Don't they know what semantics is? Don't they know what it does? Studies say that about 93 percent of communication is nonverbal, which is great when you're face to face but doesn't help much when you're trying to grab someone's attention from a half-page non-bleed ad placed halfway through a dentist's-office copy of Newsweek.

Words are huge. That's why I became a copywriter. I love using words and playing with words and picking the right words. I find a kind of thrill in taking something one guy says in a language that makes sense to him and translating it into the words that another person needs to hear to understand the first guy's message. That gap between message encoded and message decoded is one of my favorite places to hang out. I also love the thrill of seeing my words laid out in someone else's great design, which always makes me seem like a better writer than I really am. I guess that means I'm in the right line of work.

I take my work seriously. Myself, less seriously. I think it works out quite nicely. Have a look around and see if you agree.

Welcome, Igniters

("Igniters"? That sounds weird.) If you liked my presentation at Ignite Birmingham #3, "How to Talk to Women," you can see it again in Multimedia.