Safe Setting

... the pattern community strives to develop a high quality body of literature that improves the quality of life for users, developers, managers, and others in the software community. The creative literature community uses a review format called a WritersWorkshop to improve the quality of literature that is published beyond a small circle of colleagues. Authors clearly can benefit from the feedback of their peers and colleagues. This pattern establishes a SafeSetting to provide free-flowing input to authors while preserving their dignity.

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There are few things that satisfy authors more than seeing their work published and widely used. For works published without a critical review process, authors will receive their first feedback from the market they aim to influence, which may provide a rude awakening for the author. On the other hand, peer review can be equally frightening and demoralizing, as the author is open to criticism from peers who know the material and the author well. Familiarity with the material makes it possible for these reviewers to provide the largest volume of feedback; familiarity with the author makes it possible for them to "push the author's buttons" in the review process. Yet such review is important.

Therefore:

Provide a SafeSetting where the author can receive useful expert feedback directed at the work rather than at the author, with the goal of preserving the dignity of the author.

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You can help the author feel at home by using the patterns: WorkshopComprisesAuthors and AuthorsCircle, which help provide a peer setting with opportunity for reciprocation; ModeratorGuidesTheWorkshop, which prevents the workshop dynamics from getting out of hand; PositiveFeedbackFirst, which helps the author's sense of contribution and self-worth; SuggestionsForImprovement, which defines the tone of constructive feedback; and ThankTheAuthor, where the community formally recognizes the author's contribution.

NEXT: AuthorsAreExperts

-- JimCoplien 1996/8/26

[ WritersWorkshopPatterns | AuthorsAreExperts ]

CategoryPattern CategoryWritersWorkshop