). I receive them by email, and the results are excellent. How I love the delicious cookie/energy bar made with Splenda, whole wheat flour, and rolled oats. And peanut butter.

And now, back to my pink camels and purple zebras!

ARCHIVES FOR ALL COMMUNICATION EXPRESSWAY ISSUES
http://www.ossweb.com/ezine-archive-index.html

Questions, comments, recommendations?
Contact Judy Vorfeld at judyvorfeld@ossweb.com

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