UK Copy Blog

Women in Utah May Face Prosecution Following Miscarriage

2010-03-04T02:57:00.000-08:00

Last week I read the news that the government of Utah is proposing a new law against miscarriage. The bill states that women who cause themselves to miscarry through reckless behaviour could face prosecution.

At first it struck me as risky, but surely these people had done their research? The more I look at this case, the more I think they've actually jumped into this decision way too fast, and all because it's the 'easy option'.

This legislation seems to have been prompted by the case of a young woman who paid a man to beat her, so that she would intentionally miscarry. What I want to know is why the reaction to this has been disgust and outcry, when surely it should be 'why did this happen and what can we do to stop it in the future?'. It's quite clear to me that the woman was in trouble, she really didn't want to be pregnant and because she lived in Utah (a predominantly Mormon state) she could not have an abortion.

Personally, I think Utah really need to look at what causes women to become addicted to drugs or alcohol in pregnancy, or what makes them not care for their unborn child and educate them so as to stop it happening. They also need to provide free contraception in droves to get the message across that it's not hard to use during sex and can become a way of (happy) life.

Instead, they make abortion illegal, frown upon sex before marriage (when they know it's never going to stop), and finally strip away every ounce of autonomy a prospective mother has left. Governing our actions through threatening prosecution means we don't know what's right or wrong any more. We can lean mindlessly on the law and avoid doing what the state says we are not to do, leaving the matter of parenthood out in the wilderness. Yes, these women will know it's wrong to get drunk in pregnancy, but when their baby is born will they know not to spoil him or her? "There's no legislation that says spoiling is wrong, so perhaps it's okay!"

Quite apart from that, women who miscarry quite innocently are highly likely to avoid getting the essential after care they need. Would you really go back to hospital if you faced an interrogation after losing your baby and then having to give birth to it? Many women would not, especially if they living in poverty and have other children to care for. They will be terrified of prosecution for something that wasn't their fault, and having their children taken away.

This legislation will breed fear in the innocent, and ignorance in the guilty. Please, Gary Herbert, do not sign this bill!

UK Copy Press Release Writing Hits the Papers

2010-02-10T02:37:00.000-08:00

Swansea, Wales - February 10th 2010: After 23 months of article writing and PR submission, one of South Wales' small copywriting companies has just this week begun outsourcing its press releases to newspapers. UK Copy works with companies and individuals to produce press releases specialised for and ready to submit to local and national newspapers.

To some, this news may sound like the Swansea-based company are moving away from the Online audience. This is not true, as UK Copy have simply added offline press release services to their repertoire, and are aiming to get news stories to both newspapers and the Internet at the same time, while news is still relevant. For companies with a product or service that applies both online and offline, a combined package that caters to both press markets is offered.

“The online audience and the press audience are at different points on the media spectrum.” Says Lucy Wallace, senior writer at UK Copy. “Nobody should be submitting the same press release to both, but instead they should tweak one story so it fits each format and is distributed properly. Our 'online-offline' press release writing package provides both, with a 25% discount.”

Lucy goes on to explain that Search Engine Optimisation doesn't exist in the newspapers. This means there's more freedom with vocabulary and a requirement for genuine news: “Newspapers journalists separate the wheat from the chaff themselves. Our press release writing is now aimed at professional humans rather than search engines robots; it's an exciting time.”

Having written Online content since April 2008, copywriter Lucy Wallace founded UK Copy in 2009 and began expanding the writing formats she and her small team could provide to website owners. Now that UK Copy (ukcopy.com) offers press release writing to those outside of the World Wide Web, it's hoped that the company can continue outsourcing their other services as well, such as article writing and the creation of sales copy.

Markeeting? Twarketing? I Give up...

2010-02-05T02:46:00.000-08:00

After a horribly long break, we're back with some new articles and even new services, as well as a resolve to keep posting although we know it probably won't happen. Saying that, we're always updating our twitter page (@UK_Copy) and will tweet about new blog posts. So if you don't have an RSS reader then that's the place to find us.

In fact, we've been thinking about Twitter a lot lately, and not just because we're addicted to the thing. It's an undeniably useful tool for promoting business, but for some it might not be immediately obvious how. For that reason Lucy has written a guide - a very long guide - on how to use Twitter for marketing and how not to act like a complete n00b (for lack of a clean word) while you're at it.

You can find the guide on HubPages: The MASSIVE Guide to Marketing on Twitter. Let us know what you think!

By: Twitter Buttons

Gruesome Nostalgia

2009-11-04T01:49:00.000-08:00

Do you remember Tollund Man? Perhaps you've never been introduced*. Mention him to any of my school friends and they'll coo fondly; remembering their very first secondary school history project and his decaying, doll-like body. Kids love anything gruesome. Yet, after researching him on the Internet some twelve years later, I'm starting to wonder whether Tollund Man - leathery, Scandinavian, condemned Tollund Man - actually has some ethereal quality that makes him endearing to all ages, everywhere.

It could be the mystery: this man has a name, but it's clearly not his real one. We know very little about his life, but we know so much about his death thanks to the layers of peat from the bog he was found in; his body preserved perfectly for over 2000 years.

Perhaps it's just my morbid fascination. Everyone has this kind of interest (right?), but I can't help getting drawn into events or documentation that has one vital part missing. Do ghosts exist? Who was Tollund Man and why was he in that bog? What actually happened in the Dyatlov Pass incident**? I will never stop being terrified by these stories, but I'll never stop wanting to know more, either. Tollund Man holds the same fascination as the paranormal and Dyatlov Pass, but in a far more endearing way.

To put it simply, if someone says they hate history then the great test of their conviction is to show them Tollund Man. Who can resist the satisfying details of the fact he didn't shave on the day he died? Or the fact that his heart and lungs were so well preserved, even from 2000 years ago? He was kept so perfectly in that bog that scientists even know what his last meal was, for goodness sake.

Perhaps I need a little time to 'get over' how wonderful history and science are. Or otherwise have a happy little grieve for those 2000 years that we will never see for ourselves. Well, only through Tollund Man.

*Reader, meet Tollund Man. Tollund Man, meet reader: http://www.tollundman.dk/udseende.asp

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

Revolutionising Childhood Cognition (article)

2009-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

For many decades child development experts have held the belief that children are far less intelligent than adults; that they don't understand many facets of life and are largely unaware of them too. Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Alison Gopnik, has set out to change that dated view of childhood cognition in her books 'How Babies Think' and 'The Philosophical Baby' amongst others, and it's all to do with imagination.

Alison maintains the view that babies are 'useless'. There's no doubting that the human race has the longest time from conception to a child being able to look after themselves and in an evolutionary sense that doesn't make much sense. To be able to survive better we should become independent as soon as possible, perhaps once we're weaned from our mother's milk, yet it's only 17 years later that we're considered to be capable. Alison wanted to look closer at the reasons for this and carried out experiments of infants of various ages, that went deeper into their cognition than experts had ever been before.

What Alison and various other child psychologists and researchers found was that children do think and understand complex thoughts, but they do it in a very different way to adults. Incredibly, babies have a better understanding and memory of very complex sequences of events. One experiment involved a researcher showing children a complex set of events that would turn a machine on or off. The children repeatedly followed the sequence correctly, having only been shown once and it was concluded that they don't have a full and rounded understanding of how that sequence works, but somehow their brains compute it subconsciously.

Now you're probably thinking 'why?'. From the outset it's not clear why babies need this heightened intelligence whilst everything is being done for them, but most people can relate quite closely to it. Have you ever thought, or said out loud to friends “wouldn't it be lovely to be a child again? With no cares in the world?”. Certainly most of us have. The 'useless' child isn't useless just for fun; children are actually learning very important things about the world while their parents take care of sustaining their survival, finding food, keeping them clean, etc. Toddlers of as young as 18 months are already starting to learn the difference between morality driven by empathy and morality driven by rules, and this learning can be clearly seen at a number of stages. Take a child at the 'terrible twos' stage for example. They're terrible because they do 'bad' things despite knowing their parents won't like it. To adults it seems calculated and mischievous, but the two year old has only just learned that other people are capable of different values and desires. They're testing this absurdity to try and understand it.

From studying child cognition much more closely than ever before and looking at children from a very different angle, Alison Gopnik and her team of researchers have discovered something incredible about the way that their minds work. Quite how this will affect the way that parenting and childcare evolves remains unclear, but it certainly gives us pause for thought when playing with our own children.

REFERENCES
To Be a Baby – Seed Magazine: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/to_be_a_baby/
How Babies Think by Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff and Patricia Kuhl.

PRESS RELEASES GRAB THEM BY THE BALLS!

2009-02-21T14:08:00.001-08:00

How Distributing a Quality Press Release can Boost Business Sales Tenfold

Knowing what makes your product or service sell is one thing, but knowing how to write a press release is something completely different. If you're in the know then great, get typing! Yet a lot of business owners talents lie in other areas and hiring a press release writer is a short term commitment that will result in a long term answer.

Online press releases are often quite different to those that you see in the press and other media formats. For starters if you have a story that you're worried is 'not very newsworthy' then that's no problem. With Search Engine Optimized press releases (SEO) which use key words and key phrases to get ranked highly by Google, your news can hit the first page of the World Wide Web's favourite search engine within hours. The first step to getting this kind of exposure is to find an experienced press release writer who has an understanding of the industry, a flawless grasp of the English language and most importantly a flare for web-based press creativity. A great press release writer knows that the most important part of the document is the headline and a snappy, attention grabbing title is of paramount importance.

Without going into the intricate details involved in a press release, you should consider the information that you will give your writer. Basically, choose the most news worthy pieces and any information that you might need to back them up. Provide your contact details as well as some background information on the company and a quote from a member of staff (preferably the manager or CEO).

“Business owners shouldn't worry about providing a quote” says professional press release writer Lucy Wallace, “if you give permission then they can add to and improve what you provide so that it sounds top-notch”.

So if you have some news about your business that you think the world should know then a Press Release could be just what you need. Prepare your information, let your writer know exactly what you want the press release to achieve and you're well on your way to increasing targeted traffic to your website and increased sales for your business.

A Background Check

2009-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

Amidst the press release samples and seemingly random articles which pop up on this blog I thought that I would provide you- the person who is considering hiring me, with some information about me- the person who would like to write for you.

Starting at the beginning, I was born in late 1980s southern England to a mother who was a freelance jeweller and a father who was a freelance technical author. My father in particular was, and still is very familiar with writing and the media, having worked in an Oxford publishing house in previous years.

I went through school at a satisfying pace, getting good marks along the way. Having gotten three qualifications at A level I decided to move to Wales and pursue a degree in Psychology and Philosophy. It was when I reached my second year that I realised this degree was most certainly not for me. For a while I struggled between trying to keep up with my course and deciding whether to give it up for a career in childcare, when shortly afterwards a friend very kindly introduced me to freelance writing.

Since that day I've been writing for clients globally, including the creative media agency Angry Ant Media. One day, I applied for a job writing press releases. I have to admit at this point I had no idea what a press release was but I was determined to try writing in every different format and on every different niche to find out what I was best at. I threw myself at the project and came off with only minor injuries. Overall it was a success and to this day I am writing Press Releases, improving ALL the time. I've learnt that there is an incredible amount to be learned about the media and the press, not to mention how these things work online.

So I have come to the present day, where I hesitate to say I'm standing but rather moving forward towards being a better Press writer and fulfilling my ultimate goal of simply being content. No pun intended.

How to Host a Kid's Party (for ages 3 to 6)

2009-01-31T05:41:00.000-08:00

Okay so holding a kid's party isn't quite like organizing a Royal wedding but you still want the day to run smoothly. Kids can be pretty unpredictable so you need to know how to prepare for every eventuality...

Firstly, if you want a theme for the party then make it simple. Something like 'animals from kids movies of '93 to '99 is far too specific and the guests just won't bother. Remember that it's not the kids making the costumes and some parents are horrendously busy. Themes like 'Cowboys and Fairies', 'Pirates' or 'Fairy Tales' are all perfect as almost any parent has a checked neckerchief and a cowboy hat or a pair of white leggings and face paints.

Secondly, plan it well in advance. Kids always want to know that you've got their party sorted so they are free to build up excitement at school or nursery. It's a good idea to get the guest list sorted as soon as possible and make sure your kids know that the decisions on guests are final. If there are any fallings-out between children then they know that they should kiss and make up before the big day. Setting a date around 2 or 3 months in advance is perfect for parents with busy schedules.

You'll also need to have a set plan for the day, unless you're planning a huge attraction like a bouncy castle. There's nothing worse than inviting 10 or 20 children to your house (or even worse to someone else's venue), not having anything for them to do and watching them run around wrecking everything. Have them come in and sit down for some calm party games, followed by some more energetic ones before the food. After they've eaten carry on with something calmer like watching a movie, pass the parcel or playing with the presents, then bring on the cake and candles and it's home-time again.

Have something for the parents. Kids love to carry on playing once their parents arrive and have a natter with the other adults and you should be prepared for some adults who love a good chin-wag too. This doesn't involve much; just enough chairs for people to sit down, some tea and coffee, possibly beer and wine and some nibbles.

Finally, remember to get party bags with a couple of toys and cake to send home with the kids at a specific time. Whether this time gets stuck to or not isn't that important as you should have booked the whole day off for the party (you will all be tired afterwards!). If you're stuck for things to put in the party bags then try melting the odds and ends of crayons in the oven to make crayon buttons (there are plenty of tutorials online) home-made soaps, mini fairy cakes or buying things like whistles, toy cars, colourful stationary, bottles of bubbles and kid's jewellery.

The 5 Golden Rules of Early Rising (article)

2009-01-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

We have all woken up at 6am one sunny Spring morning and thought 'This is easy', yet most people who try and keep it up just fail miserably.

It's not just an eager attitude you need for success in rising early, there are a number of factors to consider and ideas to implement in your routine...

1. The Clue is in the Introduction
Routine, routine, routine! If you go to bed one night at 9pm of course you'll wake up early, but the next night going to bed at midnight having polished off a bottle of wine gives you no chance. Set a specific time to go to bed (which corresponds with the amount of hours sleep you need each night to feel refreshed), don't eat too much before you go and set an alarm for exactly the same (early!) time each morning.

2. Get up, Stand up
The second you wake up or hear your alarm going off just jump right out of bed. It helps to tell yourself not to turn off the alarm until you're standing up and it works even better if you put the alarm on the other side of the room. After this, walk right out of the door away from your bed and don't look back. You don't have to skip gleefully- crawl if you have to, but just get away from temptation!

3. Have a Reason to Get up Early
It's best if your reason is personal and not something you'll end up resenting (e.g. 'I need to get up early to get into work before my boss'). There's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy getting up early too. If you enjoy exercise then make time for it each morning and make this your reason. Perhaps you love food and would like to take your own meal to work each day? Wake up early and do it! Spend time with the kids, watch TV, read books, meditate etc. etc.

4. Keep a Reminder
If you're a fitness nut then buying a great new pair of trainers or having freshly washed gym clothes hanging on your wardrobe door is a good incentive. The key is to balance out the doubts in your mind when you're lying in your comfy warm bed. The foremost doubt is guaranteed to be 'if I get up I'll be cold and tired'. If you balance that with 'if I DON'T get up then I can't wear those lovely new gym shoes right in front of me' then you're more likely to do it, right?

5. Sleep Hygienically
Sleep hygiene means having a quiet sleeping environment which is comfy, uninterrupted and at the right temperature. Don't have the TV or your computer on for company when you fall asleep, as tempting as that might be. Instead, try having the radio on very quietly or a relaxing CD that will end in an hour or so.

Some of these tips may easier said than done when regarding your personal situation, but try and follow them as closely as you can, add a generous dollop of determination and you're guaranteed to get there.

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE

2008-11-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Please take into consideration that this is a sample press release, indicative of the style I write in and the tone and doesn't report any 'news' as such.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: L Wallace
Company Name: UK Copy
Address: Swansea, UK
Email: lucy@ukcopy.com
Website: http://www.ukcopy.com
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Low Online Business Sales: New UK Copywriter On Web Marketing Scene
Professional Copywriter Lucy Wallace Offers a Solution to Shoddy Website Content

Swansea, UK - November 20th 2008: In the run up to the peak of the credit crunch and the difficulty of getting through Christmas during an economic crash, businesses are advertising via the internet, on individual websites and through affiliate links in the hope to boost sales. However many of these websites are presented with what has been deemed 'poor quality' content.

As Christmas draws nearer website owners are desperate to spruce up the text on their pages, to make it easier to read and to get their point across concisely. This involves a copywriter with talent and the ability to understand the subject and it is copywriters like Lucy Wallace from Swansea, UK who feel they are able to help.

"The demand for knowledge and information doesn't just come from desire" comments Lucy; "it comes from a global need to keep up to date on what's happenning, where we are and where we're heading".

Lucy Wallace, aged 21, began writing professionally in April 2008 for esteemed creative media agency Angry Ant Media. She then went on to develop skills writing on a number of subjects and in a number of formats (including Press Release writing, search engine optimised article writing, first person review writing and blog posting). She believes that the money lies in good content, placed on user friendly websites which rank highly in the search engines, and without decent content the business is bound to suffer a loss in sales.

As the economic downfall envelopes the planet in an unsavoury and increasingly worrying fashion, business are seeing that they don't have to suffer losses if they market their product/service in the right places and well. Freelance UK copywriter Lucy Wallace has put herself on call to provide good content for business marketing websites and hopefully see them through the crunch.
____________________________________________________________________
UK Copy
Swansea, UK

http://www.ukcopy.com

Grippity Great or Grippity Ghastly? (Blog Post)

2008-11-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

So it looks like the innovative yet bizarre Grippity back-typing keyboard is almost upon us, in all its terrifyingly weird glory. Is this what the future holds? Bizarre keyboards which require even more effort to use as you have to hold them off the desk? It looks like the answer to that question is yes.

Ok so the keyboard is useful for when you're on the move and perhaps one day it'll be integrated into small-sized laptops for portable functionality. That's where the product will really shine and to be honest, while I might bash it, it's actually a freakin' great idea. The more you look at it the more it grows on you (after that initial shock akin to finding a huge spider next to the toilet of course).

I think what I like about it the most is that it's almost typewriter-esque and a little 1980s. It's almost kitsch before it's even been released (which, by the way, should be in about half a year's time). Yet unfortunately the chances of it being retailed at a price low enough for anyone to bother to buy it straight away are slim. If you love it that much, go for it, but I'm not overly fussed.

MAXIS Fans on Tenterhooks Waiting for Sims 3 2009 Release

2008-10-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Electronic Arts subsidiary company Maxis welcomes back fans to embark on a brand new take on life simulation in 2009. The Sims 3; a graphically superior sequel to Will Wright’s ‘The Sims’ and ‘The Sims 2’ is set to be released within the next fiscal year.

So what makes the Sims 3 so different to its predecessors? Not only have the graphics improved but game play has also been dramatically altered. To start off, the Create-A-Sim function now allows players to assign ‘personality traits’ to their Sims, such as ‘kleptomania’ or ‘easily bored’ and the character will express these traits in their autonomous behaviours during game play. Moving forward, each neighborhood is open-plan, which means that game play is faster and without load screens i.e. the player follows their character as they walk from house to house.

The Sims 3 is expected to sell well over 1 million copies in its first year, bringing existing fans and new players the chance to create their own family and control every aspect of their lives. This new release is just the latest instalment in what has become one of the largest gaming franchises the world has seen, spanning an audience in 22 countries, across all ages and both genders.

Nobody knows for sure the exact date that the Sims 3 will be released. Maxis have simply told us that it will be in the 2009 fiscal year. The word on everyone's lips seems to be that however long it takes, it will be worth the wait.

Lucy Wallace's Sweet Potato with Cheese and Broccoli Sauce

2008-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Lucy Wallace's Sweet Potato with Cheese and Broccoli Sauce
A couple of weeks ago in a desperate attempt to find something nutritious for lunch I bought a sweet potato. I wasn't thinking what I'd do with it and just resigned myself to the fact that if nothing popped up of its own accord, I'd eat it plain.
Of course when the day came I didn't much fancy that and set about making something simple from scratch to go with my oddly shaped bright-orange veg. I find sweet potatoes can be a little bland so the rich cheese sauce really brings out its sweet flavour. The broccoli is optional but I find it brings the dish together. (Recipe serves one)

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato
1 tbsp olive oil
Tin foil
1 tbsp butter
100g grated cheese (mature cheddar is best)
50ml double cream
Broccoli (however much; I used about 5 branches)
Seasoning (salt, pepper and dried coriander)
Garlic (1 clove, crushed or 1tsp garlic paste)

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC (gas mark 6).

Wash sweet potato and place on a square piece of tin foil. Cover with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap the foil around it loosely. Place in the middle shelf of the oven.

Leave potato cooking for 45 minutes and then bring a saucepan of water to the boil for the broccoli (add a pinch of salt if you want this to happen quickly). Once boiling turn down the heat to simmer and add the broccoli.

Leave broccoli simmering for 10 minutes and then melt butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the cheese, garlic, coriander and give it a quick mix before pouring in the cream.

Stir sauce occasionally until it goes thick. Meanwhile, take the potato out of the oven, place it on your plate and slice it long-ways down the middle. Add a bit of butter to flavour, drain the broccoli and place it in the potato. Finally, simply pour the cheese sauce over the top and serve!