[thelist] A No-Brainer Tip

[Janet Green]

Martin said...
>>>Sure, but that's still easier to counter and move past rather than
placeholder
text which might still cause confusion amongst client staff that that's
exactly
what you're intending to publish -> always a risk if you put examples of a
generic principle.<<<

Regarding 'placeholder' text, another caveat: in our organization, we have
one person who frequently leaves out key details when writing draft copy
(assuming someone else will look them up, I think). Instead she puts "(XXX)"
at the appropriate place in the text. MORE THAN ONCE, this has slipped past
all proofreaders and appeared in the final product as "(XXX)". My take on
this (FWIW)... is to always use relevant copy, but make sure it is complete,
at least in draft form. And of course, PROOFREAD with the finest-toothed
comb you can find...


<tip type="clients" author="Janet Green">
Have a paragraph in your contract (you ARE working with a contract, aren't
you??) which states clearly that the CLIENT is responsible for all errors in
text and graphics, including typos as well as factual errors. Have something
for each page (page printouts, perhaps, or a list of .html files) that they
can initial with their final approval. Otherwise, if there are typos in the
finished product, your client will expect you to eat the time it takes to
correct them. The client should be responsible for the correctness and
completeness of the final product, as it is THEIR information being
presented, and they are the experts on THEIR information.
</tip>


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