Confessions of a Compulsive Proofreader

Bad Copy about Proofreading!

2009-02-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

I copied this from an actual recent blog post (name withheld to protect the not-so-innocent!). At first when I started reading it I thought it was written by someone for whom English was a second language. But, after checking the About Us part of the blog, I discovered that the authors are two American musicians (both guys) in their 40's.

I'm sorry, but I really think that if you are going to write about becoming a professional Proofreader that YOU SHOULD PROOFREAD YOUR COPY!

On a more positive note, maybe I could turn this into an advantage and contact them to see if they would be interested in availing themselves of my proofreading services!

Here's the post:

"Nowadays there are a lot of ways to arrive at money online. Two of the ways to make money online now are Online Proofreading and Devising a Website which are discussed below.

Online Proofreading

If you are having a sharp eye for detecting errors and are good at reading and writing, than picking an online proofreading task will bring you money quickly. After you complete each proof reading project you will receive payments.

The method of checking any forms of lit for punctuation or grammatical errors is known as proofreading. After proofreading the transcript of the literary form is considered to be perfect and the person doing the proofreading is known as the proofreader.

Today proofreading has turned into an considerable option of fashioning substanial money online for homemakers and students through the internet.

To become a reader online tutorials and courses are obtainable which provide teaching to people wanting to be proofreaders. Also to be a good proofreader, you have to practice punctuation and grammar exercises, learn to spell correctly and acquire on versatile subjects as possible. There is also a proofreading software package available that recognizes spellings, grammatical and punctual errors. This software automatically marks the errors and a person can correct the errors manually by moving the cursor to the particular noticable area. Also, after setting up this software system it can be set into auto correct way and therefore on transcribe the errors will get automatically corrected.

If you want to get an online proofreading job, there are a number of places in the Net where you can look for one. There are many minor and major job boards reachable in the cyberspace that offers jobs for proofreaders. You have to find companies with whom you want to work, and contact them regarding the job.

But always remember to build up a crucial experience in proofreading before starting to meet these companies, as you have to sell yourself to the potential employers. You can also look into freelance market websites and offer for proofreading jobs. Both the experts and novices can try online proofreading jobs through these websites."

Unbelievable, don't you think??

The The Impotence of Proofreading

2009-01-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

This hysterically funny and pretty amazing video reinforces why I decided to start a proofreading service! Enjoy!

The Inaccuracies on the Internet

2009-01-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

I am still what I would consider a bit of a novice (I can't stand the term "newbie") at internet marketing. I have designed a website for one of my business ventures, www.GPsforFinances.com, and have two blogs up and running (somewhat), www.MrsMoneyMerge.com and www.Sue-Edwards.com. I've also joined several social networking groups (you can follow me on Twitter here). I accomplished this as result of investing a lot of time, energy and studying, as well as by taking an internet marketing course offered by a senior manager in my business organization.

Prior to starting the course last August, I had no idea what a "blog" was. I thought it was something (like texting) that my teenage niece does. I was amazed and excited to find out what it really is and the power it offers.

Now we come to the title tie-in - I've been researching and reading many blogs, online articles and websites and I am appalled at how many so-called "professional internet marketers" obviously don't proofread their work (or, not to be rude, maybe never graduated from middle school?)! Simple spelling and grammatical errors abound all over the internet.

Having been (in my mind, at least) a business professional for many years, I was taught that you only get one chance to make a first impression, whether it's in person, on the telephone or via the written word (a letter, an ad, a brochure, an email, a website or a blog). My mother, who was a bit of a "social-snob," taught me that people make any number of judgments about you based on the first impression you make.

If I'm attempting to persuade someone to trust me enough to purchase something from me, I would like them to believe first that I am a professional in my chosen field. I would also like them to believe that I care enough about my business and my customers to take care of the details. Proofreading blog posts, website content, ebooks and marketing materials is one of those details!

As a result of my strong feelings about this subject and my natural apptitude for finding the errors (most menus drive me nuts!), I've decided to start my own proofreading service. The personal development "gurus" say to do what you love and are passionate about and the money will follow. As you've figured out by now, I am passionate about error-free copy and I love to read.

If you would like to post professional error-free content on the web and would like to engage a second set of eyes, please send me an email at ProofreadingDiva@gmail.com. I would be happy to provide you with a quote for my proofreading services.