For all the wonders and new forms of communication enabled by the Internet, one area that seems to have suffered is the English language. Tweets need to be short and sweet not grammatically correct. As do text messages and about every other form of communication that seems to have take over long form letter writing. Until teachers take their red pens to Facebook walls, Mignon Fogarty fights against rapidly spreading grammar ignorance.
Fogarty is the creator of the Quick and Dirty tips podcast network and the brains behind the Grammar Girl podcast. Since 2006, Fogarty has provided short and simple tips to improve writing. Podcasts might include grammar rules or word choice guidelines that seem to befuddle even the best writers from time to time. The idea of creating a blog to cover something as seemingly mundane as grammar led to great success for Fogarty. Her blog morphed into a book, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. The free podcast has been the force that drives her book sales.
Fogarty was able to sell her book to publishers because she already had a built in audience. She had thousands of followers via Facebook and Twitter, and these followers provided her with an able test audience. Fogarty knew within minutes if her posts were popular.
The Grammar Girl podcasts have been downloaded more than 20 million times. Fogarty has appeared on Oprah and has been featured on the pages of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Her tips are not secrets or anything revolutionary, but by using the Internet and the blogosphere, Fogarty has found a successful way to communicate with her niche audience. Rather than hyping her product or a trying to sell herself, Fogarty used a popular information show to brand herself as an expert and someone worth doing business with.