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Issue #1 |
The 5 Minute Bulletin Board
a FREE ezine from Tiiu Kai
Creative
Tips, tricks, and tools for a more efficient
home office in 5 minutes or less
In this Issue
Getting Friendly with Flesch-Kincaid
A Desktop Organizer You'll Flip Over
Test Your Knowledge
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Dear Tiiu,
Do you work from a home office - or
plan to? Then you've come to the
right place.
Perhaps you've moved your desk into
the spare bedroom and now
need help maximizing efficiency
in your writing practice or other
small business.
Why go it alone?
My name is Tiiu Garrett, and I
can help with The 5 Minute
Bulletin Board. Let me help you
save time -and minimize
frustration - in just a few
minutes each month.
While I happen to be a freelance
writer, these hints and helps
are for any solopreneur, so grab
a cup of coffee and join me for
a few minutes.
For important dates you'll need
to jot down in your planner each
month, including major US
holidays, visit
www.tiiukaicreative.com
where you'll find them posted on
my home page.
Oh, and if you opened up this
ezine but the header or pictures
didn't appear, see the tiny link
at the top that says: Having
trouble viewing this email?
Click here?
Just click on that and all
should appear normally.
Now let's dig in...
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MS Word Show & Tell (using v.
2003*) |
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Getting Friendly with Flesch-Kincaid
Readability Stats
As a business professional, your
written communication is one of your
most powerful tools. When your words
are written in the voice of a
peer or friend, you establish a
rapport with your target market and
begin to build the foundation of an
ongoing relationship.
When written in a formal and stuffy
style, you risk losing the interest
of your reader.
The Flesch-Kincaid (FK) readability
statistics feature in MS Word is a
terrific tool to use. While it's a
mouthful to say, it's actually
really easy to set up and use. More
importantly, it will check that your
tone and voice sound conversational.
If you ever need to know the word,
paragraph, or even character count
of your document, this is the tool
for you. It's widely used by fiction
and non-fiction authors as well as
article writers with word count
limits.
Okay, let's set it up.
In MS Word, follow this path: Tools
> Options > Spelling & Grammar tab >
In the Grammar section, check the
'Show Readability Statistics' box >
OK.
Now, close out of Word and come back
in.
Choose any document you've typed
before, open it up, and click the
spell checker (you may already have
the icon showing on your toolbar -
it has ABC and a check mark in blue
on it. If not, click Tools, and then
Spelling & Grammar). As soon as it's
done checking your spelling and
grammar, it will give you these
stats.
For copywriters, a general rule of
thumb is that the reading ease score
should be around 65-70 while the
grade level should be somewhere
between 6.5 and 8.0.
This is a very general standard,
and should be modified when
appropriate for your target
audience. For example, a more
technical piece about
semiconductors would have a
higher score than would one for
the latest widget sold to the
masses.
* While I use MS
Word version 2003, the basic
concepts are similar for other
versions. If you still need help
adapting these directions to
your particular program, you can
find additional help at
www.microsoft.com or
do a search for Flesch-Kincaid
for whichever version you are
using.
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Products I Like |
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Ultimate Office Modular
Desktop Organizer
I happen to have a list of
state-wide zip codes I refer to
constantly. And another of
often-used URLs.
Whatever the information, if you
have a need for up to 20 (or 100)
pages that you can refer to
instantly, this upright display
might just be the ticket for you. It
sits at a comfortable viewing height
and you simply flip to the
information you want, saving you
time.
These metal-framed plastic sleeves are
angled perfectly for easy access on your
desk. As with a catalog, you simply flip
the pages over. This display system
keeps your information spill- and
smudge-free.
And if you're like me, it's
really aggravating to have
to search for supplies when
you're busy, so the
partitioned base keeps
post-it notes, pens,
eyeglasses, and keys handy
at your fingertips, saving
you wasted time looking for
them.
I love this product, and
especially appreciate the
fact that should my needs
for it expand, so can it.
These organizers are
available in either
black or gray. Click on
the link below for a
list of choices -
whether you need 20
viewable pages or a
hundred, they have it.
http://www.ultoffice.com/catalog/1856
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From My Bookshelf |
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I love reference books. Trouble is
who really has time to read them,
except when we're in a crunch and
need to know something specific? Let
me share a couple of basics -
confusing nonetheless to many.
1) Stationery vs.
Stationary: These two words
sound alike, but have
different meanings. Which
one refers to standing
still? A) Stationery; or B)
Stationary.
2) Although both are often
used, which is the correct
placement of the word
'only'? A) He owns only two
pairs of sneakers; or B) He
only owns two pairs of
sneakers.
3) Which vs. That: Pick out
the correctly
worded sentence. A) The song
that's sung in Italian comes
early in the program; or B)
The song which is sung in
Italian comes early in the
program.
ANSWERS:
1) The only way I remember
this is that Stationery with
an E near the end of the
word stands for Envelope. E
for envelope. Stationary
with an A near the end means
Stand Still. A for the A in
Stand. The correct answer is
B.
2) The answer is A. The word
"only" refers to the number
of sneakers he owns, NOT to
the word "owns".
3) The answer is A. The word
"that" is a defining or
restricting pronoun and
specifies which song. (The
Elements of Style, Strunk
and White, 4th Ed.)
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Thanks For Visiting - and a FREEBIE is
coming soon! |
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Thanks for sharing a few minutes
with me as we learned to use a new
word processing tool, checked out a
great desktop product, and consulted
my reference books.
If you're not already on our
mailing list, please
join! There's a red link at the
bottom of this ezine; just click
on it for instant access to free
tips and helpful hints.
And while you're at it, share
this with a friend. There's
another link at the bottom for
doing just that. They'll
appreciate the info - and you
for sending it to them.
Very soon, look for a coupon at
the bottom
of the ezine redeemable for a
FREE Bonus Report
from someone who's run a home
business for years -
(I'll keep the name a secret
for the moment,
but keep posted...)
and is willing to spill the
beans on
some great success secrets for
your own home office.
And this FREE report will be
yours for the taking!
See you next time at The 5
Minute Bulletin Board.
With every
wish for your small business
success, Tiiu
The
5 Minute Bulletin Board
Free,
Fun, and For You
FEEDBACK: Feel free to share
your thoughts on this issue or
ideas for future issues by
emailing me at:
tiiu@tiiukaicreative.com
Please put the word Feedback
in the subject line.
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