Content development management system and method

Details Content development management system and method Content development management system and method

2001-05-08

2004-02-24

Robinson, Greta (Department: 2177)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

C707S793000, C707S793000, C715S252000, C715S252000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06697821

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a system and method for managing the development of various different types of content wherein the development of the content includes finding leads to content, developing the content and publishing the content in one or more different forms. In more detail, the content developed using the system may include written content, such as success stories, stories, articles, advertisements, auditory content, such as radio spots, radio advertisements, radio presentations, electronic downloaded auditory content, audiovisual content that combines audible content and written content as well as visual content including video. In the preferred embodiment described below, the content development system is described with an example of the workflow associated with a story and in particular to a system and method for managing the workflow associated with the preparation, editing and creation of a story, but the invention is not limited to a story workflow management system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical environment in which content is being developed, there is a content development process with various steps which must be completed in order to generate the particular content. For example, there may be the step of developing the leads and information that will be needed to generate a new piece of content, such as when trying to write a news-story, the step of reviewing the lead to determine the quality of the lead, the step of assigning an approved lead to a particular content person to develop and edit the lead to generate the content, the step of following up with the content developer and editor to complete the draft and final version of the content within a particular period of time, the step of client and featuree approval of the content and the step of publishing the content. Thus, the content development process is typically very cumbersome and slow. Often, the steps are managed by a human being and each step must typically be performed in a sequential manner.
For example, in a typical environment in which a piece of content may be created, such as a newspaper, a television newscast or a cable service, the management of the workflow associated with the creation of a story is very difficult. In particular, the creation of a story may include receiving a submission for a new story, rating the story idea, checking the story's facts, writing the story and preparing the story for publishing. In the past, each step of the process was completed by one or more different people, but no one was easily able to monitor the entire story workflow process to make sure it was completed. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure that the entire process was completed correctly and that each step was in fact completed. It is also difficult for a person trying to manage the story workflow to ensure each step is being completed in a timely manner. It is also difficult to ensure that each story being generated is factually accurate. Finally, it is also difficult to implement a quality control process due to the large number of steps in the process, the large number of people involved in the process, the large number of variables that affect the process and the large number of sign-offs involved in the process.
For a company which generates success stories about its products, the story workflow management process is equally complex. In this process, it is necessary to screen incoming success story leads and interviews to remove the unwanted leads and interviews and determine if the story is worth pursing. Then, it is necessary to check the lead and interview's accuracy and, if they are found to be accurate, the writing of the success story must be assigned to a writer. The writer then has to check all the facts (i.e. find the person, get the story and quotes, conduct the interview, get the appropriate releases, get images and other media as required, have those media prepared for publication, etc.), write the story and get everybody to sign off on what's been done. Once the writer has completed the story, it must be edited and prepared for publication. In a typical success story creation process within a corporation, the leads for success stories are difficult to obtain. In particular, it is typically necessary to disturb the salespeople in order to generate any leads for success stories since the salespeople have the most contact with people who may have success stories with the products made by the corporation. Often, the person administering the success story creation process must provide the salespeople with an incentive, such as a cash bonus or some other material prize, in order to receive any success story leads or submissions. The management of the success story process is often done manually which is a daunting task since the process is extremely complex and has many imponderables. The manual management of the process leads to inconsistent quality stories, slower generation of stories and unpredictable results since the results depend on the particular person.
Some typical systems attempt to automate the process in some manner. However, these systems are typically disparate pieces of technology that have been put together in an attempt to automate the process. For example, a typical database may be combined with a interface which is not intended for that database. It is desirable to provide a content development and management system wherein the system is homogeneous in that each portion of the system is designed and intended to work together.
Corporations which have success story programs also find it immensely difficult to ensure that stories are currently maintained up to date and accurate (i.e., the featured party is still using the same products and the same people are still with the company, etc.). It is staggering to discover how many of the success stories that a company uses are actually obsolete. In addition, because the success story creation work is done in an artisanal manner right now, it's also difficult, time consuming (i.e. expensive) to get the story done in multiple media (print, web) in a useful time frame. It is also extremely difficult for companies to ensure that their people can quickly find a relevant success story when they need one. In addition, because the stories usually take months from inception to delivery of a usable story, their shelf life (before they become obsolete) is much shorter.
Many companies already have a success story program. In one type of success story program, one or more people in the organization are assigned to find and develop leads and turn them into stories. These people usually have one or more other assigned tasks which are their primary responsibility, and usually lack training in the skills required to do success stories. The results of this type of success story program is slow story turnaround, poor quality stories, few and often outdated stories, poor legal documentation and high hidden costs. For example, the stories are also generally handled at a divisional or department level and therefore never centralized in a useful manner so that duplication exists between the different departments, the quality of the stories may not be consistent between the departments and can be generally of lower quality and customers may become annoyed in that the same customer may be contacted by two different departments for the same story. In another success story program, the persons assigned to find and develop leads and turn them into stories bring in one or more outside contractors, such as individual freelancer writers, PR companies, or the like. Companies consistently find the turnaround slow, quality very variable and cost high because the process always tends to be that of a craftsman working on a very limited number of leads assigned by the project manager at the company. As a result, there is often very little filtering of mediocre leads and interviews since there are not enough story leads.
It is desirable, however, to provide a content development management sys

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