RE: Dictionary of Connotations

Subject: RE: Dictionary of Connotations
From: dthomps -at- foundationsoft -dot- com
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 12:14:15 -0500

An Easy Hoe was exactly what I was afraid of! In this case, however, it's
part of a sub-heading for a software product, and I wanted to use "Powerful,
Flexible and Easy." I don't think "Powerful, Flexible and Easy to Use" is
quite as good from the Zen-like-flow stance.

Well, I'm the one asking for resources, but since I haven't received any yet
but I have received several "me-too"s, I'll say that I am thus far using
WordNet (http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/~wn/) and getting a little
direction.

WordNet describes itself as:
"... an online lexical reference system whose design is inspired by current
psycholinguistic theories of human lexical memory. English nouns, verbs,
adjectives and adverbs are organized into synonym sets, each representing
one underlying lexical concept. Different relations link the synonym sets."

Hope that helps other souls out there struggling to be marketing friendly!


P.S., Don't worry, Dick, there will be several "real" marketing people
reading this copy.


Dannette Thompson
Senior Technical Writer
dthompson -at- foundationsoft -dot- com

Foundation Software, Inc.
800-246-0800 ext. 213
The #1 Accounting Software for Labor-Intensive Contractors



-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Margulis [mailto:margulis -at- fiam -dot- net]

Easy to use? I think you're okay there. Easy by itself? It depends. A
manufacturer of garden implements probably wouldn't want to describe a
hoe as easy, for example ;-)

In general with marketing and advertising copy, you want a peer or an
editor to read everything you write, preferably someone whose mind is
usually in the gutter, to search for unintended double meanings (been
there, done that, didn't get fired but got threatened). Cultural
connotations of common words change so fast that I doubt any reference
work would really do what you want. I think you just need someone with a
good ear to review what you write.




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