Editorially – Collaborative Writing & Editing

Writing doesn’t need to be a solo endeavor. With Editorially, writers can work together with their editors in real-time, regardless of their physical locations or proximity to one another. The collaborative writing and editing platform offers its users a way to develop their work, showcase it online, and solicit feedback from anyone they choose.

Editorially focuses on the words, rather than the presentation of the documents its users create. Register for an account, and immediately get to work writing in Editorially’s plain-text environment. Import a plain text file or develop your latest project from scratch using Markdown formatting. Save newer versions of your document as you go and flip back to older versions for a look at everything you’ve changed along the way. Editorially lets you compare two or more versions of a document to see what has changed. You can also invite your friends and colleagues to provide feedback on your writing. The comments those collaborators add can be displayed in the margins of your document or hidden from view while you work on updating your text.

A real-time activity feed keeps you updated on everything that’s going on with a document at any given time, including status changes, feedback, and revisions. Editorially’s auto-save function is always on, so you never have the chance of losing your work. The platform functions equally well on tablets, smartphones, laptop, and desktop devices.

Practical Uses:

• Get feedback a personal statement for college
• Work together with colleagues on an upcoming presentation
• Find out what your boss thinks of a report you’re writing
• Look at older versions of an essay to see whether your changes are actually making it better

Insider Tips:

• If a user loses Internet connection while he’s working, Editorially saves a copy of the document in the browser’s memory
• Users can import plain text files into Editorially
• Completed documents can be exported as Markdown or HTML
• Editorially works on any device

What we liked:

• Editorially’s plain-text environment helps writers avoid distraction
• Writers can hide comments from their collaborators while they work
• Editorially automatically saves every version of a document
• Users can revert back to an older version of their files at any time

What we didn’t like:

• Writers need to have an Internet connection to use Editorially

Alternatives:

• Authorea – https://www.authorea.com
• Betaout – http://www.betaout.com
• Google Drive – https://drive.google.com
• Medium – https://medium.com

Company Info:

• Launched: September 2013
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
• Founded by: Mandy Brown, Jason Santa Maria, Ethan Marcotte, and David Yee
• Web site: https://www.editorially.com

Costs:

• Free