San Francisco Bay Area freelance writer
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A Content Writer Praises AI (That's Right)
Yes, it's tremendous technology. I confess, I use it all the time.
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"Hypocrite! Liar! "
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Not at all.
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I use AI to help me research and search. It's great at breaking large tasks into smaller ones, or finding diverse views on a certain subject. I can type in a poorly-written paragraph (poorly written by a human, I mean, which is why so many humans seem to think AI is so great at writing: they can't write themselves) into Perplexity and ask it to explain or simplify, and it does. Beautifully.
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​Mostly I use it as a sort of Google on steroids. With Google, I enter a search term or ask a question and (if I'm lucky) it gives me a bunch of relevant links that tend to be all over the place, which I then have to examine one by one to form a coherent view of whatever my subject is.
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AI does that for me.
It massages a tremendous amount of data together and shows me, in seconds, a summary, a synthesis, a synopsis. (Sorry, I love alliteration.) An automated process, as another person has called it, without the alliteration. It puts a lot of information together and presents it elegantly, at lightning speed.
But it's not "intelligent." It's not independent. It can't think on its own. It can't come up with the point of view I'm taking right now and write these words. Sure, it can create a nicely-written summary, but I have to put something in the front end for its results to come out the back end.
AI can definitely do some mechanical tasks—once someone sets it up—but it can't seize the initiative and figure out on its own the task needs doing.
But it's not going to replace ten fingers and gray matter. It might write a scene in the style of Shakespeare (well, no it really can't, yet, but let's pretend). But it cannot create an original work on its own from its own experiences, because it only has our experiences under its belt, and not even all of that.
So long live Artificial Intelligence! But don't expect it to, well, live up to its name, or the second word of it, at least.
For that, you need me.
Services
Twenty years in the San Francisco Bay Area media scene translates to multifaceted capabilities. Here's some of what I can do for you:
Business Writing
You understand your business. But you need to talk about it the way customers understand it. That's where I come in. My journalism background combined with advertising experience means I can inform and entice in equal measure. With flawless editing.
Blogging & Social Media
Most business' social media is not very good. It all looks alike, and it's all sell and no social. Postings have no personality. People follow sites that are interesting, not sites that sell. I'll show you how to make your site one people return to and rely on for their needs.
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Content Positioning
There are all sorts of ways to up your page ranking on Google and elsewhere, increasing the number of people who make it all the way to your CTA—and return again for more. I know SEO and keywords and page optimization. Note I said keywords, not keyword-stuffing, which you never want to do..
Video scripting
For years my job was to write scripts for television anchors and reporters, and assembled "packages" (news reports) for anchors to record or read on-air. I use pacing, references to visuals, and short, crisp sentences to turn complex ideas into easily-digestible information
Ebooks
Ebooks are often the quickest, easiest way to offer value to clients. "But how do I write ebooks?" You don't. I do it for you, with my expertise in both copy and layout. Ebooks are superb sales and promotional tools; their contents can be broken down for other uses. In short, they repay you again and again. ​
Strategizing
My favorite. Looking for fresh ideas, a new direction? We do more in advertising than just invent snappy slogans. (Really we do.) During my ad agency days I helped a number of clients find new directions, and won much new business because I understand strategy.
Great companies I've worked with
Let's chat
Send me an email describing your needs. (Check your spam folder or the obituaries if you don't hear back within 24 hours.) Or call me at 925.744.0279. We can schedule a time to meet either in person, if that's feasible, or online, so that I can learn all about you and your needs.
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