You will now notice that when saving a post (not Publishing) there are different statuses with which to save the post that will tell your editor how far along the post is.
Pitch: The first and default option for all new posts is pitch. This is what it sounds like – you can submit a pitch for your next post, in which case you’d fill out all the information you normally do like content, title, images, tags, categories, etc. or you can submit a pitch with a brief summary of the content idea and proposed title in-place stating somewhere in the content editor that anyone can have the post in some way. Then an editor can assign the post an author willing to complete it. Pitches are welcome to be thrown into the bucket for others because sometimes we need the idea to get us moving.
Assigned: Once a pitch has been given an editor will assign the post to an author depending on a number of different factors. Most commonly, you’ll pitch an idea for an article you wish to write and even more commonly you’ll submit a pitch that has a full article already fleshed out inside it. In those cases this process gets shortened a few steps. However, ideas for posts may be submitted as a pitch where other authors can choose to accept the assignment. In that case the editor will assign the pitch to the volunteering author.
In Progress: Formerly known to you as a Draft, this status is now how you will save posts you are currently working on. This tells your editors that you are working on the article but have not completed it yet.
Pending Review: It may come as a surprise to most of you that this status has always been here. Now, when you have completed an article and are ready to publish, you save it as Pending Review so that your editor knows it’s time to take a look and make sure the article is ready for the front site. Your editor will then publish the article or schedule it to publish. (Only Editors should be publishing articles to the front site.)
Additionally you will find two new areas around the editor box I’m writing this in. First, to the right below Tags and above Featured Image, is an area for Editorial Metadata. Don’t feel obliged to fill this information out if you’re submitted a pitch. An editor will handle that. Second, somewhere below the main post content editor is an area named Editorial Comments. These comments are only for writers and editors to communicate about the particular post.
Purpose:
There will be other changes coming to DC Nation with respect to content authoring and editing; this is a tool that will aide in the publishing process and hopefully help things remain simple and get even simpler for writers. As with most team activities communication is key in many ways, and as a team we have been lacking in that department. This tool aims to change that.
Understand that while some changes go live all current processes are being evaluated. I will be looking at what we do and how we do it looking for two things:
- How can I make it easier for writers to author and publish content and for editors to manage writer production with greater ease.
- What can I do to elevate the content and quality of the site to not scare off readers because of simple formatting issues.
I don’t expect any of you to know how to accomplish attractive post formatting regarding text with titles, sub-titles, lists, text-alterations, etc. and images with alignment, captions, and positioning, etc. Those of you who wish to learn some basic stuff that would make a huge difference in the product and the lives of your editor, contact me at btreece@dcnation.net anytime! But if you’re happy just focusing on your content and letting an editor handle some of the more marketing oriented aspects of web content, then these changes are meant to aide you in remaining distraction free.
** Also be aware of another tool already in place: No post can be saved without a featured image being set. A warning appears on the page and the publish button is disabled until one has been set.
