Editing for Usage and Style Final Portfolio

I was excited about this assignment. The peer I chose for my first editing project was my daughter, a college freshman, who allowed me to edit her first paper for her Composition I class.  I loved the story she told in this personal narrative.  I also loved being able to be a part of her first college paper.  

The feedback I received was largely positive, with a focus on making sure my comments were phrased in a positive and professional manner.  I always try to make my comments in the form of a suggestion or a question, but I will have to be more intentional about it.  You also mentioned that the changes were not tracked in the version of the document I submitted.  When I clicked on the link within blackboard, I was able to view the changes, so I wonder if that was a permissions issue.      

I struggled to find a “client” who would allow me to edit their work. In the end, my husband connected me with the company that put together his employer’s website and social media presence.  I was surprised at how awful their website text was.  The text was filled with medical jargon, and I was unable to understand it.  After consulting with the practice manager, I was able to edit the text to make sense to their audience.

The feedback I received also tied in with the feedback I received on the peer editing project.  I need to be more thoughtful with how the client will perceive my comments.  I didn’t even think that I could have used boldface type to convey the importance of certain comments.  I will continue to focus on being mindful about my comments and how they will be received by the client.  This was an important takeaway.  

Learning to work within a team is an important part of a quality education and a vital skill in business.  I would like to have had stronger leadership within the group.  At times I felt that the group lacked direction and there was very little continuity in our workflow. We were 5 separate people working on individual projects instead of functioning as a team. I decided early on never to lead group work in my classes.  I leave it for my peers to gain the important experience of leading a team.  We did pull together some at the end of the project to work on voice and format.

Our finished product turned out very well, and we received good feedback.  It would have been ideal for each group member to run a quick edit on the final document, or to trade sections for editing.  There were some areas where we could have condensed further, as we ran a bit longer than the assignment dictated.