LET'S COMMUNICATE
Agriculture Communication Newsletter
May 2003, No. 89

CONTENTS

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD
JUNK E-MAIL AND SUBJECT LINES
10 STEPS TO PLANNING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
NEW IN THE STAFF RESOURCE LIBRARY

WRITE THE RIGHT WORD

Last month I asked for help with this sentence, trying to avoid the singular subject (winner) with plural object (their):

The winner of this election will begin their term immediately.

Thanks to the many of you who shared these excellent suggestions:

The winner's term will begin immediately following (or after) the election.

The winner of this election will begin the term immediately.

The term for the election winner will begin immediately.

And my favorite -- and the shortest: The election winner will take office immediately.

A Let's Communicate reader asked about the correct way to write computer words. Again, use a consistent style, whether that be from your professional association, "The Chicago Manual of Style," "The Elements of Style" or whatever. We journalists use the "Associated Press Stylebook," and here's what it says:

Web site, Web page -- Web is capitalized since it's a proper noun short for World Wide Web; however, webcast and webmaster

online -- not hyphenated

e-mail -- hyphenated since an abbreviation for electronic mail; also e-commerce, e-business, etc.

Internet -- capitalized, but I can't tell you why; I just do what AP suggests

And while we're at it, Web and Internet aren't interchangeable. The Internet is the system that makes Web pages and e-mail possible.

JUNK E-MAIL AND SUBJECT LINES

I delete 50 to 60 junk messages every morning when I first check my e-mail, and delete another 30 to 40 during the day. Many of the subject lines are exactly the same or very similar. Here are some of the subject lines on my automatic delete list. About half carry a computer virus along with them:

Many of us have received e-mail from support@microsoft.com recently. They are junk mail, and many of them carry a virus. I doubt Microsoft has anything to do with them.

Then, of course, there are many good deals like the URGENT/CONFIDENTIAL. Unfortunately, some people fall for these offers and lose thousands of dollars in the process. Obviously these are sent to thousands of people, are difficult if not impossible to track down and should be deleted immediately.

Example: �My name is Paul Coker, a senior accountant with the Federal Ministry of Finance. I shall like to seek your partnership in transfering the sum of Ten Million dollars ($10,000,000.00) out of the account of the Federal Government of Nigeria. SHARING: You shall get 10% of the total sum while 80% will go to us. 10% will be used to reimburse any expenses incured on both sides during the course of the project.�

I recently received an e-mail from Betty (with no last name) with a subject line of �Congratulations.� I came very close to deleting this message without reading it, thinking it was another one of those �you have won this fabulous prize, just send $15 for shipping and handling to get it.� (The prize is probably worth about $1.24.) It turned out to be a legitimate message. I�m glad I read it. Betty should have had her last name on the "from" line. I may have recognized she worked at NDSU. The word �congratulations� in the subject line was OK, but if NDSU or something I could relate to was also included, it would have been more obvious I should read it.

Most subject lines, depending on your e-mail program and your settings, display 40 to 50 characters. Writing a meaningful subject line in such a short space may be difficult but certainly worth the effort to ensure the receiver knows who you are and what the e- mail is about. About 20 minutes after receiving the e-mail from Betty, I received one from Joanna with �Congratulations� in the subject line. Sure enough, this one stated I was one of a very few selected individuals being offered this special purchase offer. I wish I would have deleted it.

Dave Rice

10 STEPS TO PLANNING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

This new resource from Ag Comm is now on the Web to help you walk through target audiences, desired outcomes, communications tools, marketing, assessment and more. At http://www.ext.nodak.edu/progplan/tensteps.htm  , you'll find both a worksheet and guidelines to help you fill it out for your educational programs.

NEW IN THE STAFF RESOURCE LIBRARY

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't Jim Collins, 2001 260-page book A five-year study of good-to-great companies found: * Level 5 Leaders --The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. * The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles) -- To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. * A Culture of Discipline -- When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. * Technology Accelerators -- Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. * The Flywheel and the Doom Loop -- Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap.

Why Work Together? A Look at Multicommunity Collaboration North Central Regional Center for Rural Development 32-minute Videotape -- may be used in association with the book "Multicommunity Collaboration: An Evolving Rural Revitalization Strategy" from the NCRCRD, 515 294-8321 Illustrating the potentials and pitfalls of multicommunity collaboration strategies, this video discusses the concept and presents three existing collaboration examples.

The Business of Paradigms Joel Arthur Barker 38-minute Videotape Barker explores how hidden barriers to new ideas limit our ability to successfully anticipate the future.

The Power of Vision Joel Arthur Barker 30-minute Videotape Barker illustrates how vision without action is merely a dream; action without vision just passes the time; and vision with action can change the world.

Creating Hope and Healing: A Guide Through Grief to Well-Being Phyllis R. Antonelli and Dr. Ronald G. Kuhn, 1997 2 audiocassette tapes Kuhn and Antonelli guide victims of disasters and other personal losses through stages of the grief process. People who do not understand this process or ways to safely manage grief often create "aftermath losses" such as drug use, auto accidents, domestic violence and stress-related illnesses.

Many other audio cassettes, books and videos are in the Staff Resource Library listing on the Web at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/staffres/library/contents.htm  . You're also welcome to stop by the Distribution Center in Morrill 10 to browse the shelves. Contact the Distribution Center at dctr@ndsuext.nodak.edu  or call 231-7882 to check out materials.