h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Robert

Thanks for letting me know

I believe we discussed this issue under 'Carthusian Monks'.

Personally, I am not happy to discuss subediting matters in a thread that is attached to the entry which will be going into the Edited Guide.

A more general comment is that this way of working relies on the author subscribing to that thread, which they may not do, in which case you will find that you are talking to yourself.

Another point is that the thread you started on my Personal Space does not have a very informative title, given that I have a number of entries in subediting at the moment.

What I do when subbing is to start a thread on the author's PS with the same title as the entry. Then the author can see what it's about, and the author and sub can have a private conversation which will not follow the entry around to the end of time.

So can you please put any discussion into this thread rather than the others.

Thanks very much!

Bels

Hi again Robert

One other thing. You have posted:

"I'll be checking it for spelling, grammar and a whole host of other errors."

This suggests that there could be a lot wrong with the entry, even though it's already been through Peer Review.

What it says on the page you linked to is:

"the Sub-editors instead take entries that are recommended by the Scouts, and sub-edit them according to the style of the Guide."

- far more diplomatic! No mention of hosts of errors, spelling, grammar etc etc.

Could we make a clean break at this point? I'm sure if you ask nicely the kindly in-house team will let you have a 'clean' copy of the entry for subbing.

Thanks a lot!

Bels

what?

Peer Review does not check for "spelling, grammar and a whole host of other errors."

I have subedited entries with a /lot/ wrong with them, trust me. If entries were perfect by the time they got to me, the Sub-editor's wouldn't be needed.

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And none of the authors of the other 20-odd articles that I've subedited seem to mind that I use my system, so I hope you don't mind if I continue to use it.

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"- far more diplomatic! No mention of hosts of errors, spelling, grammar etc etc."



*passes a dictionary to Bels*

Look up subeditor in there .

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Could we make a clean break at this point? I'm sure if you ask nicely the kindly in-house team will let you have a 'clean' copy of the entry for subbing.

I'd prefer not to, being as I don't see the reason why we need to.

Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh,

Robert

On a more constructive note...

I put 'subediting notes' on the article that I'm sub-editing so that I can flick between them easier. The system works for me and for every other author that I've talked to (sorry about that outburst before BTW). Also, the editors sometimes reference to them when /they're/ editing the entry, and we (the author, Editors and I) find it easier to have a single contact point, rather than having things spread out.

Further to your 'uninformative title' point: it's another thing for me to do. I'll try and remember next time.

Bear in mind that this Researcher doesn't have all that much time allocated on the 'net, even less on h2g2 and is often over pressure. Not that I should post like that: as a representitive of the Editors (essensially that's one of our jobs) I should try and think before I type. It's difficult though...

Robert