diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f0a0f8f..ff23ed6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,58 +1,80 @@
 # doc.silverstripe.org
 
-This repository contains the source code powering SilverStripe's developer documentation website https://docs.silverstripe.org.
+This repository contains the source code powering [SilverStripe's
+developer documentation website](https://docs.silverstripe.org).
 
-The source code here consists primarily of the SilverStripe
+The source code here primarily consists of the SilverStripe
 [framework](https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-framework)
 and the [docsviewer](https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-docsviewer)
-module with minimal configuration.
+modules with minimal configuration.
 
-**This repository does not contain the most current documentation files**.
+**This repository does NOT contain the most current documentation.**
 
-The most current documentation files are not stored here but instead are
-stored in each framework repository within a `docs` folder. For
-example, the documentation for the master branch of the SilverStripe
-framework is stored in
+The documentation files are written in the
+[markdown](https://docs.silverstripe.org/en/2.4/misc/ss-markdown/)
+format and the most current versions of these files and are not stored
+here. Instead, they are stored in a `docs` folder alongside the
+framework source code in each framework repository. For example, the
+documentation markdown files for the master branch of the SilverStripe framework are
+stored in
 [https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-framework/tree/master/docs](https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-framework/tree/master/docs).
-As described below in the Installation section, one must first obtain
-and re-index fresh versions of the documentation files from the framework
-repositories before being able to view the latest content.
+As described below in the **Installation** section, one must first
+download the latest versions of the documentation markdown files from
+the framework repositories and re-index them before being able to view
+the most current content.
 
 For adding functionality or editing the style of the documentation, see the 
 [docsviewer](https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-docsviewer) module.
 
 ## Installation
 
-To set up a local instance of `doc.silverstripe.org`:
+To set up a local instance of [doc.silverstripe.org](https://github.com/SpiritLevel/doc.silverstripe.org):
 
 * Install [Composer](https://docs.silverstripe.org/en/getting_started/composer).
 * Install [sake](https://docs.silverstripe.org/en/developer_guides/cli).
-* Clone this repository to a LAMP server. For example, the command
+* Clone this repository to a LAMP server. For example, the shell command
 ```
-   git clone https://github.com/silverstripe/doc.silverstripe.org path/to/webroot/ssdocs
+   git clone https://github.com/silverstripe/doc.silverstripe.org path/to/ssdocs
 ```
-will clone this repository into `path/to/webroot/ssdocs`.
-* From within `path/to/webroot/ssdocs`, run the command
+will clone this repository into `path/to/ssdocs`.
+* From within `path/to/ssdocs`, run the command
 ```
    composer install --prefer-source
 ```
-to grab the modules, in particular, the [docsviewer](http://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-docsviewer) module.
-* From within `path/to/webroot/ssdocs`, run the command
+to install all required modules, in particular, the [docsviewer](http://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-docsviewer) module.
+* If you are only interested in being able to view the documentation locally then, from within `path/to/ssdocs`, run the command
 ```
 sake dev/tasks/RefreshMarkdownTask flush=1
 ```
-to get the latest documentation source markdown files. If you are interested in contributing, instead use the command
+to get the latest documentation markdown files.
+
+If you are interested in contributing, you must first install [subversion](https://subversion.apache.org/). For example,
+in [Ubuntu](http://www.ubuntu.com/) or [Debian](https://www.debian.org/), `sudo apt-get install subversion` will install subversion. Then run the command
 ```
    sake dev/tasks/RefreshMarkdownTask flush=1 dev=1
 ```
 to get the full git repositories.
-* From within `path/to/webroot/ssdocs`, run the command
+* From within `path/to/ssdocs`, run the command
 ```
    sake dev/tasks/RebuildLuceneDocsIndex flush=1
 ```
-to re-index the latest documentation source markdown files. Note: re-indexing will take some time.
+to re-index the latest documentation markdown files. Note: re-indexing will take some time.
 * Make sure to flush the cache for markdown content to show up.
 
+Rather than using [sake](https://docs.silverstripe.org/en/developer_guides/cli), one can instead run the two tasks directly in the
+browser. To get the documentation markdown files, use the url:
+```
+http://localhost/path/to/ssdocs/dev/tasks/RefreshMarkdownTask?flush=1
+```
+To get the full git repositories use the url
+```
+http://localhost/path/to/ssdocs/dev/tasks/RefreshMarkdownTask?flush=1&dev=1
+```
+To re-index the documentation files use the url:
+```
+http://localhost/path/to/ssdocs/dev/tasks/RebuildLuceneDocsIndex?flush=1
+```
+
 ## Automation
 
 Refreshing and re-indexing the documentation markdown files can be automated. From within `path/to/webroot/ssdocs`, run the command:
@@ -60,8 +82,8 @@ Refreshing and re-indexing the documentation markdown files can be automated. Fr
    sake dev/tasks/UpdateDocsCronTask
 ```
 The cron job `UpdateDocsCronTask` runs the `RefreshMarkdownTask`
-and `RebuildLuceneDocsIndex` tasks every day at 8PM. This can be
-altered by editing `UpdateDocsCronTask.php` and changing the scheduling
+and `RebuildLuceneDocsIndex` tasks every day at 8PM. This execution schedule can be
+altered by editing `UpdateDocsCronTask.php`, found in the `apps/code` folder, and changing the scheduling
 function:
 ```
    public function getSchedule() {
@@ -69,22 +91,30 @@ function:
    }
 ```
 
+Rather than using `sake`, one can instead run the cron task directly in the browser using the url:
+```
+http://localhost/path/to/ssdocs/dev/cron/UpdateDocsCronTask?flush=1
+```
+
+
 ## Contribution
 
 To contribute an improvement to the https://docs.silverstripe.org functionality or
-theme, submit a pull request on GitHub. Any approved pull requests will make
+theme, submit a pull request on the [GitHub project](https://github.com/silverstripe/doc.silverstripe.org). Any approved pull requests will make
 their way onto the https://docs.silverstripe.org site in the next release.
 
-If you wish to edit the documentation content, submit a pull request on that
-Github project. Updated documentation content is regularly uploaded to https://docs.silverstripe.org via a cron job.
+If you wish to edit the documentation content, submit a pull request
+on the
+[framework Github project](https://github.com/silverstripe/silverstripe-framework). Updated
+documentation content is uploaded daily at 8PM to [doc.silverstripe.org](https://docs.silverstripe.org) via a cron job. See the **Automation** section.
 
 If you are adding a new version of the documentation, you must
 register it in both `app/_config/docs-repositories.yml` and
-`app/_config/docsviewer.yml`. To set one particular version to be the
+`app/_config/docsviewer.yml`. To set one particular version to be
 current stable version, set `Stable: true` in
-`app/_config/docsviewer.yml`. Remove the `Stable: true` setting for
-all versions that are not stable.
+`app/_config/docsviewer.yml`. Remove the `Stable: true` for all
+versions that are not stable.
 
 ## Deployment
 
-Deployment is via the SilverStripe Platform deployment tool and uses StackShare.
+Deployment is via the [SilverStripe Platform](https://www.silverstripe.com/platform/) deployment tool and uses [StackShare](http://www.silverstripe.com/platform/technical/).
diff --git a/app/code/RefreshMarkdownTask.php b/app/code/RefreshMarkdownTask.php
index 29442ec..98e1844 100644
--- a/app/code/RefreshMarkdownTask.php
+++ b/app/code/RefreshMarkdownTask.php
@@ -36,11 +36,14 @@ class RefreshMarkdownTask extends BuildTask
     public function run($request)
     {
         $this->request = $request;
-        $this->printLine("Refreshing markdown files...");
         $repositories = $this->getRepositories();
         foreach ($repositories as $repository) {
             $this->cloneRepository($repository);
         }
+        $this->printLine(" ");
+        $this->printLine("To re-index the freshly downloaded documentation files either:");
+        $this->printLine("(1) run the command 'sake dev/tasks/RebuildLuceneDocsIndex flush=1' in a shell or");
+        $this->printLine("(2) point your browser at the url 'http://localhost/path/to/ssdocs/dev/tasks/RebuildLuceneDocsIndex?flush=1'");
     }
 
     /**
@@ -92,28 +95,20 @@ class RefreshMarkdownTask extends BuildTask
         $path = $this->getPath();
 
         exec("mkdir -p {$path}/src");
+        exec("chmod -R 775 {$path}/src" );
         exec("rm -rf {$path}/src/{$folder}_{$branch}");
         chdir("{$path}/src");
 
         // If the dev=1 flag is used when RefreshMarkdownTask is run, a full git clone of the framework repository is kept
         // to enable local development of framework and doc.silverstripe.org from within doc.silverstripe.org. Otherwise,
-        // only a shallow clone of the framework repository is made and all non-markdown files deleted, only allowing viewing
-        // of documentation files. Note: The --depth 1 option in the git clone command implies the option --single-branch
+        // only the documentation source files are downloaded, only allowing the viewing of documentation files. 
 
         if( $this->request->getVar('dev') ) {
-            $this->printLine("Performing full clone of " . $remote . "/" . $branch);
-            exec("git clone -q https://github.com/{$remote}.git {$folder}_{$branch} --branch {$branch}");
+            $this->printLine("Cloning repository {$remote}/{$branch} into assets/src/{$folder}_{$branch}");
+            exec("git clone --quiet https://github.com/{$remote}.git {$folder}_{$branch} --branch {$branch}");
         } else {
-            $this->printLine("Performing shallow clone of " . $remote . "/" . $branch);
-            exec("git clone -q https://github.com/{$remote}.git {$folder}_{$branch} --branch {$branch} --depth 1");
-            $this->printLine("Deleting non-documentation framework files from shallow clone of " . $remote . "/" . $branch);
-            chdir("{$path}/src/{$folder}_{$branch}");
-            $framework_paths = array_merge(glob("*"), glob(".*"));
-            foreach ($framework_paths as $framework_path) {
-                if ( $framework_path !== "docs" && $framework_path !=="." && $framework_path !==".." ) {
-                    exec("rm -rf {$framework_path}");
-                }
-            }
+            $this->printLine("Downloading the latest documentation files from repository {$remote}/{$branch} to assets/src/{$folder}_{$branch}");
+            exec("svn export --quiet https://github.com/{$remote}.git/branches/{$branch}/docs {$folder}_{$branch}/docs");
         }
 
     }