[Revvy]

So, a brief synopsis of Project Gutenberg:

PG was started in 1971 (I believe, maybe '81) as an attempt to move as much non-copyrighted printed matter as possible onto the budding World Wide Web. In that time, it has grown from a few dedicated members to a group of over 16,000 volunteer proofreaders and many more people that select and scan in the material. It works as follows:

A commitee selects a book (any language) that can be legally reproduced without charge and volunteers scan in the pages at the best quality possible.

These images are passed through a special program which analyzes the text and outputs a translation into normal ascii text.

This text then goes through the first proofreading phase, where any registered proofreader can edit as many pages as they want, whenever they want.

After all of the pages have been proofread, the pages undergo the second phase, where members that have proofread 100 pages or more are allowed to review every page and make any corrections necessary.

Finally, the book is rated as finished and added to the ever-growing Project Gutenberg public collection.

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Now, a bit more detail on the steps:

The proofreading is intuitive and easy. You are given the generated text, along with the original image in order to make the required changes. Texts are rated from BEGINNERS ONLY to HARD with styles and genres as well, so you can choose anything to proofread anything that tickles your fancy. There is also a very tightly integrated discussion and community system where you can ask questions about smudges or difficult to read sections. You also get to read the stories that you're proofing as you go along, which can sometimes be the best part =P

Now, this may sound a bit dull right now. First, I recommend you check out Project Gutenber's website and see what's already up. The texts aren't always life-changing or even interesting, due to copyright restrictions, but it's neat to see what's already up and the format that the eBooks are in.

Next, I suggest you take a look at the Project Gutenberg: Distributed Proofreaders website, the home of the worldwide, volunteer proofreader community. Look over the faq, try the proofreading quiz (you may have to register for that, not sure) and register. There's no commitment, there's no requirements, there's no hidden catch. If you register, you can see if there's absolutely anything at all that catches your eye, if there isn't then you can leave the site and forget about it. I personally find this rewarding and fun, and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment when I figure out exactly what word is missing in a blurry or smudged section on the page.

My my, this has been my longest post in months probably. I definately encourage you to take a look and get involved in this initiative.

[ShloobeR]

no : (

[Spectere]

Looks neat! I think I'll sign up later.

[Pyro1588]

no tengo tiempo para leer.
at this point in the year, i don't really have time for proofreading. maybe this summer, though.