When I start working at BlogTec from Indonesia in March 2021, I already plan to return to Germany one month later. I am familiar with working remotely and haven’t seen a regular office since 2020. So, the remote factor is not one that scares me off at BlogTec, either.
Also, as a mom, it’s been important to me to be flexible with my working hours. To work when it is right for me and also from where it suits me.
The First Weeks As an Editor
Virtual Zoom team meetings with Manuel, our CEO, as well as with Lukas, our Head of Content and Ruben, our Head of Marketing, shape the first days of training. Slack, Notion, Asana … I’m introduced to what feels like two hands full of online tools that simplify location-independent work. Some I know, others I don’t.
What might slow down the process as an editor at the beginning makes it faster within a very short time, and after just a few weeks I’m already fully into it: my job as an editor at BlogTec as well as our regular business development meetings.
The direct involvement in new processes and the continuous improvement of our offer for our customers makes working at BlogTec very approachable. It is the same with the customers.
Teamwork for High-Quality Texts
As an editor, I have regular clients from industries that also correspond to my expertise.
This allows me to create targeted briefings for texts that meet current SEO requirements. By working in a team with a specific writer for each client, also an expert in the relevant niche, we can guarantee high-quality text services.
Based on our briefings, our writers create texts that improve search engine rankings. These can be blog articles, product page texts, general website texts but also SEO content optimization or SEO translations.
Once a text is created, it is my job to optimize it. Spelling, grammar, structure, uniqueness, everything is checked again carefully in my proofreading. Also, whether the briefing and the requirements of the customer have been met.
In the next step, the text is sent to the customer, who then has the option of submitting the text for a free revision if something is still not correct.
I usually have two days to proofread a text. This fits perfectly into my idea of work-life balance, life with a child and family, and other activities that involve my own business Holistic Content.
Working in Different Time Zones
Arriving in Germany, almost the whole team is in Europe, with a few exceptions in Asia and Australia. It all feels closer somehow, as we have similar weather and frameworks. Now, in March 2022, we are again far-flung. In Greece, Spain, soon Africa, Asia and in my case Indonesia. Again, I am a little further away; however, that is now no longer a factor that determines more or less closeness to the team.
While in Germany, I first attend our morning meetings and then start editing, in Indonesia it’s the other way around. Often, my workday here doesn’t start until the afternoon. But if I wanted, I could do my work any time as it fits into my daily rhythm. The only fixed things scheduled are regular team meetings. For me, those are essential to feel like a team and to know what the current topics are in the other departments – even though you work location independently.
My most important tool for staying on track with meetings: a Timezone Converter. 😊
Faq to Editors
What Are Your Challenges As an Editor?
While SEO texts are there to improve our clients’ search engine rankings, they should also carry our clients’ voices. That’s the only way they have added value for everyone involved – our clients, the clients’ target audience, and search engines. The art for an editor is to recognize the voice of the client and brief the authors in a way that creates recognition. In the end, for the readers, the sender of the text is the customer, which means that all texts should also sound like our customer. That makes them unique. That’s a challenge and an art at the same time. It’s also the part that makes the job so interesting.
How Do You Check the Texts That Authors Deliver?
Nowadays, there are various tools that make it easier to check texts. I have a degree in journalism and have been working as a copywriter for many years, so that helps, of course. For spelling, grammar and so on, we also use tools like Duden-Mentor or Languagetool.org. Thanks to these tools, the chances of a grammar or spelling mistake slipping through are even lower.
Since the uniqueness of our texts is essential, we also use the latest software for this purpose. Currently, Copywritely.org is our to-go tool because it recognizes, for example, when certain passages duplicate other texts on the web. The development of these online tools is rapid, so we change here now and then to use the latest and best technology.
How Is the Communication With the Writers?
The cooperation with our writers is usually a long-term one, as there is always one fixed author and one fixed editor working on the texts of a client. This is very practical, as we can adapt to each other well. Authors can always implement the briefings better, and I as an editor know how to communicate with which author.
Technically, we have programs like Asana or Slack for this. Content-wise, I learn from the authors if something is still missing in the briefing or if they need more detailed descriptions for some things. On the other hand, as an editor, I give positive and negative feedback after each article is delivered so that the quality of the texts is guaranteed and there is potential for further development.
Of course, as an editor, it’s always easier to identify potential flaws in the text as if you were writing it yourself. That’s exactly why we have the four-eyes principle, so that ultimately the customer gets the best result.
What Is the Team Spirit Like at BlogTec?
Although most of us have never met, we are in contact almost daily through various channels. This makes me feel quite connected to the others. Through regular virtual coffee breaks, we also meet away from work to discuss private and BlogTec-related topics, which of course contributes to the team spirit. I think it’s important that everyone is quite open and also communicates what is going on in our lives. For example, when we’re not doing so well, when we’re struggling with xy, or when we have our friends over for the weekend. This sharing of everyday things connects us more easily.
