Comments on: My favorite freelance technology innovation: Track Changes

By: Kim Priestap

Kim Priestap — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:36:39 +0000

I used Word’s track changes feature about 7-8 years ago when I was working full time in the marketing department of a glass manufacturing company. It was good then. I imagine it’s even better now.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:10:23 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by michellerafter: New on WordCount: My all-time favorite #freelance #writing technology innovation isn’t what you’d think: http://tinyurl.com/ykxaafw…

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:38:58 +0000

I can’t imagine that many people working on one document – talk about your organizational challenges. I’d never thought to use blogging software for that, but it sounds like a good idea.

I’ve also used Google Docs and Box.net to share files with work groups. Box.net is especially nice if you need to send an editor a bunch of high res digital images that would otherwise choke a home-based Internet connection, even a high speed one. Just upload them to a Box.net folder, and send an invitation to access the folder to whoever needs it. This fall for one project I’m working on, instead of just suggesting that the group do this I went ahead and did it and then explained to everyone how it worked – so far nobody’s resisted.

Michelle

By: Carissa W

Carissa W — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:20:44 +0000

I love track changes, thanks for singing its praises! I work at a company with offices in cities all over the U.S., and they’ve been snail mailing physical proofs back and forth for our annual publication. This year I’m going to implement–and insist on!–a Track Changes policy.

I’ve also used used a free Blogger blog for similar tracking. We have some copy that will be edited by people in 6 cities, so I post it to a blog (which they have to log into to see, it’s not public) and then each person can leave their comments and see the comments left by others.

That way, when it comes back and their changes haven’t been made or other changes appeared, they know where it comes from without me having to email each person.

It’s really helpful for people who aren’t used to editing and want to impart their own style on the writing. On a blog they can see that others didn’t like the things they liked, or suggested other words, etc.

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:05:52 +0000

Carroll: Thanks – it’s great to hear an editor’s perspective on this. For all of you who don’t her, Carroll is the executive editor at Crain Communication’s Workforce Management, an HR industry business magazine where I’m a regular contributor. She’s also one heck of a writer.

Michelle

By: Carroll Lachnit

Carroll Lachnit — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:58:17 +0000

Great post, Michelle. I use track changes all the time–particularly when I’m working with attorney contributors to Workforce Management, who do really need to see what I’m changing in their articles.

Track changes can be a bit of a shock to writers, though, if the editor is doing heavy, heavy revision with lots of questions and changes. The article ends up looking like a Freddy Krueger victim–red from head to toe. And it can be hard to read “through” lots of tracked changes, too. In those instances, I’ll send the writer a “clean” copy along with the redline version. Another virtue of track changes for writers is that you can see what an editor is up to. You can decide for yourself if she has really made your piece better–or just reworded it to suit her own preferences.