Miss Pellings Loosing Sails?
OnlineProofreaders help those in a hurry to capture ideas
Every couple weeks I get an email from my mother telling me of some typo she happened to catch on my website or blog. Unfortunately, it's usually in an entry dedicated to professional image, or double-checking facts, etc. I blush at those obvious flubs -- let alone at my horrible use of grammar and "creative" punctuation -- but my goal is to always keep this blog conversational. I type the ideas as quickly as I can, and let the inevitable typos fall where they may.
To those who think I should pay more attention to HOW I write and not WHAT I write, I say "I'm an Idea Guy" and if I'm ever pulled-over by the grammar police on the information superhighway, I'll just show 'em my creative license and hope they let me off with a warning.
But, there are those who can't afford to play loose with the language -- lawyers, writers, teachers, doctors -- 'experts' of any sort can instantly lose credibility by the misplacement of a comma or the appearance of an out-of-place apostrophe. Their high hourly rates will soon take a high-dive if their website wavers in its accuracy of not only content, but context. Spellcheck can only go so far, and nothing takes the place of another set of human eyes to eyeball your copy prior to publication.
Enter OnlineProofReaders.com -- They offer a plethora of pre-qualified proofers and excellent editors, all tested and pre-screened to assure quality correction of your content. They stand ready to double-check your websites, newsletters, eBooks, and more. They even bid on your projects to assure you're receiving the best possible price for your needs. I'd say it's worth-a-look to have someone take a second-look at your work. OnlineProofreaders.com
PS: If you're good at finding said typos (like my mom), you can even apply to be a proof reader. Be prepared to prove your proofing skills, they screen all applicants.
posted by Don The Idea Guy at 6/28/2004
3 Comments:
Heh, not so much. If you know how to spell the word "weird" and the word "definitely" and can tell a fragment from a complete sentence, you will be qualified to be a proofreader. In fact, there are far too many proofers and not enough proofs. It's a good concept, but there's not really a target market, nor is there any real quality assurance among the proofers. Caveat emptor.
I think the value of the service (as with any service) is dependent upon your needs and expectations.
I could make a statement like "The food at McDonald's tastes good", and while it's true 'in-the-moment', we all know there's better tasting food available.
Same with the proofreaders.
I can say their service is good -- but it all depends upon what you're expecting; filet mignon or a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese.
Either way, a second set of eyes is bound to catch the glaring errors, and that's better than average. If you're looking for a proofreader for something that requires an subject matter expert -- you're right, a need like that is perhaps best filled elsewhere.
Any site that asks you to pay $25 to take a "test" before they will approve you as a proof reader sounds like a scam to me. The test should be free.
Post a Comment
<< Home