Writer to the World is the blog of professional writer and entrepreneur, Brian J. O’Malley. The purpose at Writer to the World is to help people understand the art and science of communication and each other.

Brian J. O'Malley
Brian J. O’Malley

My expertise is communications, and by extension, the human being. There is little point in communicating anything if one doesn’t understand the audience. The very first requirement of a communicator is to have a deep empathy and abiding respect for the people who receive the message.

The common denominator of every medium of communications is the written word. It’s a relatively rare case that an objective communication takes place without words of any kind. I’ve devoted more than two decades to understanding the nuances and shades of meaning imbued in words, sentences and message structure. I’m quite certain I’ll never reach the end of my lessons in this field that I enjoy so very much.

I’ve been a student of psychology and neurology since my college days, because a communicator’s battle is fought in the collective mind of the audience. Understanding how an audience member stores, organizes and recalls information is an essential requirement of the communicator’s job.

Too many still believe that simply presenting information is sufficient to be understood, and that’s why there are so many ineffective communications in the world. Microsoft could probably save billions of dollars in support personnel costs if they simply hired true professionals to design and write their documentation manuals. Instead the company inadvertently created a sub-industry of professionals who sell their work in the bookstores, and Microsoft is left to absorb the costs of those who either don’t have access or refuse to buy those retail offerings.

I maintain a very healthy respect for the use of graphics, video and musical audio. I’ve produced many videos during my career, and I know the professional application of lighting, colors and sound carry weighty communications value that can trigger emotional responses in the audience. When combined with the juxtaposition of scenes and quality editing, meaning can be encoded without the use of words, and that’s something to be deeply appreciated.

I first started producing websites in 1994. That was an exciting time of great exploration that was often restricted by available technology. Web 2.0 has changed much, but I suspect the pattern that manifested during the first phase of the Internet will likely repeat itself. There seems to be a self-organizing principle in play when it comes to the world’s attention, and that’s probably a very positive thing.

The most important thing to know about me and my site is that I respect my audience – the world. It’s a humbling and awesome responsibility to reach millions of people around the globe with ideas that hopefully benefit them. I take the charge very seriously as I do with all my projects. Communications is part art, part science and all heart, or it’s nothing at all.