Traditionally news agencies have delivered content to publishers by satellite or FTP. Although this has advantages there are also disadvantages. To get the best of both worlds the content management system (CMS) feeds supplied by Graphic News are designed as an add-on to the online service, rather than be an alternative.
  • New Graphics and Archive: Downloading graphics gives access to both new graphics and the archive at one location. This is particularly important with graphics.
    • Time window: Agencies generally send content for the immediate news cycle, whereas graphics have a longer time window. This is because they take time to prepare and the text and design may need to be modified to complement the in-house editorial direction or design. They therefore need to be sent in advance wherever possible - Having new and archive graphics available online together makes sense, and avoids graphics being purged from the system before the news event to which they relate.
    • News coverage: Inevitably the news changes every day and it isn’t economical to reissue graphics for every nuance of every story every day. Instead it is more sensible for graphics from the archive to be updated by a publication as a news story evolves, as and when they are needed. Graphics are not just produced for the immediate news cycle.
    • News deadlines: Graphics take time to produced, so one way to meet a deadline is to modify a graphic from the archive, rather than produce a new one from scratch.

  • Information about the service and how to get assistance is made available online:
    • User Terms: Anybody using a service should know what the User Terms are. It is not sufficient for a senior executive to sign an agreement and somehow expect that the users will know what has been agreed. This information is available online.
    • License Permissions: Where a publisher produces a range of different publications, the production staff need to know what content can be used in which publication. Limiting access using restricted IDs isn't practical in a multi-media newsroom, particularly if people are contributing to a range of publications.
    • Help: People using the graphics need to know where to get information and technical support.
    • Feedback: It is very important that the people producing a service get feedback so that the service can evolves to meet the needs. of the users