To Proofread Or To Palliate

Posted on May 23, 2013 by frankagin

Have you ever created a print job for a client, sent it to your print shop, then picked it up only to have the client find a typo? Unfortunately, this senario happens more often than you might think. Several months ago I was perusing my favorite magazine when I came across an advertisement for a new online company; the ad looked great – except for two glaring typos. Early spring 2010 I was visiting the vendor booths at our local Womens Expo, and an advertisement at a landscaper’s booth had a large typo – unfortunately after over 10K copies had been printed.

Typos are an unfortunate part of creating advertising, but it does not always have to be the case. A professional designer/proofreader can help you go through your copy through for both accuracy and readability. A professional designer/proofreader can help you shine above the rest of the competition by coming across to the consumer as highly professional rather than “I just threw this together at the last minute.”

Here’s a few tips to consider:

Outside eyes. Always have another pair of eyes look your work over, preferably someone that is outside your company. You should still use the spell-checker option, but don’t trust the program or your own eyes to see everything. Having another pair of eyes unfamiliar with your work can save you time, money, and embarrassment.
Read backwards. This might sound strange, but reading backwards does help catch typos or misused words. The human brain becomes accustomed to making adjustments visually, which can be applied to typos and misspellings. Remember the landscaper’s booth at the expo? The people in the booth told me they had at least 14 people read through the copy, yet no one caught the typo. Why? The human brain finished the word, so to most just glancing through, the typo would not stand out. I saw it by reading the copy backwards.
Check dates and times. This might sound elementary, but after having working in a newspaper for over six years, it was surprising how many times people called in to complain about a wrong date or time for an event published in our newspaper. Always send in your event information typed out for ease of reading on the part of the editors/reporters; this also allows them to copy/paste the information so nothing has to be typed out. Before you hit the SEND button, however, read through for accuracy. If it does print wrong, go back through your copy before calling to complain.
Turn on grammar/spell checks. You may have won the National Spelling Bee as an elementary student, but even the best of us make mistakes. Turning on the grammar and spell checks in your software will help keep those mistakes to a bare minimum.
Copy/Paste your text into a word editor. This mostly applies to those of us who blog regularly. If you are not using a word editor to write your copy prior to posting, it is highly recommended this be done. This allows the spell check and grammar check to help you prepare your copy as error-free as possible.

Now it’s your turn! What steps do you take when proofreading? What works and what doesn’t?

Cheers,
Lisa

Founder of AmSpirit Mentioned in Columbus Dispatch

Posted on May 20, 2013 by frankagin

Frank Agin, founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections, was quoted in the business section of the April 19th, 2013 edition of the Columbus Dispatch. In the article entitled “Online Introduction,” Frank indicated that more and more employers are using social media websites such as Facebook to aid them determining whether or not they should hire a candidate. To read the full articles, go HERE.

Have You Found Your Champion?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by frankagin

Have you ever looked for that one person that can help you succeed in your business. Alliance Chapter Member, Lisa Raymond bloges about how to do this from her findings reading The Champion By: Frank Agin. Read: “Have You Found Your Champion,” to learn more. Lisa can be reached at (602) 434-3843 or via email at lisa@deseynerseyecreations.net

Words Of Wisdom: The Chapter Sandwich

Posted on May 14, 2013 by frankagin

If the meat of AmSpirit Business Connections is the weekly Chapter meeting, then consider time before and after the meeting as the bread.

This bread is important to overall success in AmSpirit Business Connections. While much of the weekly meeting is scripted, the unscripted time before and after the meeting gives you a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with fellow members.

So when you are locking down time in your schedule for your weekly Chapter meeting, remember to make it a sandwich – carve out some time before and after to cohort with members and guests.

A Day In The Life of an AmSpirit Franchisee

Posted on May 14, 2013 by frankagin

LISTEN, as Frank Agin describes a day in the life of an AmSpirit Business Connections franchisee and the opportunities this franchise opportunity presents.

Noteworthy Distinction

Posted on May 10, 2013 by frankagin

Congratulations to the Granville Chapter. Recently Ohio State Representative Jay Hottinger (Ohio’s 71st House District) awarded the Licking County area Chapter of AmSpirit Business Connections with a personalized certificate of noteworthy distinction for earning AmSpirit Business Connections Outstanding Chapter GOLD status in 2012. The Chapter can now refer to itself as the Noteworthy Distinction & Golden Greater Granville Chapter.

What Moves You?

Posted on May 9, 2013 by frankagin

Weather permitting, Marie Trudeau (a member of the City Center Chapter and an Insurance agent with W.E. Davis Insurance Agency) takes her motor-powered scooter to her Wednesday morning Chapter meetings. Do you have an unusual means of getting to your Chapter meeting? Please share

More importantly, what moves you beyond that? What moves you to give referrals? What moves you to bring guests? What moves you to do all you do to be a successful member? Think on it and share what you came up with.

What Makes A Great Networker?

Posted on May 7, 2013 by frankagin

Is great networking a function of great skills and techniques? Or is great networking a function of something else? Listen in to find out. What Makes A Great Networker

Space It Out!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by frankagin

I am a graphic designer, so I get a little annoyed when I see an advertisement that looks like something my kindergartner drew, crayon or not. I not only like advertisements to look pretty; they also have to have that “wow!” factor. This advertisement is a representation of your business, right? So why would you not want that representation to be all that and a bag of chips?

Why not, indeed.

Over the last 14 years of my career I still see a particular violation in full force. It is almost as if either designers have decided they do not care because the client does not care (which I find hard to believe), or the client is creating their own advertising and is not aware of this violation. What I am not a fan of, and still see quite a lot of to this day, is the lack of consideration given to a graphic designer’s best friend: white space.

White space is a graphic designer’s best friend. Proper usage indicates balance between all the elements and allows for “breathing room” for the viewer so they do not feel cramped. Also, when used properly, white space can add a sense of urgency to the product or service you are advertising.

It is also important to note that, even if white space is being used correctly, do not butt the text right up to the border of the page or advert. The border creates two visuals: 1) an important place that contains very important information; 2) a stopping point for reading. Unfortunately, when text is jammed right up to the border, the latter occurs, and the rest of your advert may not be read.

The most notable use of white space I can remember is the magazine and billboard adverts for ING. It made a great teaser, as nobody could tell what is was, thereby making us wait impatiently to find out what ING was all about. The television commercials they soon adopted were a similar nature, but of the absence of information – again, thereby tugging us along until the full nature of ING was released.

Now it’s your turn! Please post a link to the best and worst uses of white space you have seen in the past decade. A snapshot of a website counts.

Cheers,
Lisa

AmSpirit Member Receives 2nd Place in the Women Masters Bikini Divison

Posted on May 1, 2013 by frankagin

Michelle Hogan, realtor at Coldwell Banker King Thompson and member of the Columbus Chapter of AmSpirit Business Connections recently competed in the NPC Bikini Competition and received second place in the women masters bikini division. What is most impressive about this is that this was her first time performing in a bikini competition.

For you single men in AmSpirit Business Connections, forget it. Michelle is happily married and her husband is a member of the New Albany Chapter (though, he will not don a Speedo for us). To learn more on this and read an interview with Michelle, go HERE.