Notes from 57th International STC Conference
Dallas, Texas, May 2-5, 2010

When Everyone is an Editor
Technical Editing SIG Progression, “Editing Challenges and Opportunities”

Jeffrey Lamp

Experienced editor and project manager at Interact Public Safety.

Session Description: This presentation covered five tips of working more effectively in a collaborative online work environment with multiple editors and where editors have multiple roles (writer, editor, SME, QA, and project management).

• Five tips for editing in a collaborative work environment
   
• When you have your writer hat on, be receptive to editorial criticism from a peer with less experience (avoid ego involvement)
• Conversely, be willing to diplomatically offer editorial suggestions to a person with more experience. If the recipient of your editorial suggestions has an ego, then the emphasis is on diplomatically.
• Set up editorial style guidelines for the department; in a collaborative work environment, it’s especially critical everyone be working to the same sheet of music on usage, conventions, and format. Update the style guidelines at least once a year to avoid obsolescence.
• Learn to deal with conflict.
   
• Tread lightly in challenging others’ opinions.
• Respect all opinions.
• Back up your own opinions with substantiating data.
• Schedule permitting, table hot issues to allow “cool-down” time
• Pick your battles.
• Balance your editorial responsibilities with your other “hats.” The position of “pure editor” is giving way to a broader set of skills and wider responsibilities.
   
• Do your actual editing during your best time of day; do the administrative stuff when you are only firing on a few cylinders.
• “Pad” your editorial production schedules to allow time for your other responsibilities. Better to be a day “early” to your client than a day late.