Bill Bennett

There’s nothing wrong with writing lists – especially when publishing online.

If the list items are short, you can use bullet points. Or, if the order is important, choose numbered bullets.

Both make text easy to scan and read quickly.

Another, more elegant, approach is to write a variation on the following theme:

First, something happened. Second, something else. Next, we used a little elegant variation to make things more interesting. Then, we did this. Last, we finished up.

Spell out the words from first to ninth* then write 10th, 15th, hundredth.

Some people use firstly, secondly, thirdly and so on. While strictly speaking both approaches are grammatically correct, I’d argue adding -ly is old-fashioned and unnecessarily fussy.

What’s more, you’ll end up looking silly if you want to deal with lots of items and reach eleventhly or even millionthly.

So, stick with the simpler format.

* or perhaps tenth. This depends on your taste or house style, but remember to stay consistent.

If you’ve spent much time around social networks or services like Twitter, you will have seen a lot of passionate people.

Earlier today someone who claims to be passionate about search engine optimisation followed my Twitter account. In recent months I’ve come across people who are passionate about real estate, online marketing and customer service management to name just a few.

They are either liars, totally deluded or insane. I don’t which is worse.

Sorry. Nobody is passionate about search engine optimisation. They might enjoy working in the field. They may enjoy it an awful lot and be really excited by the money it pays. But they are not passionate. Not if they are mentally healthy.

The term is meaningless. It’s a cliché. It tells me the person using it is an unimaginative idiot. I nearly used a rude word there instead of ‘idiot’.

If you want to say you like something a lot, think up a new way of expressing the idea and we might just want to listen.

And while we’re on the subject, the same applies to sexy.

Computers are not sexy. Pieces of software are not sexy. Attractive members of the opposite sex are sexy.

It’s a simple idea.

Set aside one day a week when the computer doesn’t get switched on. A day when email doesn’t get checked, when Facebook doesn’t get updated, and when tweets are not twittered. No firing up the desktop for game playing either.

It doesn’t need to be the same day every week. You may have to trim things according to needs and deadlines. You may only be able to manage one day a fortnight.

The idea is to go off-line and let the brain rest. Or, if not rest, then allow it to change gear. Rather than constantly responding to incoming messages and data just let them pile up. They’ll still be there tomorrow.

You can also de-stress. And before you comment here saying you find it stressful NOT being in constant touch with cyberspace, think again. You know that simply isn’t true.

Remember, the online world will go on turning without you.

Spend the time reading books, chatting to friends, playing sport, enjoying the sunshine or baking muffins instead.

That way, when you get back online, you’ll be refreshed. It’s like a mini holiday. It may sound like a cliché, but I definitely work better when I’ve taken a day-long break from my computer.

Not original

The digital sabbath is not an original idea. In fact, if you are of a religious persuasion, it came at the end of the first recorded week. The Biblical creation story says God rested on the seventh day.

Ancient Jews worked for six days then strictly observed the Shabbat when lots of everyday things simply were not allowed to happen. They knew this was mentally, and physically healthy.

I actually first heard about the idea of a digital sabbath in an online forum many years ago – sadly I don’t recall who or where the original idea comes from.

Some problems

Of course, it’s much harder to take even one day’s rest from the digital world if you are a hard core digiphile with a web browsing smartphone, an ebook reader or if you use the computer as an entertainment hub for music and video. And you may have a job, or some other responsibilities that make going offline difficult.

Nevertheless, I suggest you do what you can to give it a try and reconnect once a week with the analogue world.

I’m not perfect

I’d like to be able to report I manage to take a full day away from my computer every week. The truth is, I don’t always manage it. In fact, although I try to schedule a full day off each week, I generally only get a couple of full-blown digital sabbaths each month.

This is something I intend to work on.

It’s no longer brave, rash or insightful to suggest printed newspapers will play less of a role in the future. But it counts for something when the scion the world’s largest newspaper company voices the same opinion.

James Murdoch talks about being in “the business of ideas” and says journalism plays a role (phew!) but it won’t be on the scale of News Corp’s broadcasting and entertainment operations.

James Murdoch sees smaller role for newspapers.

On one level the email staff memo republished by Bob Sutton on his excellent web site is funny. It sounds as if Fawlty Towers was run by someone with Lenny Bruce’s vocabulary.

On the other level, it’s disturbing just how bad some managers can behave. And it must harm the business.

Bob Sutton: Asshole Boss of the Year?. (Warning, the language may cause offence).

Listening is a remarkably underrated skill. And make no mistake, it is a skill. Dan Erwin looks at some researched-based facts about listening in:

Brainware – 10 Things You May Not Know About Listening.

In my experience, it’s important to give people your full attention when listening, although this is hard in today’s world where there are so many interruptions. I think the people I’ve worked with know if I really want to hear what they have to say I’ll take them away from the work place – either to a quiet room, or better still a café.

The other important listening strategy is to put people at ease, then get them to talk about them. Their lives, their feelings and their ideas. I guarantee if you can do this, you’ll lean more.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Is Listening an Endangered Skill? (blogs.harvardbusiness.org)
• How Freelancers Can Use Active Listening to Improve Business (freelanceswitch.com)

In an era of global connections it may feel like an anachronism to worry about differences between American and other versions of English.

On some levels it may. But overall, it’s something you should be aware of.

For a start, if you are writing for English-speakers outside of North America, your words and your meaning will be easier to read, better understood and unambiguous if you follow local use.

Moreover, if, like me, you come from a British English tradition – for the purpose of this discussion that includes Australia and New Zealand among other places – you’ll not only feel more at home writing in your own voice, your writing will be more natural as a result.

And that matters hugely online, where a writer’s voice takes on far more importance. At the same time, you’ll find words flow more fluently when you are comfortable with your English.

Another reason not to force yourself into using American English is you may occasionally get it slightly wrong. At worse, American English speakers will spot you as a phony. More likely, your prose will be misunderstood.

Remember your goal as a writer is to articulate ideas as clearly and efficiently as possible. Your natural voice is the best tool for the job.

My original New Zealand media people on Twitter list is still available on this site. It’s been updated many times with two new entries yesterday and four updates. If you think you should be on the list, or if you are on the list and think your entry needs to change, please get in touch.

In addition to the HTML list I’ve also created a Twitter list:@billbennettnz/new-zealand-media-people.

Everyone who is on the HTML list is now on the Twitter list.