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We'd love for you to share content with the EditMob community. Anything related to spelling, grammar, editing, etc. is appropriate. It can be serious or just for fun.

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Gifts for the Grammarian 

11/10/2015

1 Comment

 
One of my favorite MobEditors pointed me towards this BuzzFeed list of great holiday gifts for an editor on your list.

I think my favorite is the owl.  What is yours?
1 Comment

Millennials care about typos

10/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Despite the prevalence of typos in tweets and seemingly accelerating errors in traditional media.  A recent survey showed that not only that Millenials care about typos, but they care at rate greater than other groups.  No detailed analysis was provided, however I assume that what kids are taught in school never rubs off completely.

0 Comments

The glass house of EditMob

9/28/2015

0 Comments

 
Several of my MobEditors have expressed their appreciation of the anonymous feature of EditMob.  As you might imagine, I too wish I could hide behind a veil as I send out my typo-alerts.  Of course I want to get the author's attention, but at the same time I do recognize the hard work that goes into each piece and the emotion that results from telling someone their baby is not perfect.

First I thought you might like to see how I start off these alerts.
Picture
Picture
I go on to talk about the service.  As you might imagine, sometimes in my haste I make an error.  Yes, it is embarrassing and I am very appreciative when the author lets me know.  Yet, sometimes (like today) I get a note like the following
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These are never fun to get, but I accept them in the heat of the moment, make the change, and thank the author for his time.  In some small way it confirms my need for the service.

Keep those typos coming.

Dave
0 Comments

Emmotion [sic] through typos

9/24/2015

0 Comments

 
A recent article about the power of typos caught my attention this week.  The author reports on the work of Andrew Brodsky.  His work shows that typos convey emotion. He does not go into the physical causes of this, but I am sure you have found that when on a rant, you tend to let your fingers fly. Most of the errant keystrokes get caught, but if you are in a passionate mood, sometimes all the red gets filtered out.  He does note that this emotional gain does not usually outweigh the hit you get for intelligence. I hope to chat with the future Dr. Brodsky and will share my findings.

I continue to stand by my EditMob mantra that no one (older than 10) gets chided for perfect grammar.

Watch for an update or maybe survey in the near future.

Dave


0 Comments

A response to professional Editors

8/29/2015

1 Comment

 
EditMob is not a substitute for professional editing.

I am tempted to stop there, however if you know me, I like to talk.  Most of the comments I get boil down to this one.

Why would I want to edit for free?

1) It is not editing
I love the name EditMob, but a more accurate name would be ProofMob or TypoMob. 

I'd also like to note that the monthly contest is designed to make it easy, anonymous, and rewarding (through the sweeps) to report typos that you just happen across. It is not really for true editing, rather simple errors (missing Ss, double words, occasionally word choice).

2) It serves a slightly different purpose
Have you ever been in the elevator with someone and noticed their tie askew or a button undone?  Maybe they are going to a very important meeting.  Wouldn't it be nice to lean over and whisper in their ear and let them know?  That is EditMob.  EditMob is not extreme makeover.

Also I think there are some possible services that I can offer professional editors (these are still in development). 

1) I think that EditMob highlights the larger need for editors. An author who consistently makes errors (hopefully) will see the larger issue. I've thought about offering some form of referral service.

2) I also think that it offers a discreet service for editors who would rather have their occasional oversight be reported directly.

I welcome your comments and questions.

dave
1 Comment

EditMob Flash!

8/29/2015

0 Comments

 
This week, EditMob launched an experimental service - EditMob Flash!

Flash! is a short duration, single-site typos finding contest.  We think it works best for a launch or relaunch, particularly at the extreme end of the cycle.  Ideally we can begin our contest on your development site after your content is locked.  You will be surprised by what we find, but your readers will never know.

When you sign up for Flash! you get extreme attention by our most prolific MobEditors plus several months of focused attention in our monthly contest and our proprietary scan once you go live.

We'll keep you posted on how it went.


Picture
0 Comments

Stickler or helper?

3/27/2015

2 Comments

 
EditMob is not a stickler.  I very rarely receive a submission for an arcane rule of grammar (though I am not opposed to it).  One of the more interesting aspects of monitoring your submissions is the quality (and quantity) of the reports.  Less than 5% of the reports are rejected.  I would attribute nearly all of those to style decisions by the author and a few to British/Canadian spelling.

I was reading a blog entry by Carol Saller (who I just realized is the editor for the Chicago Manual of Style online forum) and then engaged her in a quick email exchange.  As most people point out, she noted that EditMob is a great outlet for those of you who want to do good; but she also rejected that EditMob is a stickler.  Whew.

I often get comments from authors that feel all their readers should be focused on the content, rather than typos.  To them I respond, yes but ... don't you want the cleanest read for everyone else.

Those that agree sign up.  Thanks.

-dave
2 Comments

Mary Norris, The New Yorker, and a quiz.

3/21/2015

5 Comments

 
I have always been in awe of The New Yorker. I have never come across an error in their print or online edition and wondered how they do it. Finally! A peek inside in this entertaining article by Mary Norris, "Holy Writ." I look forward to her book, “Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen,” which will come out this spring.

Here's a link to the article:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/23/holy-writ

And here is a pop-quiz for my fellow MobEditors:

In the above, we have a magazine title, magazine article and book title. What would you use and where - italics, quotation marks, underline, other?

*Note:  I've left the formatting out as an exercise for the reader.

- Rita Porter
5 Comments

The value of credibility and how EditMob can help

3/3/2015

1 Comment

 
The presentation below by B.J. Fogg of Stanford University ranks how typos affect credibility.  It also shows that over the course of the study, typos became more deleterious AND that typos scored worse that pop-up ads (boy I hate those).  Two slides (24 and 31) comment directly on the negative aspects of typos.
Web Credibility - BJ Fogg - Stanford University from BJ Fogg
1 Comment

Why Typos Matter

2/21/2015

0 Comments

 
I am always on the lookout for well crafted prose that speaks to EditMob's purpose.  I recently found a concise piece by Dave Parrack on MakeUseOf.

His points echo what I have always felt.
  1. It is never fun to get typos reported, yet a cleaner read is desirable.  
  2. Those who spend the time to do so "are undertaking a great service."  (Yea MobEditors). Dave does not touch on the emotional barriers of reporting typos or the need to encourage typo reports.
  3. Leaving typos in your work is deleterious to society - "dumbing [us] down."
I share Dave's opinion and am surprised when the authors I contact do not fix the typos I report. 

Thanks MobEditors for striving to keep society smart.


0 Comments
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