Our E-Commerce department recently relocated to a new (to us) part of the company and for the first time, all of us sit in the same general area. Being the creative bunch that we are, it was only a matter of time before we gave the new office our special, personal touch.

Enter Wordles.

A while ago, a friend told me about an awesome (and free – so double awesome) word cloud generator called Wordle. Located at wordle.net, Wordle enables users to enter a block of text and it then generates a “word cloud” – a random arrangement of the words entered. Once the basic cloud of words is created, users can play with different fonts, colors, and word arrangements. Wordle also takes into account the size of particular words so users can weight certain words by typing them into their text block more often. What is potentially the best part though is that Wordle allows users to save and print their word cloud creations for free, opening up a realm of creative possibilities.

We decided to spend a slow afternoon making our own Wordles. Everyone in our department typed up their block of text and changed the Wordle variables to their liking. We then had one of our graphic designers save the Wordles as .pdf files and print them off on our color printer. Add some inexpensive frames we recycled from an earlier project, and voila – our Wordles became personalized pieces of artwork. We decided to hang them all on the same wall, signifying our group unity as well as the individuality that we bring to the team.

To make your own Wordle, visit wordle.net. If you catch the custom bug and want to design all sorts of other personalized items, visit PrintMyThing.com and PrintMyRibbon.com.

I was having a conversation with my coworker Kim and I casually used the word “expository” in a sentence. Unfamiliar with this word, she genuinely responded, “What? Why would I do that?” At this point, I realized that Kim had confused the word “expository” with “suppository,” thus confusing my request for a formal essay with an enema.

So then we got to thinking. As a copywriter and English degree holder, I’m known around the office as a bit of a word nerd. Our social networking mastermind asked me to explore my verbal passion by writing a blog category about rarely used words and their meanings. I’ll select a word, drop it into casual office conversations, and blog about the results. We’ll expand our vocabulary, have fun with words, and hopefully be entertained in the process. I hope you find enjoyment, delight, and most importantly, delectation.

ex-pos-i-to-ry* [ik-spoz-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective: of the nature of exposition; serving to expound, set forth, or explain.
sup-pos-i-to-ry* [sə-pŏz'ĭ-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē], noun: a small plug of medication designed to melt at body temperature within a body cavity other than the mouth.