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(maintain.info)Using the Proofreaders List

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Using the Proofreaders List
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   If you want help finding errors in documentation, or help improving
the quality of writing, or if you are not a native speaker of English
and want help producing good English documentation, you can use the GNU
proofreaders mailing list: <proofreaders@gnu.org>.

   But be careful when you use the list, because there are over 200
people on it.  If you simply ask everyone on the list to read your work,
there will probably be tremendous duplication of effort by the
proofreaders, and you will probably get the same errors reported 100
times.  This must be avoided.

   Also, the people on the list do not want to get a large amount of
mail from it.  So do not ever ask people on the list to send mail to
the list!

   Here are a few methods that seem reasonable to use:

   * For something small, mail it to the list, and ask people to pick a
     random number from 1 to 20, and read it if the number comes out as
     10.  This way, assuming 50% response, some 5 people will read the
     piece.

   * For a larger work, divide your work into around 20 equal-sized
     parts, tell people where to get it, and ask each person to pick
     randomly which part to read.

     Be sure to specify the random choice procedure; otherwise people
     will probably use a mental procedure that is not really random,
     such as "pick a part near the middle", and you will not get even
     coverage.

     You can either divide up the work physically, into 20 separate
     files, or describe a virtual division, such as by sections (if
     your work has approximately 20 sections).  If you do the latter,
     be sure to be precise about it--for example, do you want the
     material before the first section heading to count as a section,
     or not?

   * For a job needing special skills, send an explanation of it, and
     ask people to send you mail if they volunteer for the job.  When
     you get enough volunteers, send another message to the list saying
     "I have enough volunteers, no more please."