Should HOTD get an editing once-over before being featured?

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   CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years ago

   Now that HP has professional editors, I think it would be a good idea to have the editors review the HOTD before it is featured. The HOTD is a showcase not only for the hubber, but for all of HubPages.  A person new to HP might think that getting it right is not very important.  I make more than my fair share of typo's and it is doubling embarrassing when I spot an error in my piece that is HOTD. So many more people are seeing.it.  I'm not talking an full edit; just fixing punctuation. grammar, spelling, or a word inadvertently left out or misused..

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      lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I would prefer not to have my work edited, even if it means foregoing having another HOTD.
      
      Perhaps hubs should be chosen that are already in good enough shape not to need any editing.

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      Solarasposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, if they just correct grammatical errors.  I have been appalled by some of the spelling and verb tense errors in HOTD that seriously detract from the message.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      HOTD is chosen by HubPages staff.   Surely the answer is not to edit them, but for staff to ensure thta they are choosing good quality articles, which I thought was the idea in the first place?

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      calculus-geometryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Very good question and I hope staff follows this thread.  In my opinion, I think staff should edit the hotd selections to correct typos, put the titles in proper title case, very basic proofreading stuff.   But I don't think hotds should be subject to the more invasive Pro Editing program, in which the editors may change the  actual content.

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         Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I agree. A complete edit shouldn't be necessary for a hub good enough to be chosen as HOTD, and would be especially wrong if the hubber hadn't opted into the program. But a proofread would be a good idea--I notice some of my own embarrassing typos years after writing a piece, and there are probably some I'll never notice.

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      The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Catherine,
      I do not believe that the Hub would be chosen without being gone over to check for errors before they selected it in the first place. After all, it is the staff which is selecting it, editors and all.

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         vineliner57posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I hate to burst your bubble, but I checked out a HOTD about a week or so ago, and it had several glaring errors on it. That is probably the reason this thread was started. (Just a guess).
         
         The staff might think about alerting Hub owners that they are being considered for HOTD, and make suggestions as to what needs fixed if there are obvious spelling and grammar mistakes.
         
         Hopefully they are looking at them closely...

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            Jodahposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, spelling errors (especially) in HOTD seem to occur quite often and are often so obvious that it is hard to believe the staff who chose them actually read through them closely. I just think that HOTD is supposed to be highlighting excellence and high quality so anything that isn't simply shouldn't be considered.

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               PegCole17posted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Amen to this. I completely agree that these are the showcase of our site and represent our best work, or at least they should.

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            The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Gee, I must only read the good ones.

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            jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I totally agree with you, vineliner57. I was about to post the same. I think staff should send an email saying something like,
            
            "Your hub is amazing and is being considered for HOTD. Please look it over to make edits in the following areas: grammar, spelling, formatting, photo attribution. Your edits will increase your chances of being chosen for next month's HOTD."
            
            If staff is editing and fixing a hub to choose it for HOTD, that sort of defeats to purpose. It also clouds the notion of neutrality even more.

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               CatherineGiordanoposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Janshares: You make a very good point. It is the author's responsibility.  I proof twice before posting and then again the next day, but I am such a bad proof-reader that I don't necessarily catch everything.

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                  jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  I meant "defeats the purpose." See, we all make mistakes and miss our typos all the time, even when we re-read. So the chances of finding a "perfect" hub are slim. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered due to very minor errors: they just need to be fixed before being considered for HOTD.
                  Catherine, I read my hubs over and over and over as well before publishing, wait until the next day, and still miss things.

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                     The Examiner-1posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I write mine in Word and it corrects errors (spelling, grammar, etc.) plus I proof it there. Then I proof it after I have transferred it to HP and it is ready to publish. I publish it and proof it again after publishing, I still find errors. Even days after that!

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                        jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        Yup!

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                        Jodahposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                        It is rare to find any hub that doesn't have at least one typo somewhere. Even spell check doesn't pick up everything because there are more than one form of a lot of words e.g. there and their.

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   Millionaire Tipsposted 9 years ago

   I received a HOTD one day, out of the blue, and I was completely shocked at the hub that was chosen.  I opened it up to read it, and saw an error in it.  I left it the way it was for a few hours, not really sure if I was allowed to edit it since it had been chosen. But after a while, it kept nagging me, and I couldn't stand letting people see it with the error, so I went ahead and fixed it.
   
   I was going to suggest they let people know ahead of time that they are selected and should be expecting company, but really, shouldn't our hubs be ready for company all the time? I guess it is more like a pop quiz. You should be ready for unexpected traffic, whether it comes in a share by a popular person or company, or the HOTD.
   
   I'm sure the person who selects the HOTD does his or her best to find articles that interest many people and have few errors and legal images  The HOTD aren't meant to be perfect, but simply good examples.

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   Jodahposted 9 years ago

   Ok, for example the current HOTD, "8 Dystopian Plot Clichés That Will Bore Your Readers to Tears" (I know is written from a lady from the Phillipines and English is probably not her first language).... there were too many errors in the first paragraph for me to read the rest of the hub. Even though it appeared to be very comprehensive and well set out. Maybe the HP staff do have to make corrections before publishing a hub as HOTD.

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   Titiaposted 9 years ago

   I assume HOTD is Hub of the day? Maybe a stupid question, but where can they be found?

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      lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Click on the HubPages logo in the header of this page, and you'll go to your feed. HOTD is on the right side of the page.

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   SmartAndFunposted 9 years ago

   I think a basic proof-reading is a great idea for HOTDs. I assume staff members are busy and don't have time to go over every potential HOTD with a fine-tooth comb. Also, if staff goes searching for a perfect hub, it would take them hours to find one. It seems to me like HOTDs are often chosen for their interesting or timely topics. I'm thinking they see one that looks good on the surface, and boom, it is in and that task is crossed off the busy staff member's list.
   
   Maybe it would be doable they could load up a month's worth of HOTDs and then shoot them over to an editor for a quick proofing, or at least let the writer know in advance, and give them a deadline to have it proofed and ready to go.

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      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      +1

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