The Writing Shed

word clouds

2011-01-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how they compose word clouds? Visit wordle and loose the next couple of hours playing with your favourite words http://www.wordle.net/compose

Proofreading and Copyediting Services: Australian professional proofreading

2010-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

www.editproofreading.com.au

Proofreading Emails. Overkill or essential communication strategy

2010-11-27T03:16:00.001-08:00

Proofreading Emails: Overkill or an Essential Communication Strategy The Research-scary statistics The majority of email senders and email receivers believe that their email information is interpreted correctly. In fact, only half of emails received are interpreted correctly and half of email recipients have a lot of trouble interpreting emotion in emails . There is a suggestion that this overconfidence in emails links to a difficulty detaching oneself from your own environment. This theory is supported by the rapid emergence of social media where the communication is fast, “off the cuff” and not always thoughtful. Furthermore, three quarters of email is opened within 6 seconds of its arrival in the Inbox and there is a significant recovery time for the worker to return to their previous task because the email task is prioritised over the planned task . Impact on business It appears that emails influence business life in multiple ways. They increase the workload; affect the prioritisation of task completion and impact on staff stress levels. It seems timely to review email etiquette and workplace email communication strategies. Communication processes Interaction and communication on a personal level is complex and part of a process that is negotiated between two people depending on the level of their interpersonal skills. In email communication and interaction, these process communication tools are not present and so the written word is the sole communicator. Attitude, personality and intent are expressed in emails in tone and voice. A poorly written email immediately sets a bad tone and projects attitude. Some examples include poor grammar and punctuation, jargon or cumbersome works, discriminatory language or unclear language that allows assumptions. Non-business typology speaks loudly of unprofessionalism and includes blocks of bold or italic font, stylised fonts, no capitals or overuse of capitals. Review of email etiquette It is important to remember that emails are a business format and therefore require infrastructure with titles, a clear sense of purpose and a length of no more than two paragraphs. The subject description should be precise and match the content in the email and this content should be clear in the opening sentence of the email. Avoid burying an ‘unfavourable’ message in the middle or end of the email, as this only tends to aggravate a reader. Tone should be conversational, polite, respectful, approachable, and written from the viewpoint of the company. Curt and demanding tones are not helpful and sometimes, just changing one word can alter the tone of the email. Tone management strategies A useful way to monitor email tone is to email yourself. You can then proofread it. The rules of proofreading are simple. • Put some distance between yourself and the email. • Read the text aloud or get someone to read it to you. • Consider each sentence separately. • Remember the basic rules of grammar and punctuation. • Check spelling using a dictionary and do not rely on spell check. • Listen to the voice and tone of the email and consider the choice of words. Some useful email management strategies could include turning off email alert sounds, allocating certain times of the day to check emails or set your email application to display in the inbox with the sender and subject, so you can determine urgent issues. Do not respond immediately to emails, but prioritise the required work of the email into your jobs list. Reduce your response emails by considering if the sender is expecting a response. Restrict a response to a group email to the person directly involved and not to the group. Email communications-Proofread them! Email communication is here to stay. Proofreading of workplace emails has to be a useful strategy to not only enhance communication but also improve workplace productivity.

Proofreading - newsletter

2010-11-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

Special until Christmas. Your newsletter proofread free (up to 1000 words). Take advantage of this great offer. Contact www.editproofreading.com.au

Memorable quotations

2010-07-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

Punctuation marks are "friendly spirits whose bodiless presence nourishes the body of language." - Theodor W. Adorno and Rolf Tiedemann, in Notes to Literature, Volume

Proofreading is attention to detail

2010-06-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Proofreading can be a tricky business. A temptation is to use track changes and as you know if a word is spelt correctly but is out of context, spell check doesn't know the difference. Proofreading is painstaking and attention to detail-and even then, sometimes, they slip through. Check this article in the Sydney Morning Herald earlier this year. http://www.smh.com.au/national/penguin-reprints-book-peppered-with-an-error-wants-it-taken-with-gran-of-salt-20100416-skjl.html A publishing company discovered an error in a cooking book. The recipe was printed with "salt and freshly ground black people" – instead of pepper. 7,000 reprints later at a cost of $20,000, it's a pricey typo. Proofreading - a necessary evil.

2010-05-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Writing a limerick and just can’t find two words that rhyme?
Check out this Website http://www.writerhymes.com/
Type the word you want to rhyme. As you write, hold the alt key and click on a word to find a rhyme for it. All possible choices, listed by the number of syllables a word has will come up. A great site for budding poets. A small problem is that the words can be a little difficult to see without the cursor highlighting the word.

Client reviews

2010-05-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

If you would like to comment on this service, please feel free to do so. If you have any ideas on how we could improve please email me at rose@editproofreading.com.au.

Nursing, Midwifery, Medical and all Health related documents

2010-05-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

At Copyediting and Proofreading Services we specialise in nursing, midwifery, medical and all health related documents. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate assignments, research, journals, newsletters and articles for publication.

I am a registered nurse with a strong academic and clinical background so I understand the demands and needs of Health Professionals.

I will provide support for referencing requirements as well as copyediting your document and the final proofread.

Special offer Proofreading or Copy Editing

2010-05-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

Special Offer for the month of May 2010.
New clients - 25% off proofreading or copy editing costs.
30% off your 2nd proofreading or copy editing job.
Email now for this special introductory offer to new clients.

What documents do we accept?

2010-04-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

No document is too big or too small.
Let us have a look at your work and we will give you a quote.

Manuscripts for publishing - either fiction or non-fiction.
University assignments - PhD, Masters, Research work.
Corporate work - reports, submissions, manuals
Newsletters, journals, pamphlets

Check our website and send some pages of your work for us to look at.

We will get back to you within 2 days.

http://www.editproofreading.com.au/

Copyediting

2010-04-27T01:37:00.000-07:00

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug." – Mark Twain

Copyediting is a more extensive check than proofreading. Documents should be copyedited and then proofread.

When a document is copyedited, we will check your grammar, your wording and your sentence structure, the relevance to the subject matter and we will check that your meaning is clear.

Copyediting ensures that there is a consistent approach to the terminology, spelling, capitalisation and that your document is visually consistent.

We can spot-check on the accuracy of the cross referencing and links within the document. We will also check your reference lists and bibliographic references for completeness and consistency.

We will not however write the reference list or bibliography.

Copyediting ensures that your document is professionally presented and you get the most rewards for your work- be it University assignment, newsletter, research or manuscripts for publication.

Our pricing is competive and well worth it.

Have a look at the website for more information and contact us for a personal discussion on your needs http://www.editproofreading.com.au/

Proofreading

2010-04-27T01:24:00.000-07:00

Proofreading is the finall check before a document is ready for publication or submission to your University. Proofreading will check for typing errors, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, formatting and layout.

This check will increase the professionalism of your work and the first impressions of those reviewing it.

All written documents need a 'fresh pair of eyes' for that final check as it iis verry hard to see your own errrors.

Proofreading costs are very competitive and well worth it.

Visit http://www.editproofreading.com.au/ for more information.