The gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow

There are two primary Workflows that we are using on the Gazette: The Gazette Editorial Workflow, and the Gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow. They are virtually identical, with ONE important difference: at the very beginning of the Letters/Member Submissions Workflow, posts are assigned slightly differently than they are in the Editorial Workflow. (Letters/Member submissions have no reporters assigned to them, so the Development Editor is technically the “assignee.”) Here is a breakdown of the Gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow in simple terms. For more in-depth and detailed descriptions of the tasks required at each step, see that step’s individual article page.

The Linewaiters’ Gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow

The Linewaiters’ Gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow is divided into a total of eight steps. Once an article reaches the eighth step in the workflow, it’s ready to be published.

The Gazette Letters/Member Submissions Workflow steps are as follows, with a brief description of each step:

Article Assignment. This is the first step in the Workflow. In the Letters/Member Submissions Workflow, this step is slightly different than the other Gazette Workflows, and must be handled differently. DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF ARTICLE, a new post will be created in WordPress and assigned to the person responsible for handling it. FOR LETTERS, MEMBER SUBMISSIONS, and OTHER COOP RELATED CONTENT (announcements and so-forth) THAT ARE SUBMITTED TO THE GAZETTE SUBMISSIONS email, A COOP COORDINATOR WILL CREATE AND ASSIGN THE POST. ALL OF THOSE POSTS WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR for that issue. The Development Editor MUST THEN SIGN OFF ON THE LETTER OR MEMBER SUBMISSION and ASSIGN IT to themselves (the Development Editor) AND the DEVELOPMENT ART DIRECTOR to be reviewed in the next step. Click here for an in-depth description of the Article Assignment step.
Development Editor/Art Director Review. This is the second step in the Workflow. Once the letter/member submission has been submitted, the Development team (the Development Editor and Art Director) review it and make comments. The Development Art Director uses this step to communicate with illustrators and photographers (unless they have already been apprised of the content) to generate art for the story, if need. Letters never receive art. If the letter/member submission needs work, it MUST BE COMMUNICATED to the Coordinating Editors and/or the Coop Coordinators. Once the Development team is satisfied with the letter/member submission, they “Approve” it and move it forward in the Workflow for review by the Coop Coordinators. Click here for an in-depth description of the Development Art/Editor Review step.
Coop Coordinator Review. This is the third step in the Workflow. This step gives the Coop Coordinators a chance to review the letter/member submission for length, fact-checking, etc. Once they have reviewed it, they sign off and send it forward to the Traffic Manager and the Content Editor to begin the “Pre-Production” process. Click here for an in-depth description of the Coop Coordinator Review step.
Pre-Production. This is the fourth step in the Workflow. During Pre-Production, the Traffic Manager takes responsibility for the letter/member submission, and does a preliminary proof read. The Content Editor prepares the letter/member submission for production, setting metadata, categories, tags, etc., as well as reviewing the letter/member submission for style. If art is available in the Media Library for the member submission, the Content Editor may place relevant art. Once the Traffic Manager and Content Editor are satisfied, they sign off on the letter/member submission and move it forward to Production by assigning it to the Production Editor, Production Art Director, WordPress Producer and the Traffic Manager as well. Click here for an in-depth description of the Pre-Production step.
Production. This is the fifth step in the Workflow. During Production, the the Production team does all necessary fine tuning to prepare the letter/member submission for publication. The Production Art Director (PAD) and WordPress Producer reviews the letter/member submission and collaborate on placement of art, captions, layout style and pull quotes. The Production Editor reads each letter/member submission for copy. And the Traffic Manager makes sure all the work is done before moving the letter/member submission along to the next step, Post-Production proofing. The Final Proofreader and the Traffic Manager are included in the sign off at this stage. Click here for an in-depth description of the Production step.
Post-Production Proofing. This is the sixth step in the Workflow. At the Post-Production Proofing step, the final proofreader reads each story carefully for any errors that may have been introduced or missed during production. The Traffic Manager may be helpful here in noting what if anything may have changed from the letter/member submission’s initiation point to final proof. Once Traffic and Proofing are satisfied, they “approve” the letter/member submission and pass it along to a final review by the Coop Coordinators. The Traffic Manager’s responsibilities end here. Click here for an in-depth description of the Post-Production step.
Final Coop Coordinator Review. This is the seventh step in the Workflow. This step allows the Coop Coordinators one final look before sending the articles on to publication. Once they have reviewed each letter/member submission, they “sign off” and move the stories on to the Publish step. Click here for an in-depth description of the Final Coop Coordinator Review step.
Publish. This is the eighth and final step in the Workflow. The Coordinating Editors arrange and publish each letter/member submission in the order it is to appear on the Gazette site. In this step any letter/member submissions or announcements that should be “stuck to the top” of the blog are selected. Click here for an in-depth description of the Publish step.