Ryan Lopano Blog

Going through this Module, I learned a lesson that was very important. Peer review is way more important than it seems. As someone who doesn’t use this as much as I should, going back and seeing feedback is very valuable.

According to Washington and Lee University, “Users engage more with content that includes clear headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs, because these elements help them locate information quickly.” This is something that is harder to see in your work than it is in others. That’s why it is important to get feedback from others. In both assignments, I got very valuable information that I wouldn’t have thought of by just proofreading. Getting others’ opinions is very valuable.

One example from the feedback I got was the importance of hyperlinks. This is something I haven’t thought about, but it is definitely very important. This gives readers context and lets them understand what you are talking about. I am lucky for the peer feedback because that is how I got the idea to include it in my writing.

Another piece of information I learned from the peer feedback is the practice of removing fluff. For all of my life, I’ve been told to write with detail and include as many details as I can. This was contradicted in the feedback I got. I was told to limit this and get to the point directly. This is also backed up in the reading, as it says, “People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences” (Nielsen).

Overall, all of the real-life examples have shown me how important peer review really is. Going through my reading before and after the peer review is really night and day. In addition, I have reading to back up this argument. I am lucky to have people to look over my work and give such professional feedback on it.