For Immediate Relief: Speaking Like a Human
Merlin Mann on NewsGator’s “NewsGator Platinum Partner Program Leverages Best Enterprise Social Computing Minds to Ensure Enterprise 2.0 Adoption Success” press release:
Regardless of the industry, audience, or purpose, this is just bad writing for non-people.
…and…
Setting aside that it’s an announcement about a future announcement, you got yourself a greatest hits of ineffective writing going on here. You got passive voice, buzzword bingo, empty adverbs, tons more passive voice, and a piquant use of “air quotes” that lightens up a non-nutritional buzzterm even the writers seem to think makes no sense.
…and…
[…] if you’re working in a job where your credibility is pegged to saying things that literally don’t make sense, then there’s a good chance what you’re doing doesn’t make sense either. If what you’re doing does make sense, then, for Christ’s sake, talk like a human being.
