The New Intimacy

Do you think that the Editor/Proofreading Program is Effective?

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Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by BBW Talks Toys
The problem with the 'one error, two...etc' is that there's still no way to know if it was the editor's doing or if the reviewer changed it back.
True, but the problem's the same with the current system, isn't it?

Still, reviewers changing things back is probably relatively uncommon. And assuming an editor gets several "slack" less-than-perfect votes (to account for mistake votes, reviewers changing things, etc.), it shouldn't really hurt the editor in the long run if they do a good job in general.

I think a message to editors when they get less-than-excellent votes so they can go back and double-check would be a good idea, too.
06/16/2011
Contributor: cherryredhead88 cherryredhead88
Quote:
Originally posted by Selective Sensualist
Misusing hyphens as though they are em dashes is one of the most common punctuation errors that I see, but a hyphen is not a dash!

When I see a hyphen used as though it were a dash, I change it to an em dash (from - to —). I make my dashes ... more
Thank you for those links! I will be using one of them in a workshop coming up, just letting you know. I will give credit where it is due! Great sites!
06/16/2011
Contributor: aliceinthehole aliceinthehole
Quote:
Originally posted by Owl Identified
Some things can slip by - for example, I might overlook "I would recommended it" if I read quickly. Overall the program seems to save Edenfantasys staff time and the company money, but maybe editors need to slow down a bit! I think the lock ... more
'point farming.' cute way to put it... and a very accurate term!


ps your profile pic is uber cute.
06/17/2011
Contributor: Red Vinyl Kitty Red Vinyl Kitty
Quote:
Originally posted by Sir
Why not just rate the person who edited it poorly and move on? Or email someone in the company that this person has repeatedly made mistakes so that they can be bumped?

It doesn't mean that the whole proofreading program is bad, just some ... more
I agree with this.

A LOT of times when I read a review, I find a lot of mistakes that the editor missed. They're usually simple mistakes like capitalization errors or things like that.

I just rate them however they deserve, and move on.
06/24/2011
Contributor: Alan & Michele Alan & Michele
I know that we've edited at least one review just to see that the contributor went back the same day and changed everything back after it was published. I suppose it wouldn't be fair if the contributors *weren't* allowed to make changes after a review was published, but it would be nice if the editor's name dropped off of it at that point so that any new mistakes wouldn't be blamed on them.
07/01/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by Alan & Michele
I know that we've edited at least one review just to see that the contributor went back the same day and changed everything back after it was published. I suppose it wouldn't be fair if the contributors *weren't* allowed to make changes ... more
Or even a note in the editor's box stating that the review has been altered by the reviewer after editing.
07/01/2011
Contributor: Ms. Spice Ms. Spice
if you read some reviews before the program, you begin to appreciate how much it has helped the community. i think a crash course in grammar/spelling would be grand, but overall, I am incredibly grateful we have it.

overall, I think as long as people understand if the product is worth buying or not, and can properly support themselves with facts/ experience, I think the reviewer is successful. being too nitpicky (sp?) will drive away good reviewers who may struggle w/ minute details but can provide a good review otherwise
07/01/2011
Contributor: BBW Talks Toys BBW Talks Toys
Quote:
Originally posted by Ms. Spice
if you read some reviews before the program, you begin to appreciate how much it has helped the community. i think a crash course in grammar/spelling would be grand, but overall, I am incredibly grateful we have it.

overall, I think as long as ... more
There was just a workshop on grammar (pardon me for not linking but I haven't had my coffee yet and I just woke up) this week.
07/01/2011
Contributor: Red Vinyl Kitty Red Vinyl Kitty
Quote:
Originally posted by Alan & Michele
I know that we've edited at least one review just to see that the contributor went back the same day and changed everything back after it was published. I suppose it wouldn't be fair if the contributors *weren't* allowed to make changes ... more
That makes a lot of sense to me.
07/01/2011
Contributor: cherryredhead88 cherryredhead88
Quote:
Originally posted by Ms. Spice
if you read some reviews before the program, you begin to appreciate how much it has helped the community. i think a crash course in grammar/spelling would be grand, but overall, I am incredibly grateful we have it.

overall, I think as long as ... more
Here is the grammar workshop that we had on Wednesday night, it has a lot of useful links and information in it. Stop and by and check it out if you would like!
07/01/2011
Contributor: Ms. Spice Ms. Spice
Quote:
Originally posted by cherryredhead88
Here is the grammar workshop that we had on Wednesday night, it has a lot of useful links and information in it. Stop and by and check it out if you would like!
thanks cherry and BBW! def going to take a gander at it
07/01/2011
Contributor: Dusk Dusk
I've seen so many terrible errors in reviews I read today, both those edited by people in the program and those published by high-ranking reviewers. The worst one was a review in which every "it is" contraction was "its" instead of "it's". About drove me crazy. There are also quite a few folks who need to work on the "do it well" versus "do it good" error.
07/02/2011
Contributor: Petite Valentine Petite Valentine
Quote:
Originally posted by Dusk
I've seen so many terrible errors in reviews I read today, both those edited by people in the program and those published by high-ranking reviewers. The worst one was a review in which every "it is" contraction was "its" ... more
I messaged two editors within the last two days because reviews they approved had sentences that were fragmented and made no sense. I couldn't understand it because the editors are both highly ranked individuals who normally give impeccable reviews. Maybe it's the holiday weekend (an understandable distraction) or maybe the reviewers are making changes after they're published. I don't know. And for that reason I decided to alert them to the errors rather than give poor ratings. It wouldn't be fair to the reviewer if they were penalized for a change/edit they didn't make or approve.

I really think Kindred's idea should be incorporated, have a notation appear on the review if changes are made after the editor publishes it.
07/03/2011
Contributor: lexical lexical
I just recently applied to be an editor, so fingers crossed that I get in. But I have definitely noticed that some reviews that have been "edited" are still rife with spelling and grammar mistakes...I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty, so to speak
07/11/2011
Contributor: LostBoy988 LostBoy988
Sometimes its difficult to tell how an article was adjusted.
07/24/2011
Contributor: cherryredhead88 cherryredhead88
I am starting to feel like everyone is getting really picky about editors/mentors/proofr eading/writing reviews. I am all for constructive criticism, but I feel as if these things are getting too nit picky. What happened to writing reviews for the enjoyment? Now it's as if every review is being picked apart just to find a mistake.

I'm not perfect, and I will not write perfect reviews every time. Sometimes I just don't feel as enthusiastic about a review. Does that mean it is incomprehensible? No. This isn't colliegate writing, you know.
07/25/2011
Contributor: Rossie Rossie
I think editors should at least fix the spelling errors and basic grammar mistakes before allowing the review to be published. If the editor does not even have time to do just that, then he/she should not accept the editing assignment.
07/27/2011
Contributor: oldhippy oldhippy
I know it may sound redundant, but why is it possible for the original writer to change a review that has been proofread, edited and posted. If the original writer can change ther proof read review back to what they originally wrote, then why bother to proof read them? It seems to me that the reason for proof reading is to correct errors and grammar. If the corrections are made, then the original writer can back and undo all of the work that has been done, why do it?
When I was doing proof reading and editing for a living, as part of my job, once the changes were made, the corrections were sent to the writer with suggestions on what to change and why. They were then asked to make the changes and resubmit. If they did not resubmit, it didn't get published. If they didn't make the changes, or did them improperly, they got one more chance, or they didn't get published. There was no option for them to make changes after they were published.
Seems that maybe a change like that might need to be implemented here also. Just my idea though.
09/06/2011
Contributor: Kindred Kindred
Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippy
I know it may sound redundant, but why is it possible for the original writer to change a review that has been proofread, edited and posted. If the original writer can change ther proof read review back to what they originally wrote, then why bother ... more
While I think your suggestion is worthwhile, in reality it would be difficult to implement. We do not have the necessary tools to provide comments requiring change in a review without a huge increase in work on the editors part. We only have the comment section at the end of a review, much like with a mentor. For me to note every mistake would take a huge amount of time to read the review and then provide a detailed enough comment for the reviewer to understand. It is just impractical at this time. Also, a back and forth as you suggest would require a change in how points are awarded to editors. Currently, we earn points as compensation when we edit and publish a review. If we work on a review and return it to a reviewer for changes, we have to hold onto that assignment until the reviewer responds, which prevents us from accepting another assignment, or release the review and have another editor publish it and be rewarded the points after you did the majority of the work.
09/09/2011
Contributor: Illumin8 Illumin8
I know that this question has probably been asked before, so please forgive me for asking it again. But does anyone have a rough estimate as to when the site will be accepting new editors? I in no way believe that I'm a perfect writer, but I am a writer for a local newspaper and have served in editorial positions before. I am very eager to be able to serve the EF community in this area as well, and I really believe that I could benefit the Editor/Proofreading Program.
09/10/2011
Contributor: Sunshineamine Sunshineamine
I do see some errors sometimes, but for the most part I believe the editing is alright.
09/10/2011
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Illumin8
I know that this question has probably been asked before, so please forgive me for asking it again. But does anyone have a rough estimate as to when the site will be accepting new editors? I in no way believe that I'm a perfect writer, but I am a ... more
Sammi would be the person to ask about that. At this point we don't have a definitive timeline, but applications are being accepted and being held on file. Nobody will be accepted or declined until the changes we're waiting for start to happen. You can definitely send Sammi a message with any further questions you may have
09/10/2011
Contributor: Illumin8 Illumin8
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
Sammi would be the person to ask about that. At this point we don't have a definitive timeline, but applications are being accepted and being held on file. Nobody will be accepted or declined until the changes we're waiting for start to ... more
Thanks, I'll do that!
09/10/2011
Contributor: FreedomHappens FreedomHappens
Sometimes the brain will automatically place things in places where they need to be. Then again depending on how many and how often you read something determines how many mistakes can get through. These are just somethings I notice from myself and others.
10/31/2011
Contributor: Peggi Peggi
Honestly, if there are too many errors starting off in a review, I'll just skip reading the rest. I can't stand a lot of errors in spelling, grammar and word usage.

It is true, it can be easy to miss certain things when you read quickly, but I think it needs to be an effort on both ends. The person writing the review is supposed to do their part in writing it well. Making it hard to decipher for the editor is not fair, and if I were to take a review where I had to sit there and try and make heads or tails of it, I'd politely return it to the reviewer and let them know that it needs revision. Also, I'd make a point of doing what an editor did for me once. Let them know what corrections needed to be made, so that they will know for the future.

My biggest problem is run-on sentences. At least, it was a problem.
10/31/2011
Contributor: Princess-Kayla ♥ Princess-Kayla ♥
I think the concept is good, but if they're missing big mistakes, then it doesn't really help much.
I've had some really helpful people edit my reviews though.
10/31/2011
Contributor: Kendrir Kendrir
No program is ever perfect, but the editors and proofreaders seem to do a really excellent job on the whole from what I have seen.
11/28/2011
Contributor: Cookie Monster Mike Cookie Monster Mike
Some editors pick up on certain spelling mistakes more than others. I also imagine if an editor is quickly proof-reading they could easily miss simple typos. The program seems fine right now from what I have seen simply because of the voting system, you can vote if an editor did a poor, average, or good job on editing a review.
12/19/2011
Contributor: Silverdrop Silverdrop
Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippy
I know it may sound redundant, but why is it possible for the original writer to change a review that has been proofread, edited and posted. If the original writer can change ther proof read review back to what they originally wrote, then why bother ... more
I've occasionally had things I wanted to add to a review after I've published it, based on questions asked in the comments. And I discovered in a recent one, when talking about a crop that I referred to both the stick and the hand grip as the 'handle'. That's not something that proofreading would pick up, but I was glad I could go back and fix them.
12/26/2011
Contributor: Crystal1 Crystal1
I've only edited a few reviews so far, but for me the biggest challenge has been finding a balance of making the necessary corrections without feeling like I'm over-editing or totally changing the reviewer's voice. Given that reviews are more conversational than formal, I've been trying to focus on making sure the major things are okay (sentences begin with a capital letter, no obvious spelling mistakes, sentences actually make sense, punctuation is where it should be, etc.) rather than shooting for grammatically perfect.
01/08/2012