Most decade-specific words in Billboard popular song titles, 1890-2014. Chart first, then explanation (click to enlarge): The inspiration for this post came from my being too lazy to set my iPod to shuffle, and then noticing it played a bunch of songs in a row from the 1930s and '40s that started with the letters "in" ("In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," "In the Still of the Night", etc.)
Naturally, being a data nerd, my first thought was to quantify the phenomenon. The data comes not from Billboard itself, but from www.bullfrogspond.com; I don't know much about the data source, but it certainly looks thorough and painstaking, and up to date. If you'd like to know a little more about my methodology (like a quick explanation of the metric, "keyness"), see the code I used and/or see the actual songs that correspond to these words, head on over to my other, nerdier blog, prooffreaderplus. Observations about the results: DJ Saul, Author at The Next Web. The Writer Underground - writing about writers and other letter-related debrisThe Writer Underground - writing about writers and other letter-related debris.
Copywriting blogs you should be reading today. A few months ago on my Pro Copy Tips blog, I published a short list of copywriting blogs that offer sound and often entertaining advice.
That post got a fair number of comments and tweets, so I thought it would be worthwhile to re-post it here. A few people emailed me and wondered why I didn’t include this or that blog. One or two people were insulted. But I assure you, this isn’t meant to be a list of the only copywriting blogs, just a list of some of my favorites which I think are worth reading. So if you don’t see your blog of choice, don’t get your panties in a twist. I have no-so-humbly added Pro Copy Tips just in case you copy or bookmark this list. Content Marketing Solutions from Copyblogger.
MailChimp Email Marketing Blog. Rule of Three – The Copywriting Studio. Content Marketing and Copywriting Articles. Drayton Bird AssociatesDrayton Bird Associates. Marketing Rebel. Posts About Copywriting Curated By James Schramko. James Schramko. Sticky Content blog. 17 April 2014 The all-too-common issue of Frankencontent – content whose effectiveness has been undermined by excessive, uncoordinated stakeholder input – takes on a whole new dimension of horror when it comes to localisation, writes Yusuf Bhana of 11 April 2014 If you feel like you’re sinking in a world of content with too much to do and nowhere to begin, it’s time you got to grips with a content audit.
But what exactly is an audit, and what kind do you need? Content audits vary hugely from project 03 April 2014 Livechats are an often-overlooked content-marketing tactic that can bring new people to your site, and help establish your organisation as a thought leader and curator of debate on key topics. 28 March 2014 Breaking grammar rules and keeping things simple ‒ what digital marketers can learn from Apple… Apple knows a thing or two about selling itself and its products. 21 March 2014 Google has redesigned its search results page for a ‘simpler, cleaner’ look. 14 March 2014 30 January 2014.
Alan Trotter ≥ notes. The Gary Halbert Letter. The RANT - John Carlton's Official Blog.