Dan Ketchum reports:

"Writing business content for your business page requires a professional, tactful touch. Because each business varies, there is no single key to producing good Facebook content, but following a few universal tips can put your business page on the right track...Post short, to-the-point status updates with a conversational tone. Although the actual content of the posts is business[-]related, it's okay to sound like your customer's friend...Make your written content exclusive. Provide your followers with information that they can't get elsewhere...Keep your content relevant to both your business and your audience. People can get updates about the weather elsewhere; they follow your business to find out about upcoming products or services, sales and promotions. When you can, give current events a business slant that is relevant to your business...Ask questions when you update your business page's status. Poll your Facebook followers about their product preferences or ask them what new features they'd like to see from your company...Put incentives in your written content...The promise of reward encourages people to engage in conversation about your company...Use active words that convey a sense of engagement. The Content Marketing Institute finds that words such as 'coming,' 'promised,' 'revealed' and 'unveiling' promote customer engagement by building a sense of suspense...Check your page's Insights section -- found under the Admin Panel -- regularly. Under 'Talking About This,' you'll see the number of users reached by each of your posts and how many users have talked about each post. Note the posts that create the most reader engagement. Consider any similarities among these posts and incorporate them into your status updates...Provide a regular stream of written content. Facebook recommends posting one to two status updates per week to maintain customer interest. Click on the clock icon in the lower left corner of your page's status update form to schedule posts. From here, you can write posts in advance and choose a time and date to automatically publish them...Although the written word lies at the core of Facebook, don't neglect posting photos and videos to engage your audience."

Diane Kampf reports:

"Short, choppy sentences -- if used exclusively -- can make an essay or other writing project seem simplistic or even tedious. To avoid this, writers intersperse extended or complex sentences with shorter sentences. This improves the pacing of a narrative and adds an air of sophistication to an essay...One way to extend a sentence is to combine thoughts of equal significance using a coordinating conjunction, such as and, but, or, nor or yet...Subordination does not mean something is unimportant; it simply means the thought relies on the main or independent thought to make sense. 'When I mow the lawn' is a subordinating thought in that it doesn't make sense unless it is paired with another thought: 'I like to make a criss-cross pattern.' Making one of the thoughts subordinate to another is a way of extending sentences and avoiding choppy sentence structure. Consider the following two sentences: 'I never liked horror movies. They gave me nightmares.' They could be combined using subordination: 'I never liked horror movies, because they gave me nightmares.' A writer can create more stylistic variety by changing the order of subordinating thoughts: 'Because they gave me nightmares, I never liked horror movies.'"

Kira Jaines reports:

"Medical reports are the core of a patient’s medical record, whether paper or electronic. A medical consultation report will be written, or likely dictated, when one physician asks another to consult on a patient’s specific medical problem...In general, the information contained in medical consultations is separated under certain headings. Sometimes the consultation report can be in the form of a letter, with or without headings. Fill in the header of the report or the address elements in a letter. These will identify the consulting physician, the referring physician, the date the consultation took place and the patient’s identifying information. Begin the report or body of the letter with the headings 'Patient Identification' and 'Reason for Referral' or with an introductory paragraph giving this information...Delineate the patient’s history. Use several headings, such as 'History of Present Illness,' 'Past Medical History,' 'Past Surgical History,' 'Medications,' 'Allergies,' 'Family History,' 'Social History' and 'Review of Systems.' Under 'Review of Systems,' list further subheadings of the body’s systems...and any pertinent symptoms the patient is experiencing for each system. Describe the patient’s exam under the heading 'Physical Examination.' Subheadings in this section can include...'General Appearance,' 'Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat,' 'Neck,' 'Lungs,' 'Heart,' 'Abdomen,' 'Extremities,' 'Skin,' 'Neurologic' and any others that may be pertinent. The subheading pertaining to the consultant’s specialty will likely be more detailed than the others. A physician may also choose to leave out information that is not pertinent to the consultation. For example, an orthopedist consulted for a possible leg fracture might not include an ear exam in her evaluation of the patient. Describe any results of pertinent tests available for review with the headings 'Laboratory Studies' and 'Diagnostic Studies.' This may include listing specific test values and whether those values are within normal limits. It may also include results of any imaging already done...Use the heading 'Assessment' or 'Impression' to express a professional opinion of the patient’s condition based on the history, physical exam and lab studies. The consultant’s professional opinion will be relative to his specialty, with consideration for other conditions the patient may have. A consultant may list a likely diagnosis or several possible diagnoses. For example, a consulting allergist may need to consider whether a patient’s skin rash is not caused by a food allergy but by an underlying skin condition. Explain the steps needed to address the patient’s condition with the heading 'Plan' or 'Recommendations.'...This section should indicate whether any follow-up appointments are needed with the consulting physician. Conclude the consultation report or letter with a sentence or paragraph that thanks the referring physician for involving the consulting physician in the patient’s care. Contact information should also be given in the section, if needed. If the report is an in-patient consultation, the consultant should indicate whether she will continue following the patient along with the referring physician...Medical facilities often each have unique formats and requirements for their medical reports. Keep a template in front of you while dictating to help keep your thoughts ordered and your report on track."

Elliott Taylor reports:

"The purpose [of quality improvement reports] is both to document and demonstrate improvements and to share best practices among health-care institutions...Select the title. It should describe the substantial improvement so readers can immediately recognize its relevance to their experience...Create a problem statement. Make sure the objective of the quality improvement project is clearly understood and can be stated clearly and succinctly in writing. Provide relevant background information as necessary...Validate project results. Make sure all the claims of the project are substantiated and that the arithmetic and formulas are error-free...Detail the analysis methodology and findings. Provide the actual data used, either in table form directly in your text or as appendices if space does not permit. Readers should be able to follow and validate your methodology...Summarize the improvement action plan. Include specific timelines and other metrics...Quantify the results. In most cases, charts, graphs and other visuals are appropriate to convey the significance of the changes made...Describe the control plan. Demonstrate to the reader what steps have been implemented to ensure that the quality improvement is sustained...Interpret the quality improvement. Summarize the implications of the quality improvement for other functional areas or disciplines. Discuss limitations of the improvement and future opportunities for improvement that the analysis identified...Add references. Reference any external publications or other sources that affected your solution throughout the document in footnotes and provide the footnotes at the end of the report...Write the abstract. Now that the entire report is complete, go back and create an abstract that summarizes the article and entices the reader to absorb the entire article...Avoid extensive use of acronyms for clarity. Not all acronyms translate across different organizations, even within the same industry."

George Lawrence reports:

"Remodeling often involves choosing specific types of material and hiring specialists to install that material. Bathrooms, kitchens and patios often use tile as the floor covering. There are thousands of tile options to choose from; the owner of the building and his interior decorator want to choose the right type of tile to suit the room. It is also critical that the tile be installed properly, with even grout lines and no loose ends. A tile contract between the owner and the specialist installing the tile can help ensure that the job is done to the proper specifications...Agree on a price, a time frame for installation, and other details such as what each party is responsible for and what to do in the event of a breach of contract...Use identifiers such as 'owner' to indicate the owner of the property and 'contractor' to indicate who is doing the work...Include headings such as 'Contractor’s Duties' and 'Tiling.' Include enough headings to encompass the entire scope of the tiling agreement...In the 'Tiling' section, include basic information such as 'Contractor agrees to provide all setting, grouting, cleaning, and sealing materials.' Be specific as to what the contractor must do...Fill in the other sections of the contract with information that relates to each section heading...Sign and date the contract. Provide copies to the contractor and the owner."

Christina Schnell reports:

"Given the use and accessibility of computers, it's no surprise that well-written cursive is a rarity these days...While instructions will help you begin writing in old-fashioned cursive, only continuous drills and practice will give you flawless, ornamental penmanship. Assume proper posture at your writing desk. Sit with your feet planted firmly on [the] floor and spine erect. Rest your lower forearms on the desk. Do not hunch or slouch, as this will disrupt the flow of your letters. Hold the pen and paper at a slant. Slant your paper diagonally left while grasping the pen in your right hand. Slant your right hand so the tip of your pen faces the same direction as your paper. Place your left hand on the edge of paper to keep it steady. Connect every letter at the central baseline using numeric formulas for distance and spacing. For example, when forming the letter 'f,' the upstroke must be twice the length of the downstroke. However, for a shorter letter, such as 'e,' the upstroke measures two-thirds the vertical length of the downstroke. Practice making proportionate lines and measured letters on narrowly lined paper. Turn the flat edge of your ink pen horizontally on the upstroke of each letter. Correct pen positioning enables fluid, rhythmic writing motions without turning your pen or hand. Write in a two-beat rhythm so the first beat indicates an upstroke and the second a downstroke. Lean your hand against your pinky finger to attain this controlled, melodic wrist movement. The pinky acts like a steering paddle to your hand while writing ornamental cursive. Lift your pen only at the central baseline. Limiting your separation between pen and paper to the baseline creates uniform, flowing cursive letters with equal spacing."

Caitlin of TheRoomMom blog reports:

"At various times during the year, my students write letters using unlined school stationery. Sometimes we type the letters and run the stationery through the printer for a totally professional product, but sometimes the letters need to be handwritten for a more personal touch. When students try to handwrite lines of text on an unlined piece of paper, the words start to move down the page (or up– or become a random [zigzag] pattern). By the third line of text, there is no attempt at straight lines [anymore], and the students are just trying to get all words onto the page before they run out of space...Trace all of the lines on one piece of wide[-]ruled notebook paper with a semi-heavy black marker. Photocopy as many pages as you need. When students need to write straight lines on blank paper, place the photocopied lined paper underneath the unlined paper. As you press down to write, the lines are visible, so you have guidelines to keep your writing straight...If addressing envelopes, cover the lines on a notecard with black pen and slide the notecard inside the envelope to create guidelines for writing an address neatly and evenly. Sometimes, the envelope paper is thin enough that you do not need to make the notecard lines darker in order to see them through the front of the envelope. Hopefully, you can faintly see the notecard lines in the center of the envelope...This is one of my favorite teacher hacks that really improve the look of a finished writing assignment without creating too much work for me. And, this tip is not just for students. It is a great trick for anyone needing to write on unlined paper."

Barbra Sundquist reports:

"As a professional bio writer, I often get asked[,] '[H]ow do I write a bio when I don't have direct experience in the business?' Don't sweat it! I can tell you that your realtor bio is not necessarily JUST about your industry experience. More than anything, readers want to know that you: 1) know the local market; 2) understand the client's needs; 3) are going to work hard for them. And you can satisfy each of these criteria even if you are brand new to the real estate business...[T]alk about what your connection [is] to the community: the hidden gems you treasure, the groups you're involved with, or the networks you belong to...[It will show] that you know the local market, and the client won't care how many years of experience you have...What do people really want when they are buying or selling real estate? They want an agent who will help them meet their needs. These needs might include understanding exactly what they mean by 'cozy home', having a particular type of business style, or using the latest marketing tools...When thinking about how to write a bio, remember that the bottom line for clients is '[A]re you the right real estate agent for me?' Often this translates into 'Do I like you?' So don't forget about the personal qualities that qualify you for the job. People reading your real estate bio will feel confident knowing that you are pleasant, professional, hard-working, enthusiastic[,] and organized...[I]t makes all the difference when trying to sell yourself to show who you are and why you are enthusiastic about the topic. You don't need decades of experience and a wall of awards to write a winning real estate bio. Just show that you know the local market, understand the client's needs, and are going to work hard for them. Then you'll have a great professional bio that will be a strong part of your marketing materials."

Nancy Wagner reports:

"A dry cleaning drop-off business offers a convenience to local residents and busy professionals without burdening you with the cleaning process itself. The key to developing a successful business means you must find ways to let people know you offer drop-off services and point out how you save them time and effort. Creating a business plan helps you arrive at those answers, while also giving you a guide on how to manage your business once you open the doors...Look at the market to determine the potential business opportunity. Your market should either work or live within a few miles of your store, or your location should be near a major traffic area that people must use to commute. Determine what type of people you’ll attract to your business...Even though you won’t provide dry cleaning itself, businesses that handle cleaning are your competitors. Laundry facilities with drop-off services are also competing with you. Find out how many customers these businesses attract on a daily and weekly basis, what they charge, their opening hours and their marketing tactics. This information will help you find a competitive niche that makes your drop-off business the obvious choice to your target market...Create a relationship with a local dry cleaning facility so you can set your own prices. You’ll need a [storefront] with easy parking or a drive-up window. The inside of the store needs a large hanging area or a [conveyor] belt to hold all of the clothes that are returned clean. The space should include room to check and re-bag items returned from the cleaners. You’ll need to create a tagging system so you can match up the customer’s half of the ticket with the clean clothing. You’ll also need a cash register and a credit card system if you plan to accept payment other than cash...Explain how you plan to operate on a day-to-day basis, and include your hours of service, making them convenient for busy professionals...If you plan to hire employees, discuss the qualifications you’ll need. Explain your own background as the owner, and detail any past experience you have in opening a personal service or working with a dry cleaning company...Attracting customers requires a mix of online and offline marketing, including setting up a website and social media pages so you can let people know you provide drop-off service. The business will need signage both on the front of the store and on sandwich boards placed on the sidewalk to make people aware of your services. Include a plan for advertising in local print publications, and plan on running promotions...to drum up interest."

Joseph Guyer reports:

"Writing a comparison between two poems needn't be overly difficult if you break it down into segments beforehand. Technically speaking, to compare two poems means to find the similarities between them, but it could also mean to discuss in detail any insightful similarity or difference. Before drafting the essay, plan it out by selecting targeted points of comparison such as structure, theme and imagery and then compiling the evidence from both poems...One way to compare two poems is by examining their similar structures and explaining how the structure relates to the poems' meaning or the time period in which they were written...Looking critically at similar examples of imagery, such as birds, can be another way to compare two poems...Comparing instances of figurative language, such as metaphor, simile, personification, metonymy and synecdoche, is yet another option...One of the most frequently used methods is to compare two poems' common themes. Theme, of course, is more than just a simple topic. It is what the poet is saying about a topic."