Blog Post #3

     Peer editing is a skill that many learn during primary school but do not master until
much later if ever. As such, I feel that the information presented in the required
reading and watching for this blog post to be very astute. I found the introduction
of the Compliments section quite interesting, though many tend to forget that being
helpful and being critical are contradictory in nature. The timeworn phrase, "You can catch
more flies with honey than with vinegar," is a good piece of advice because people are
much more accepting of critique if it is presented in a professional and kind manner.
Consequently, I strongly agree with the Compliments portion of peer editing and consider
it to be based off of an perennial truth.

     The topic of Suggestions also presented its case with stellar clarity, and it is important
to emphasize that sometimes a kind opinion from a peer can be just as valuable as the
correction of an error. With peer editing comes the benefit of an unbiased second opinion
and a fresh set of eyes that can sometimes notice odd wording or unclear references that
may not be as obvious to the writer. Although the sentence may be technically correct,
it may read awkwardly and confuse other readers that don't have the inferred knowledge
that the author possesses. Together with compliments these suggestions can be a powerful
editing tool in anyone's arsenal.

     The final point of Corrections to me is the true meat and potatoes of peer editing
so to speak. Correcting a persons paper is essential because many will not bother to read
a work or take its ideas into serious thought if the grammar is not correct. I know that I
personally am quite put off by any type of serious grammar mistakes in any type of article,
paper, or post, and I tend to lose interest in the message because of it. The serious benefit
to a peer correcting one's grammar however once again resides in the second pair of eyes.
Although checking one's own work for mistakes is essential, getting a second party with a
fresh view on the subject allows for the discovery of minute errors that might have passed
unnoticed by the author. All in all, when the Corrections portion of peer editing
is combined with both Compliments and Suggestions the resulting papers will
more than likely be close to if not error free.

Referenced Material:
Paige Ellis's EDM310 Blog
Peer Edit With Perfection Editorial
Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes