The Copy/Paste Golden Rule

Or, Why Online Text Looks Weird:

Lately I've noticed a lot of oddly-formatted text online and on websites. It's too big, a strange color, a different font, or it sticks out in some way. I notice it because I visually trip over it. It doesn't seem to fit with whatever else I'm seeing. That's when I know that the person updating the site has forgotten (or didn't know) the Copy/Paste Golden Rule.

Why is this important? Because you want the viewer to feel at ease and focus on the content of your website or social media. When they encounter oddities or strangely-formatted text it's distracting and a little (to a lot) stressful.  Really.  Have you noticed that when a website is difficult to navigate, or keeps pulling your focus away from what you're looking for, you feel a little stressed or frustrated? That little bit of stress can make you (and your viewers) disappear faster than a wet cat.

How do you avoid that happening? When you work online updating your website and social media you can do one of two things: You can type directly into the online system, or, write first in software like Word or Pages, and then copy/paste it.

When you copy/paste directly from software the text you paste may initially look OK, but you’ve also copied and pasted some unseen code that will likely make it look strange. It can happen immediately or later. You may not see it at all in the browser you're using and it may look awful in another browser.

These days most online systems and websites have a nifty button to allow you to safely paste directly from software. It’s often called the “Paste as Plain Text" button. The button may have a "W" on it to indicate it's a "Paste From Word" button. It may have a "T" on it for "text." 

If there is no "Paste as plain text" button, you can use a piece of software called a text editor that will strip any hidden code from your text. Paste your text into a text editor, then copy/paste from the text editor into the online system. Yes, it’s an extra step and a pain but trust me on this one, you’ll thank me later. I use Text Wrangler for my text editor (I'm on a Mac).  If you’re on a PC you can use Windows Notepad or TextPad.  First check your own computer, you may already have one.

Let me know if you have questions or need help with this. Our tutoring and support is very cost-effective and will save your money AND sanity in the long run. 

As always, all our best to you and yours!

-Robin

Harkening Back to a Slower Time

Are you old enough to remember what life was like before computers, cell phones, digital TV's, and remote controls? We are. It was a slower time, that's for sure. We are all SO busy these days and like Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

So a few years ago Harry and I did stop and look around, and took a good look at our schedules. It was an eye-opener. I realized that I had been working at full-tilt for many years. Harry did too until he retired from being an aerospace engineer and started working with me in 2005. Ack! Time to slow down!  

We're not retiring, just going slower. We are committed to being here for existing clients, and will take on new clients very selectively. Really, we'll just work half time instead of full-time. So, if you're currently a client and have something in the works, DO let us know so we can reserve time for you.

On the theme of harkening back...
Here's a video about a "Backward Index" started in the late 1930's. It's in the basement of the Merriam-Webster offices. Why would anyone create an index of 315,000 words spelled backwards? Watch the video to find out:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/video/backward-index

All our best to you and yours!

Robin & Harry

Focus and Newton's First Law Will Get You Where You Want to Go

I use these two truths every day of my life, and I recommend them to you too. The two together are so very powerful.

Truth #1: When you pay attention to something, put energy into that something you will move in that direction.  

Truth #2: Newton's First Law. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion.  

Here's an example: When in training, beginning race car drivers tend to focus on NOT hitting the wall. And guess what happens? They hit the wall because they’re focused on the wall (even in a “don’t go there” sense). But if they ignore the wall and focus on making the turn guess what happens? They make the turn (sans wall).

Same principle applies to pilots flying from here to there. True statistic:  How much of the time is an airplane off course?  Most people guess numbers like 3% or 10%. Actually, they are off course over 95% of the time. They get there by course-correcting as they go along.  

These two truths work for everyone in every situation. Focus on what you want (not what you don't want) and get yourself in motion. Then, course correct as needed. You know, set some goals (the focus), get working on them (the motion). You WILL make mistakes. You will get off course. Remember that nothing is written in stone, you can always change what isn't working.

Stop saying things like "I don't know what I'm doing." "I'll never get there." “I’m a starving startup.” "I'm a starving artist." Guess what?  Poof!  You won't know, you'll never get there, and you'll starve. Say it long enough, focus on it long enough and you’ll get your wish. Seriously.

Focus on where you want to end up, think about it, write it down, talk about it, visualize it, expect it. Get r-e-a-l-l-y familiar with it. Marinate in it.

Try it, give it some time, see if this works for you!