November 16, 2007
Using Print-centric Workflow Systems to Manage Online Content
In a previous blog posting I discussed the new role for editorial departments and the changing content strategies for many publishers. Towards the end of that posting I mentioned that having too many different processes and authoring tools was a great way spell out the demise of a new content strategy.
Editors like working with programs like MS Word, or Adobe InCopy. Handing them a primitive XML authoring tool, or asking them to work in text fields within a browser just won't cut it. Professional writers will want the ability to track changes, run spell checks, use a thesaurus etc. Using MS Word or InCopy as the single source of authoring for all content is where the focus should be. If your organization is already using (or is considering using) a print-centric workflow system like Softcare's K4 then consider using these systems for double-duty. While these two workflow systems may be primarily geared towards publishing content in printed form, they can easily be configured as a workflow tool to also manage online content.
A lot of publishers would think that using K4 for content that is "online only" would be a mistake, however these pieces will need to go through the same editorial process as those pieces that end up on paper. Copy-edit rounds, and approvals happen for online content in the same fashion as print stories. Leveraging the workflow management, version control, and features of Adobe InCopy is a smart idea regardless of wether or not the text will ever appear in print.
What a lot of publishers need help with is how to best take advantage of their print-centric workflow system. How do they devise the strategy around using this workflow system for two different types of content? Where does the content diverge? How do we handle metadata? How do we get the content into our Web CMS? This is where DPCI has a lot of experience and can offer up a lot of help and guidance.
Posted at 04:29 pm by Ivan Mironchuk
More Blogs From Author:
< The New Role of Editors, Writers, & Journalists
Help I'm a Small Organization that wants a Workflow Management System but can't afford one! >
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