Proofreadingfilter - how to mark up web pages?
August 8, 2013 2:22 PM Subscribe
Hi folks, I'm a proofreader and I've been working almost exclusively in print for the last ten years or so. However, the inevitable has happened and my squad is being asked to integrate into a pre-existing digital workflow that hasn't previously had any external quality control. Any tips on how to make this easier for everybody involved?
The currently sketchy plan is to check the copy twice; once as a Word doc before the copy is entered into a CMS, and once after the page has been cobbled together and published to a staging server. Now, marking up the Word documents should be no problem - use track changes or pen on a printout. It's the stuff that's at staging that worries me. In the past, we've raised a Word document and tried to be descriptive (which worked okay but is pretty time-consuming) or scribbled on screen grabs, but I'm curious as to whether there's a better way to provide amends using online tools. The range of computer literacy in my team ranges from not particularly interested to fairly savvy, though I'm expecting a bit of resistance to moving away from paper. I'm not a fan of the hovering art director school of making amends and making the changes ourselves is not an option. So, fellow proofreaders, what tools should we be using to mark up web pages? Pen and paper, descriptive amends sheets, export to PDF and mark up in Acrobat, or use browser extensions like Bounce or Markup? Digital content producers, how would you prefer to receive amends on live documents? All suggestions gratefully received.
The currently sketchy plan is to check the copy twice; once as a Word doc before the copy is entered into a CMS, and once after the page has been cobbled together and published to a staging server. Now, marking up the Word documents should be no problem - use track changes or pen on a printout. It's the stuff that's at staging that worries me. In the past, we've raised a Word document and tried to be descriptive (which worked okay but is pretty time-consuming) or scribbled on screen grabs, but I'm curious as to whether there's a better way to provide amends using online tools. The range of computer literacy in my team ranges from not particularly interested to fairly savvy, though I'm expecting a bit of resistance to moving away from paper. I'm not a fan of the hovering art director school of making amends and making the changes ourselves is not an option. So, fellow proofreaders, what tools should we be using to mark up web pages? Pen and paper, descriptive amends sheets, export to PDF and mark up in Acrobat, or use browser extensions like Bounce or Markup? Digital content producers, how would you prefer to receive amends on live documents? All suggestions gratefully received.
Best answer: I was proofing online content several years ago, so tools may have improved since then, but I do think it's important that at least one round of proofing (and preferably both an early round and the final round) be done on paper. It's much much easier to miss errors on a screen, no matter what program you're using, than on paper.
My company did Word docs proofed on paper, then screen grabs. When sending changes to the off-site graphic designer, I just got very specific about where the problem was (e.g., "ABOUT page, third paragraph, first sentence, seventh word: Typo, "a" should be "i" in "definite"). It's enough of a pain that it'll give you incentive to get the proofing right earlier in the process!
posted by jaguar at 2:34 PM on August 8, 2013 [4 favorites]
My company did Word docs proofed on paper, then screen grabs. When sending changes to the off-site graphic designer, I just got very specific about where the problem was (e.g., "ABOUT page, third paragraph, first sentence, seventh word: Typo, "a" should be "i" in "definite"). It's enough of a pain that it'll give you incentive to get the proofing right earlier in the process!
posted by jaguar at 2:34 PM on August 8, 2013 [4 favorites]
I've used Clarify It for similar-but-not-quite-the-same purposes, might be worth a look.
posted by toomuchpete at 3:02 PM on August 8, 2013
posted by toomuchpete at 3:02 PM on August 8, 2013
Best answer: I'm a digital producer/editor/writer and I (and my clients) use a combo of a Word doc with track changes before dumping into the CMS (as you note above) + a scan (PDF) of a hand-marked-up page, with any additional comments or longer explanations noted via the Acrobat/Reader/Preview "comment/note" feature.
I know it seems crazy that we would still rely on pages marked up by hand, but it still seems the fastest, most accurate way to capture all edits (at least in my world. YMMV, obvs.)
posted by hapax_legomenon at 3:03 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know it seems crazy that we would still rely on pages marked up by hand, but it still seems the fastest, most accurate way to capture all edits (at least in my world. YMMV, obvs.)
posted by hapax_legomenon at 3:03 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's been a while since I did this, but I have sent emails re: webpage changes that ran something like this:
http://www.foopage.foo
1. Paragraph 2, sentence 3: Change double quotes to single quotes.
2. P2, s3: Change "musk ox" to "muskrat"
http://www.foo2.foo
1. P1, s1: Italicize "drummer" and "felony."
2. P1, s2: Change "tangy" to "tango."
I might use "line" instead of "sentence" in situations where that is more clear.
My experience in the area is minimal, and I'm sure there are better ideas out there. OTOH, people always knew what I meant.
posted by bunderful at 4:26 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
http://www.foopage.foo
1. Paragraph 2, sentence 3: Change double quotes to single quotes.
2. P2, s3: Change "musk ox" to "muskrat"
http://www.foo2.foo
1. P1, s1: Italicize "drummer" and "felony."
2. P1, s2: Change "tangy" to "tango."
I might use "line" instead of "sentence" in situations where that is more clear.
My experience in the area is minimal, and I'm sure there are better ideas out there. OTOH, people always knew what I meant.
posted by bunderful at 4:26 PM on August 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ugh, I totally feel you. I am often giving direction to make changes to webapps and software. If it's simple I'll just do what bunderful recommends. If it's more complex I'll take screenshots and make edits on them with Jing.
posted by radioamy at 6:42 PM on August 8, 2013
posted by radioamy at 6:42 PM on August 8, 2013
Yes yes yes, the last pass should really be done on paper if at all possible. Once you've marked up with Track Changes and they've made the changes you suggest (or registered their dislike), make sure the last pass is on paper and you make the final changes, so as not to enter any errors into the final draft.
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:48 PM on August 8, 2013
posted by fiercecupcake at 8:48 PM on August 8, 2013
If you do last pass on paper (so simple and provides good tracking of how many pages/amends for metrics), can one of the savvier members of the team do a triage meeting with one of the people responsible for pushing changes to the staging server and resolve them that way?
Guarantees accountability and accuracy, and then no time is wasted re-typing or going back and forth - you have the sheaf of corrections, they have the power to commit change.
Since it's second pass, there should be a dealable amount per release.
Parsing from fancy mark-up scrapes can actually be more tedious and time-consuming than this simple workflow, but would be my second choice if it's not possible.
posted by batmonkey at 10:27 PM on August 8, 2013
Guarantees accountability and accuracy, and then no time is wasted re-typing or going back and forth - you have the sheaf of corrections, they have the power to commit change.
Since it's second pass, there should be a dealable amount per release.
Parsing from fancy mark-up scrapes can actually be more tedious and time-consuming than this simple workflow, but would be my second choice if it's not possible.
posted by batmonkey at 10:27 PM on August 8, 2013
Paper is definitely the most straightforward way to go. But it's not always the most workable.
You might want to try Draft, which is designed to make proofing and editing in a digital environment much simpler. There's also a Chrome add-on that lets you use it for any text field. It also supports multi-user editing, comments, strong version control, Markdown, and cross-platform syncing with things like Google Docs and Dropbox. You can also publish directly to any number of platforms with webhooks. Most importantly, it displays changes from anyone who isn't the document creator as suggested edits, clearly highlighted and easily merged.
If your team is still in the process of integrating and nothing is set in stone yet, you might want to conduct a thorough process review to see if anything can be streamlined further. Word, for example, isn't exactly the most web-friendly of tools. You may be better served by using a purpose-designed application, depending on your content creation processes and how multimedia-heavy it is.
posted by chaosys at 2:35 PM on August 9, 2013
You might want to try Draft, which is designed to make proofing and editing in a digital environment much simpler. There's also a Chrome add-on that lets you use it for any text field. It also supports multi-user editing, comments, strong version control, Markdown, and cross-platform syncing with things like Google Docs and Dropbox. You can also publish directly to any number of platforms with webhooks. Most importantly, it displays changes from anyone who isn't the document creator as suggested edits, clearly highlighted and easily merged.
If your team is still in the process of integrating and nothing is set in stone yet, you might want to conduct a thorough process review to see if anything can be streamlined further. Word, for example, isn't exactly the most web-friendly of tools. You may be better served by using a purpose-designed application, depending on your content creation processes and how multimedia-heavy it is.
posted by chaosys at 2:35 PM on August 9, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the help folks, fist bumps all 'round. We've decided to stick with paper or track changes for the first draft and the descriptive amends sheet with back-up screengrabs for the online portion and see how things go.
posted by peteyjlawson at 11:56 AM on August 11, 2013
posted by peteyjlawson at 11:56 AM on August 11, 2013
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posted by rada at 2:32 PM on August 8, 2013