Publishing Process

If your organization publishes information in either print or online format, then you probably already have a routine for getting information out to the public. This section discusses which parts of an existing information workflow will be replaced by using ActionApps, and which will not.

A Sample Current Routine

Though each organization's publishing process has it own peculiarities and unique features, there are some basic steps that are common in most environments. Here is an example of how an organization's content normally make its way to the public:

• Source. The content item is picked from an external source (a newspaper, a news agency, a Web site, a mailing list, an Internet newsgroup, etc.), or it is created by an internal source (a reporter, the organization's own news, an interview, a press release, a news alert, etc.).
• Editorial process. The news goes through one or more of the following steps: writing, editing, and approval.
• Publishing. There are many different ways that an organization can publish an approved news item. These include publishing it on an organization's own Web site (by the Web editor or computer specialist), on a mailing list, in a newsletter, by sending it out to news agencies, or by sending it to other organizations to be published on their Web site.

The editorial process File:Image

Within your organization, you should identify the source of news items, who is involved in the editorial decision-making process, and what their role is.

APC ActionApps Publishing Routine and Roles

When you begin using APC ActionApps, the basic process of gathering, editing, and publishing content will not change. The technology that facilitates certain elements of the process will change, though.

People may have different roles when publishing information using ActionApps , and each role affords the user different permissions. The roles are:

• Author. A person who can publish items and edit his own contributions. For instance, an author can be someone who writes the organization's press releases, monitors newsletters or mailing lists, puts news on the organization's Web site, or reports from events.
• Editor. A person who can approve or edit items of all authors and can approve items that come from other ActionApps slices. An editor is often someone who is responsible for the organization's or project's Website content.
• Administrator. A person who can define the Website layout and structure, available categories, Content Pooling, users, and the permissions of authors and editors. The administrator is usually the person who is ultimately responsible for the Website structure and content.

The editorial process using APC ActionApps File:Image

The Structure of Your Items

To best fit your content into the ActionApps database structure, consider how your content can be organized and standardized using the following elements. This format makes it possible to search and share your information:

• Headline. A one-line title that introduces the content.
• Summary. A brief paragraph that summarizes the content.
• Body text. The full text of the item to be published.

Also think about how you can use the following fields:

• Date. The date when the news is written. (There are other places to define the starting and the ending dates when the news is displayed on your Web site.)
• Place. Where the news happened or is produced, if relevant (e.g., a city and/or a country).
• Source. The source of the news, if relevant (e.g., an organization or news agency).
• Source URL. The Website address of the original material, if relevant.
• Language. The language in which the item is written, which can be particularly useful for searching.
• Category. The dominant thematic category in which the item belongs, which can be useful for searching.

Plan Your Transition

Changing your current routine to using ActionApps will not instantly happen. You need to think about both the design and people's roles, and allow for a testing period before you can launch publicly.

As noted previously, you must consider which steps of your current process will be replaced, which will be modified, and which will remain the same. You may find that there are valid reasons to continue publishing in traditional ways, and ActionApps can complement those traditional approaches.