New Contenders in the Editorial Systems Market - Impressed

More documents

Recommendations

Info

newspaper, magazine and newsletter applications. “Baskets” are employed for each task within the workflow, such as jobs to be edited or corrected, jobs that are ready, etc. Menus set up the sequence in which articles (or components of articles, such as captions, photos, sidebars, etc.) move through baskets. As articles proceed through the workflow, they are sent to the next basket by the person finishing the last task, either by issuing a “ready” command from within InCopy, which saves the article, closes it and moves it to the next status, or by sending the article to the next stage using a pulldown menu with a “send to” command. One interesting point is that an unlimited number of actions can be evoked when a given state is selected. This could include dynamic creation of a PDF file, an automated notification by e-mail (outside the system) to another participant in the workflow, automatic archival and a dynamic pass-off of InCopy XML content to a content management system, all achieved at the application layer, with no dependency on the desktop plug-ins. Each article has a property sheet that lists its routing and status information, plus comments entered by staff. As work flows through the system, new versions of stories are automatically created at certain points, such as every time a file is sent to another basket or when it is checked in by either an InCopy or an InDesign user. Multiple publications can be worked on concurrently. Clients: local and remote. For the main system operations, two client applications are available: one for editors, based on InCopy, and one for page designers, based on InDesign. In addition, Woodwing offers two options for remote access using a standard Web browser. One of these, called WebApps, requires no special software in the remote computer and enables browser access to the database for writing and submitting stories, checking files in and out, and handling system administration, among other functions. The second remote application, called Remote Module, can perform H&J against the layout of InDesign pages, which it does by running InCopy locally rather than by sending the text to an H&J server at the host site and retrieving the text with its H&J results. To be able to write to fit the InDesign layout, the remote computer needs layout information, which typically with InCopy and InDesign requires working with a large file. However, with Remote Module, Woodwing encapsulates the data in a “thin” InCopy file that a reporter or editor can take on the road, retrieve over the Internet or receive as an e-mail attachment. The file includes enough information to enable accurate H&J for copyfitting and to provide a preview of the page layout. When the remote writer or editor is finished, the revised file can be sent back electronically for incorporation back into the workflow. Because the remote user has to have InCopy running locally, this approach would work very well on a home computer or a laptop that is taken regularly on the road, but it wouldn’t work at an Internet café or on computers not preloaded with InCopy. Both WebApps and Remote Module are standard, no-extra-cost capabilities of the SC Enterprise system, although the latter obviously requires purchasing InCopy. All clients support extensive querying functionality, including the ability to perform searches based on the file name, status, contents (including the use of a full-text search), the name of the reporter or editor who created or modified a story, the dates the story was created or modified, copyright information, a comment field and so on. Predefined queries can be stored under a query name and accessed with a single click. These named queries are stored under the user’s logon, accessible from any computer. Queries can be initiated through the client interface or by using SQL statements, which provides a powerful development tool that can help distribute administration of the system from the production department to an IT person. Besides InCopy and InDesign, other application software is being integrated natively into Enterprise, starting with Photoshop and Illustrator. In addition, SC Enterprise can “manage” other objects, such as Word and Excel files, and even movies or sound. These “managed” files reside in the system, with metadata, and are supported by Enterprise’s versioning capability. Administration. System administration functions, which are accessed through the browser-based WebApps module, include defining user- and group-based access rights and permissions, setting up workflows, monitoring status, controlling the issues and sections of publications, and viewing management information in the form of pie charts, bar charts, etc. A user can be part of any number of groups. Access rights can apply independently to publications, sections, statuses, object types and accessible functions (read, write, delete, etc.). Woodwing’s customization capabilities apply to WebApps, which enable customizing both the user Editorial Systems Queries. SC Enterprise has extensive querying facilities, including the ability to set up named queries for re-use, as is being done here. Most of the items shown are pulldown menus that help to select where to search, the type of query, etc. Volume 4, Number 13 • The Seybold Report • Analyzing Publishing Technologies 11
Editorial Systems Smart Connection palette. The Smart Connection palette can be run in browse or query mode. In this view, browsing the WW News issue generated this listing of items. The first item, an image, is highlighted, which produced the preview at the bottom. Note the three palettes at the top and the pulldown menus below, which are characteristic of Smart Connection Enterprise. The order of columns and items within columns can be customized. interface via HTML templates and WebApps functionality using PHP scripting. It is possible to develop new applications for the WebApps module. Palettes. The key to day-to-day production are the three palettes Enterprise adds to InDesign: the Smart Connection, Elements and Element Label palettes. They use a combination of pulldown menus, “context” menus that change according to the situation, and buttons that trigger common functions. The Smart Connection palette (see photo below) gives an overview of articles, images and layout files associated with the current publication, generated either by “browsing” or “querying” the database. The resulting display of articles and files appears in column format across the top, with an area across the bottom to display a preview of whichever item is highlighted. The Elements palette (see photo on page 13) lists all assets on a page, with up to 10 types of information about each, in column format. It includes their status in the workflow, the basket they belong to, the editor who is working on them, the type of file, the page to which the item has been assigned, the first few lines of text (if it’s a text file), checkout status and so on. This palette also indicates when a page has been checked out for layout (the text can still be edited) or when an editor has changed a file and it is ready for its next step in the workflow. A nice feature of the Elements palette is that items can be organized in various ways, such as by article or alphabetically by name. During the editorial process, a messaging facility allows users to send messages to one another. Messages pop up in a box on the screen when the recipient is logged in. The third palette, Element Label, is used to apply “labels” to stories, such as body, byline, caption or credit. To simplify the process, each text item starts with a default label that can be changed using a pulldown menu. The item definitions, which are stored on a global basis, are easily editable XML files. Third-party applications. Woodwing is relying on partners to supply some of the necessary applications for its target markets. For newspapers and magazines, planning software is being developed by one company in Italy and another in the U.K., and wire-service handling has been developed by a U.S. company, Coda Integration. Coda, notable for having been established by Baseview founders Jim Meyer and Dave Luther, is also working on three other modules. One polls e-mail folders to locate Word attachments and automatically converts them to InCopy format, another aids in uploading graphics files while a third handles stories that jump from one page to another. Status, pricing and distribution. SC Enterprise was released in May and is in live production at 12 sites: six magazines, three newspapers (one each in the U.S., Guatemala and The Netherlands), two ad agencies (in Denmark and Germany) and a book publisher in the U.S. Systems also have been sold and are awaiting installation at sites in the U.S., Denmark, Italy and South Africa, bringing to 16 the total number of systems sold (nine of which are magazines). Pricing is quite attractive for this level of functionality: $5,000 for the server, $1,000 per seat for page designers (not including the cost of InDesign) and $750 per seat for reporters or editors (not including InCopy). The WebApps application, which provides remote access to the database and administrative functions, but not H&J, is included in the price of the system. The Remote Module doesn’t add to the price of Enterprise, but it requires the purchase of InCopy. One sample configuration we were told about, comprising 110 seats, totaled about $1,000 per seat, not counting installation and training, which added about 25% to the system price. Distribution is through a network of integrators, including Coda Integration, DPCI, Onus, Mediasystemen, A&F, GraphIT, SmartColor, Jeberien and IRPE, and resellers. Some integrators, including DPCI, will be building components atop Smart Connection, as well as performing customization. DCPI is focusing on customers that already own systems such as Documentum, since there is an existing connector. Resellers have been lined up in Japan, Australia and Canada, as well as the U.S. and most countries in Europe. Woodwing handles marketing and support. In perspective. The expansion of the Smart Connection line upward with the Enterprise model presents a very interesting situation initially for the QPS market and, quite possibly, a significant portion of the newspaper market when Enterprise’s newspaper features are fully developed. First, the Enterprise price will appeal immediately to nearly everybody looking for this kind of sys- 12 October 6, 2004 • The Seybold Report • Analyzing Publishing Technologies
Page 1 and 2: Editorial Systems New Contenders in
Page 3 and 4: Editorial Systems Browser client fo
Page 5: Editorial Systems Article property
Page 9 and 10: Editorial Systems Database-Driven S
Page 11 and 12: Editorial Systems NxEditorial’s X
Page 13 and 14: Editorial Systems 3 views of an art
Page 15 and 16: Editorial Systems InDesign and Xpre
Page 17 and 18: Editorial Systems about 6,000 seats

New Contenders in the Editorial Systems Market - Impressed

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?