Most newsroom jobs seem rather thankless most of the time, and that of a web editor is no different. We spend our days attending meetings, proof-reading copy, writing briefs, cutting video, putting up links for producers... the list goes on. We don't work for the producer or the news director (at least in my newsroom) -- we work for the producers, news director, reporters, marketers, sales reps, general manager, etc. And because not everyone knows the ins and outs of a CMS, we're often not given enough time to complete projects.
With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to keep your web editor happy:
- Do give us reasonable deadlines for projects. You wouldn't give a reporter a promotable sweeps piece the day before it's going to air, especially if you've been promoting the piece for a week.
- Don't request a special project specifically for your broadcast -- like a special section -- then never mention that it exists. When this happens, you're basically telling us that you don't respect our time. You wouldn't schedule a special broadcast and work on it for a week, only to cancel it at the last minute... would you?
- Don't write, tape and air the promos before we've got at least a good working draft on a project. It's a little embarrassing when you air a promo, then discover that your web team doesn't have the capabilities to build your dream interactive by deadline.
- Do provide us with additional information for stories before the broadcast! It's always nice to be able to break a tidbit on the web.
- Do take a few snapshots of a scene -- readers love pictures.
- Do look at the front page of the site once in awhile. A coding error caused some images to move out of place on our site in Internet Explorer a few weeks ago, and I didn't find out until a friend told me... four hours after it went live. I never heard a peep from producers. In a similar vein, don't ask us if we have the No. 1 story of the day on our site without checking the front page. In this case, the story was the very prominent top story on the site.
- Do show us some love in your web pushes! A simple "click on the broadcast links for more information" doesn't exactly drive people to the site; however, a "visit our politics page for information on the candidates, a list of propositions and a map of polling places" will bring visitors. People like to know specifics.
- Do coordinate with us for special projects! As long as you give us a reasonable deadline and find ways to properly push to it in your broadcast, we're happy to come up with something to suit your needs.
- Do ask for assistance if you want to learn something! We're generally happy to teach producers how to post links or stories -- that way, when we're not around, nobody panics when a link needs to be put up.
- Don't blow us off when we ask questions about a story or project. We usually have a good reason for asking.
Remember, your web editors are also part of the news team. When everyone works together, both the broadcast and the Web site benefit.
Am I missing anything? Let me know!Labels: journalism, online, tips