textlaundry.com
Productivity
proofreading service
SHOW HN2011
91points
51comments
#129of 1,097 in 2011
Top 12%of 2011 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
5 positive, 16 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 15 critical, out of 38 comments about the project. Thread score -0.29.
Pricing: 1 for, 3 againstIdea: 1 for, 3 againstDocs: 0 for, 4 againstDesign: 2 for, 1 againstExecution: 0 for, 3 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Instant price calculator is slick and useful.
From 2 comments
Congrats on launch. The instant price calculator is slick. I notice it's on Rails. Shoot for an API and a Wordpress plugin. Both could be jets for this type of business.
systemtrigger on HNI didn't quite know what to expect when visiting the site with a name textlaundry.com As tacky as it sounds proofreadmypaper.com would be much "cleaner" (excuse the irony). Props…
jmjerlecki on HN
Clean design that streamlines proofreading.
From 1 comment
nice job! nice design to streamline proofreading.
volandovengo on HN
Objections
Anonymous operators and no transparency about the proofreading process.
From 3 comments
This exactly. Why the anonymity with web service vendors? I was looking at fiabee.com the other day and "About Us" and "Contact" give the impression that the business owners have…
libria on HNI agree completely. Is this service farmed out to Mechanical Turk with the supposition that more eye is equal to higher quality? Or do you legitimately have qualified individuals…
prestia on HNI agree. A turk-based proofreading system might not be a bad idea- a few layers of suggestion verification and you could get a pretty good first-pass proofreading out of it.…
fishtoaster on HN
Student-focused marketing and quote are ethically questionable.
From 2 comments
``` > As a student, I couldn't stand my required english courses. > Textlaundry has helped me to improve my writing immensely > and now I'm getting fantastic grades. The best…
dprice1 on HNOnly taking input by text box is pretty bad. You need to be able to accept common word processor file formats. Targeting students is also ethically questionable. Planning to open…
glimcat on HN
Typos and copied terms of service text.
From 2 comments
There is a glaring typo on the front page. The section titled "Fully anonymous and secure editing" contains the following sentence: "Your confidential documents will be kept in…
daviddaviddavid on HNIs the Terms & Conditions page just copy/pasted from elsewhere? If not, things like the following are very concerning: ``` > Advertisements. textLaundry reserves the right to…
Roedou on HN
No examples of improved text shown.
From 3 comments
Without seeing any examples of improved text, my first thought was that an API/Wordpress/Gmail plugin would be awesome. Though before I pay, it would be nice to see some examples…
bigethan on HNCool service! To echo a few other comments, I'd love to see examples. Specifically, I hope examples could explain the following: 1) What kind of changes are suggested? Spelling…
lpolovets on HNWould be interested for such service but like others mentioned you need to add some examples of what you guys can do.
glfafn on HN
Only text box input; no file uploads.
From 1 comment
Only taking input by text box is pretty bad. You need to be able to accept common word processor file formats. Targeting students is also ethically questionable. Planning to open…
glimcat on HN
Requests
Show examples of proofread work.
From 3 comments
Thanks bigethan, we keep hearing this and are going to put up some examples up.
jpulgarin on HNThis is a great idea, we'll put up some examples of our work up soon!
jpulgarin on HNCool service! To echo a few other comments, I'd love to see examples. Specifically, I hope examples could explain the following: 1) What kind of changes are suggested? Spelling…
lpolovets on HN
Add file upload support for word processor formats.
From 1 comment
Only taking input by text box is pretty bad. You need to be able to accept common word processor file formats. Targeting students is also ethically questionable. Planning to open…
glimcat on HN
Offer an API or WordPress/Gmail plugin.
From 2 comments
Without seeing any examples of improved text, my first thought was that an API/Wordpress/Gmail plugin would be awesome. Though before I pay, it would be nice to see some examples…
bigethan on HNCongrats on launch. The instant price calculator is slick. I notice it's on Rails. Shoot for an API and a Wordpress plugin. Both could be jets for this type of business.
systemtrigger on HN
Clarify what good, great and excellent mean.
From 2 comments
I would word it differently then. Using the term quality in a sliding scale manner leaves doubt in my mind. I want to know all your work is excellent.
biftek on HNCool service! To echo a few other comments, I'd love to see examples. Specifically, I hope examples could explain the following: 1) What kind of changes are suggested? Spelling…
lpolovets on HN
Questions
Who are the editors: professionals, Mechanical Turk, or qualified reviewers?
From 2 comments
I was just wondering who were the "professional" editors. Some credentials might increase the trust in your service.
cedarorbit7392 on HNI agree completely. Is this service farmed out to Mechanical Turk with the supposition that more eye is equal to higher quality? Or do you legitimately have qualified individuals…
prestia on HN
When did it launch?
From 1 comment
I could pay for this. When did you launch it?
earlyriser on HN
What kinds of changes are suggested?
From 1 comment
Cool service! To echo a few other comments, I'd love to see examples. Specifically, I hope examples could explain the following: 1) What kind of changes are suggested? Spelling…
lpolovets on HN
Alternatives named
Gengo
From 1 comment
http://mygengo.com/
KERNEL2 on HN
serv.io edit service
From 1 comment
http://www.serv.io/edit - 1.3c per word.
caffo on HN
ShinyEnglish cover letter editing
From 1 comment
I run http://www.ShinyEnglish.com for a smaller niche: cover letters.
dougunplugged on HN
College writing centers
From 1 comment
Colleges provide "writing centers" where people (presumably upperclassmen in a relevant degree program) offer proofreading. I don't see how this is much different.
baddox on HN