Media literacy is expensive and valuable. It takes constant dedication to maintain our information systems and an understanding of the media. At the same time, we live in a very large country and the need for a solid publishing system is paramount.
The branch is a small organization. Historically, we’ve invested in subject-expertise and community-building activism. We have relied on a motivated, coordinated, and educated corps of activists and volunteers, many who operate with great autonomy.
The publishing cycle has sped up considerably with the advent of digital networks. The time from decision in London to deadline in Ottawa can be extremely short. Getting our work online consistently and reliably is real a challenge.
It takes a strong plan to make content, get it online smoothly, ensure its relevance, and keep everything up-to-date. This manual is a key part of that plan.
If you come from a paper-based publishing environment the digital paradigm is a shift from what you are used to. You will have to drop some of the assumptions you have about how to publish. It might be painful, but that’s ok! There is big upside to digital.
The technical foundation of our publishing ecosystem are simple, yet powerful, standardized ways of working, like content management systems and collaboration tools. These tools help organize stories for publishing online. They work by providing baseline templates (a schema, in geek-speak) for creating metadata (that’s data about data) and content (words, pictures, etc) that our editors, publishers, and readers can quickly and easily spread online.
Structured content is the key part of our long-term publishing strategy. Structured content is writing in such a way that little “chunks” of information can be pulled from your documents and easily online. This is a fundamental shift from the locked-in metaphor of words on paper. Structured content makes content infinitely recycleable, re-combinable, and persistent.
Congratulations, you have started the first step: this manual!
Getting comfortable with the publishing system starts with getting to know your co-workers. DigitalComs can be a fast-paced place with little room for error (aside: we accidentally announced Nelson Mandela’s death, oops!) at times. The Strategist, Coordinator, and Editorial and Technical Workers need to work in close unison, so you’ll need to build up some trust.
The people responsible for media-relations, the library, and Information Technology are also important. Get to know these people, too. You will rely on them to help you with project work.
Note that this manual does not contain is system-specific documentation. Please consult the manuals for the information system you are using for detailed information.