[Gllug] UKUUG press release

[Rich Walker]

Alain Williams <addw at phcomp.co.uk> writes:

> On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 05:44:59PM +0100, Ryan Cartwright wrote:
>> John Winters wrote:
>> > Martin A. Brooks wrote:
>> > [snip]
>> >> Copper bottomed?  I have no idea what that refers to.
>> > 
>> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_sheathing
>> 
>> Or a slightly more concise one (first hit if you Google "copper
>> bottomed")...
>> 
>> http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/copper-bottomed.html
>
> Oh dear. Does that mean that no one understood my contrast of a 'copper bottomed'
> standard and 'setting to sea in a sieve' and the 'Jumblies' -- a piece
> on nonsense verse by Edward Lear:
>
> 	http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html

When writing press releases, use simple direct language.

Reporters don't have time to understand your allusions.

Spell out what you mean.

Put the most important points as early as possible in the release.

Clever language will usually cause people to fail to understand the
sentence, and then they will stop reading the press release.

Save literary devices for literature.

*gets off soapbox*


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