subject: Web Content Editor: Big Balls Required Part I [print this page] Being a web content editor is one of the most difficult and comprehensive jobs one can expect to hold. A web content editor must have intensely sharp eyes, a powerful grasp of the spoken and written word, and the ability to make their client's vision their own without producing a single biased revision or edit. These are difficult skills to acquire, and even more difficult is acquiring the required figurative size of an exceptional editor's balls. Why? Because it's our job to tell you you're wrong, to pick your work apart and present it to you in shambles. It's the job equivalent of a fashion or movie critic, but in the case of an editor we have to put back together what we've torn down. Meaning, we actually work for a living. The following are 9 reasons why a web content editor needs to have some pretty big balls in order to be successful.
1.) Saying No to Projects
A web content editor that accepts every project will quickly find themselves floundering in a sea of junk. The truth of the matter is that not every project is wise to accept. This is especially true in today's internet marketing world of Joint Ventures and limited partnerships, where editors are regularly offered to share in the revenue that a piece of work will potentially deliver. This is a bad idea, as in most of these cases the offer is made because the party who produced the work simply doesn't have the money to edit the work professionally.
In other cases a project may simply be too large, too complex or utterly boring. An editor must have the tact to be able to politely turn the project down while referencing as few direct concerns about the piece as possible. Listing direct problems with a piece an editor intends to turn down is likely to result in flurry of unneeded communication as the owner of the work seeks more advice, explanation and counsel on the matter. Being a web content editor takes balls because in some cases you might simply have to say:
"This isn't a project I'm interested in at this time." Even if there's a significant amount of cash being offered.
2.) Telling a Client "It's not editable."
Some work isn't editable with any amount of effort. Many web content editors are provided with terrible work that doesn't need to be edited it needs to be completely rewritten from the start. In the case of large manuscripts or books, this is the last thing that a client wants to hear, as they have usually already put substantial effort (hopefully) into their work and probably cannot afford the time or expense of having it reproduced by a professional writer or editor.
One of the most difficult parts of delivering this message is that by the time it's determined that the piece cannot be successfully edited, editing fees have probably already accumulated. So in this case it's not a simple matter of telling the client that their work can't be revised, but also that you need to receive payment for reviewing the piece to begin with.
In Web Content Editor: Big Balls Required Part II, we'll outline a few more reasons why an editor must possess tact and become impervious to the upset writer while still remaining impartial and completely honest. It takes balls to do this, and if you're looking for an editor who's got a pair, then click the links below now.
