Use Of The Change Bars-A Second Set of Eyes

This particular option never ceases to amaze me in terms of the group of people that want the changed lines off and "never to be shown" vs. those that want it used but only on the left, only on the right etc. As you know, when you run the Document Compare in MS Word or a third party software such as Workshare (formerly Deltaview) or ChangePro you have the option of using Change Bars also known as Changed Lines. In MS Word, you can control the feature under the Review Tab and then under The Track Changes Options/Changed Lines. Why is this feature useful? Well, let us say that a paralegal or attorney has the need to go through a 120 page single spaced document in order to check all of the blackline changes that were made by a client or another attorney. Now let us suppose that on one of the 120 pages, a comma was changed or a number was changed on a particular page and nothing else was touched on that page. Without the Change Bar, the likelihood of you seeing that blackline change is low. But, if you have a Change Bar sitting to left or right you are being alerted that indeed, there was a change made on the page no matter how small a change it is. So, you can see how this feature can be a very important 2nd set of eyes when scanning through a document for blackline changes made. I believe it is to the advantage of the attorney to make use of it. Look for it under the Review Tab and then under "The Track Changes Options/Changed Lines". Top-Tier Style Training www.advanceto.com