May 2011 is Anti-Auto-DM Month!

May 2011 Anti-Auto-DM Month

Has an influx of auto-DMs ruined your day more than once? Ever respond to an auto-DM thinking there was a real person there, only to be ignored and reduced to just another faceless Twitter account? It’s time for this injustice to stop! Join me in commemorating May 2011 as Anti-Auto-DM Month and let’s work together to finally put an end to auto-DM abuse!

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More Clichés Than You Can Shake a Stick At!

Hell in a Hand Basket

Where do common expressions in the English language come from?

Long before Internet memes and hashtags, there were spoken expressions that stood the test of time. Even the best copywriters fall victim to their seduction, citing writer’s block, lack of sleep or general laziness as culprits. Sadly, clichés, idioms and other common expressions often signify lack of creativity, which is not something any writer wants to portray.

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World’s Worst Website Foundation

Reaction to a bad website

While Webcopyplus made a holiday donation to Kiva last Christmas, I opted to make a personal donation to the World’s Worst Website Foundation (a subsidiary of the Human Fund). With help from passionate supporters like you, we can raise awareness about common website wreckers and how best to avoid them.

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Best Best of 2010 Lists of 2010

Best Best of 2010 Lists of 2010 by Webcopyplus

If you’re like me, you get irritated by overused headlines. Now that we’re entering ‘Best of 2010’ season, I’ve gone into hyper-eye-roll mode.

To help you waste your Internet time wisely, I’ve decided to be your ‘Best of 2010’ list curator. Of course, all of these are based around my penchant for web content, copywriting, web design, technology and marketing, and I rebelliously chose 9 instead of 10.

Here is my collection of the Best Best of 2010 Lists of 2010.

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5 Headlines You’re Tired of Seeing in Your Feed

Headlines in feed

As a fellow web marketing professional — whether you’re a web copywriter, web designer, web developer, or a business owner interested in learning about the best way to market your business online — I’m sure you follow a plethora of like-minded people on Twitter.

You’ve probably also noticed a pattern in the kind of headlines that enter your feed, some at a more irritating frequency than others.   These headlines purposely target high pressure points, and get incessantly regurgitated as a result.

Here’s how to recognize these repeat offenders and why you’d be better off to spend your clicks elsewhere.

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Opticon Sells Himself Online

Opticon Sells Himself Online

Between scouring the Internet for bad content and stunt doubling for Optimus Prime, I don’t get much time to chat with the ladies in real time, so what’s a web marketing superhero to do?  Megan Fox isn’t taking my calls, so it’s time to try online dating.  What can I write in my dating profile so I can be sure to maximize my ROI?

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Deleter’s Campaign to End Grammar and Punctuation Abuse

Deleter apostrophe article

I’ve witnessed some horrific abuses of grammar and punctuation over the years and it’s about time someone stood up for these poor little words and symbols that can’t stand up for themselves. With that, I give you the first installment in my campaign to end grammar and punctuation abuse.

I’m officially declaring it’s Apostrophe Awareness Month! Never has a tiny dot with a tail endured so much misuse.  With your help, we can make a difference in apostrophe abuse by recognizing some of the worst offenders.

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How to Sound Smarter on the Web

The Deleter - Webcopyplus Web Writing Services

Greetings, good Internet people! I’m Opticon’s sidekick, The Deleter. I specialize in exterminating spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors with a vengeance!

I wasn’t the most popular guy in school, but rest assured all those years spent studying proper language use instead of frivolous things like ‘sports’ and ‘dating’ have really paid off! Now, I’m an esteemed Internet superhero who helps well-meaning folks like you break bad language habits so you can confidently deliver your message to the masses without error or embarrassment.

Over my years of scouring the Internet for traces of technical violations I’ve noticed that some similar sounding words confuse many of you, and I’m here to get rid of this confusion once and for all.

Here’s my list of commonly confused words and their proper, and improper, uses.

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Bad Copy — Your Worst Enemy

Opticon - Webcopyplus Web Copywriting Services

There’s a prolific villain on the loose that must be stopped.  It’s a complex shape shifter and not easy to track to the untrained eye.  The villain, my good people of the Internet, is bad web copy, and it’s infecting the Web, leaving traces on websites, blogs, social networks — everywhere! Your website may have already been infected, and the damage immeasurable.

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