Newsroom reading path
This is the order in which a news desk gets to know its site. It assumes the site is already running and that someone (your administrator, host or partner) has set up the accounts. Each step names who should read the page. Tick the steps off as a team; most take less than an hour.
The first week: work safely
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newsrooms: start here | Everyone | How the desk is organized on Exponential |
| 2 | Logging into the editor | Everyone | Where to sign in |
| 3 | Accounts, passwords and two-factor sign-in | Everyone | Keep the accounts that can publish safe |
| 4 | Editing content | Reporters, editors | Create and change stories |
| 5 | Publishing and versions | Reporters, editors | Drafts, publishing, going back, the trash |
| 6 | Media and uploads | Reporters, photo desk | Images and files |
| 7 | Roles for your team | Managing editor | Who may publish and who may only write |
| 8 | When something goes wrong | Managing editor | The first steps when the site misbehaves |
The first month: the newsroom's routines
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Approvals and review | Managing editor | Many write, few publish |
| 10 | Scheduled publishing | Desk editors | Stories that go live at a set time |
| 11 | The Layouts editor | Desk editors | Front pages and section pages |
| 12 | Content calendar | Managing editor | Plan the week and the big days |
| 13 | Image and file guidelines | Photo desk | Sizes, alternative text and rights |
| 14 | SEO checks | Desk editors | Titles, summaries and addresses that are found |
| 15 | URLs, redirects and moved pages | Desk editors | Moving a story without breaking links |
| 16 | Searching | Everyone | Finding older stories fast |
| 17 | Weekly owner routine | Managing editor | The checks that keep the site tidy |
The first quarter: upkeep and growth
| # | Read | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | RSS and podcast feeds | Managing editor | Readers and partners who follow the news |
| 19 | Newsletters | Audience team | Bring readers back by mail |
| 20 | Exponential Intelligence for owners | Editor-in-chief | Drafts, summaries and translation help, under your rules |
| 21 | Accessibility upkeep | Desk editors | Every reader can read every story |
| 22 | Analytics and what to measure | Editor-in-chief | Know what readers read |
| 23 | How updates work | Site owner | Upgrades with your provider |
| 24 | Backups and Restore test | Site owner | A backup is only proven by a restore |
| 25 | When to call whom | Site owner | The right contact for each problem |
| 26 | Features customers often miss | Everyone | What the site can already do |
If you have only one hour
Read steps 1, 5, 7 and 9: how the desk is organized, how publishing and going back work, who may publish, and how approvals hold a story until it is checked.
Related pages
- Newsrooms: start here
- Customers reading path
- Magazine reading path
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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