Making a List, Checking it Twice: Online Editing

Unlike print editing, online editing is quick, constant, and ever-changing. Much like it is a very different medium, there are very different roles and skills required for online editors. In Brian Carroll's book Writing for Digital Media, he discusses online editing in Chapter 6, "Online Editing, Designing, and Publishing". Like many things in life, Carroll stresses how important it is to double (even triple) check every aspect of a website or online publication. While there are many important aspects of online editing, he lists a "universal checklist" (taken from Carolyn Rude's Technical Editing) to give a "jumping off" point for online editors. The items discussed are briefly listed below.

• Identify with the readers/purpose of the content 
• Define document structure and links
• Define the style 
• Edit
• Copyedit
• Copyedit II
• Write headlines
• Test usability 

As Carroll emphasizes, all of these steps are crucial in creating a coherent and accessible web production. Out of the steps on the list, I want to highlight the importance of identifying with the readers and testing usability. As a user of many online websites, I know I often get the most frustrated with websites that fail to target me as the audience and miss the boat on making the site user friendly. 

To avoid problems with not knowing the audience, it is important to focus not only on their needs but also on technical factors such as what kinds of software they will be using. Nothing is more frustrating than your computer not being compatible with a websites software. Solving this problem involves much research and thought, steps that fall under the job description of the online editor.

As for testing usability, in my eyes, this may be the last but the most important step. Target is one of my favorite places to shop, yet there website is a bit of a train wreck in my eyes. The site is cluttered, confusing, and unintuitive. Due to these problems, I use Target's website very little and would be more willing to shop online at their site if it was tested more, making it more user friendly. If the editor designs and tests a site that is intuitive and enjoyable to use, it will be much more likely that the site will get proper attention and use. 

What steps on the checklist did you find most important? What steps do you think often get overlooked or aren't executed properly on your most used websites?