If you’ve ever wondered where place names come from, there’s a new atlas that could be right up your street – whether you live in Choked Pool, Swampy Hole or Stink Onion for that matter.

Created by German company Kalimedia, the Atlas of True Names replaces existing place names with their etymological origins. The results are somewhat perplexing – especially if you happen to hail from one of the UK’s less fortunately named towns.

Choked Pool for example, is apparently the original meaning of Liverpool. While the name ‘Slough’, originates from Swampy Hole.

Other names merely intrigue such as Hillfort for London and Slopecastle for Edinburgh. Great Britain itself has the proud meaning of ‘The Great Land of the Tattooed.’

There are two True Name Atlases available – one that covers Europe and one for the world. So whether you live in Stink Onion (Chicago) or Dominate the East (Vladivostock), there’s something here for everyone.

www.outstandingmd.co.uk/truenames/index.shtml

There’s a new punctuation mark in town. The SarcMark is the brainchild of US based company Sarcasm, Inc. Its purpose, as the name suggests, is to show sarcasm in the written word. The question is, do we need it?

The SarcMark is in a similar category to the smiley – that ‘handy’ little device that can make even the most serious of messages sound jolly (ie, we regret to inform you that your account is in arrears ☺). 

But is this good writing, or the end of the English language as we know it? After all, the written word and – indeed satire – has been around for a long time without needing to resort to new punctuation marks to get the meaning across. Surely it’s a matter of subtlety, nuance and carefully crafted words – the stuff of great literature!

Well, maybe. But we live in a world of quick-fix texts and rushed emails sent from the train. For many, life revolves around hurriedly tapped-out missives and most people don’t have the time to think long and hard about every word. And we all know the feeling of writing an email that was intended to be warm and friendly but was horribly misconstrued by the recipient.

So while the important things we write – to customers, clients, colleagues – really should be carefully pondered and perfectly executed – for the day-to-day functional stuff, maybe a new punctuation mark would be handy. No really ;-)

Find out more about the SarcMark here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/jan/20/rise-of-the-sarcmark

Tone of voice: myths & mangoes
It goes without saying, most businesses want to sound friendly, approachable and likeable. Who wouldn’t? But when it comes to tone of voice, just writing in the ‘Innocent’ voice is no longer enough. The best brands have forged their own style; a style which is original, distinctive and not at all fruity.

These are our top five tips for building a solid tone of voice:

1. Live your values
The reason some brands have such a strong and consistent tone of voice is because their language is an extension of their brand values. Businesses like Virgin, Honda and Mal Maison have a clear set of values that underpin everything they do – and their words are just an extension of this.

2. Be confident
Too many brands water down their voice, paring it back until it sounds so safe that it’s virtually indistinguishable from their competitors. The most memorable companies have courage, confidence and the drive to develop a clear tone of voice, and follow it through.

3. Be consistent
With so many people generating so many communications, it’s no wonder many businesses have an inconsistent tone of voice. The key here is to make sure your in-house writers and agencies have a clear understanding of your brand’s language. This could be a short set of practical guidelines, a workshop or even an in-house brand language guardian.    

4. Get into character
It may help to think about your brand as a famous personality – someone who shares your values and would appeal to your audience. We’ve had clients mention Richard Attenborough, Roger Moore, even Ben Fogle. Whoever it is, having a well-known voice in your head can make it easier to bring life to your writing.

5. Flex to suit your audience
Of course, it’s important that you have a clear tone of voice in mind, but you should always have space to flex within this and adapt your voice for your audience. Just as your voice would change when talking to a client, a best mate, a member of family, your businesses voice should shift too.