Meet Julie: My 4th Grade English Teacher

For the last week and a half, we have been introducing our blog readers to the staff at Boxless Media. They have taken the reigns and published a story about an important trend in social or why they love social media. Today, I would like to introduce you to someone who is not a staff member but has been an important influence, Mrs. Julie Powers-Fitzgerald, my fourth grade English teacher. Please note that for the graphic above, I used a photo of Ann Margret because I could not find one of Mrs. Powers.

Mrs. Powers-Fitzgerald taught me English in the fourth and seventh grades. I don’t know if I was the best of students, but I do know she taught me something very important. She taught us that the written word was very powerful and if you want to be successful in life, you must learn how to write well. From hanging participles to parenthetical phrases, we learned proper grammar.

Why am I talking about my fourth grade teacher and grammar in a social media blog? I have dedicated this post to the importance of writing skills. When hiring a new employee here at Boxless Media, the first thing I look at is their writing. If there is a misspelling or grammar mistake in their cover letter or resume, I typically toss it. Writing is that important. I expect my employees to be articulate in writing business emails, tweets, social media posts, and long form articles.

When I first started my blog, I wrote two articles identifying some of the most common grammar mistakes made by writers. I encourage you to check them out using the links below.

• Grammar Tips and Clarifications for Online Writers
• Grammar Tips and Clarifications for Online Writers 2.0: Commonly Misused Word Sets

Writing is one of the most critical skills required to be an effective social media marketer. Learning to write is a lifelong process. It should not end in school but should instead be refined as you grow as a professional.