June 26, 2007

1. Get into admin mode. At the top right-hand corner of the page, in the “Poynteronline” header bar, click “LOGIN.” Enter your username and password. In the header bar, click “POYNTER ADMIN.”

(NOTE: Use Firefox or Internet Explorer. The CMS does not like Safari. If you need help getting one of these browsers on your computer, please contact webstaff.)


2. Create the article. Near the top of the left-hand navigation bar (beneath the “Content Management” header) click “Create a New Article.” Enter a headline and select an author. If the article is a part of a column (e.g. Al’s Morning Meeting, Writing Tools, etc.), select one. If the article is not a part of a column, use your best judgment to select a primary subject form the list provided. Click “Create.”


3. Give the article headlines. If the article is NOT a blog post, enter a “Deck Headline” (this will appear below the headline on the article page). For all articles, enter a “Blurb Headline” (often the same as the headline, this will appear when the article is teased on the home page). Enter a “Blurb” (similar to a deck, but shorter, this will also appear when the article is teased). Enter a “New on Poynter 1” (this is a 22-character version of the headline) and a “New on Poynter 2” (this is the byline, i.e. By Jill Geisler, or, in certain cases, the name of the column, i.e. Chip on Your Shoulder).


4. Add content to the article. Enter text in the “Article Body.” Type directly in the text box. To create a hyperlink, highlight a piece of text, click the button that looks like a paper clip (10th from the left, 2nd row), and paste the hyperlink in the space labeled “Source.”

Link Button

Some of you are accustomed to composing your pieces in other programs (i.e. MS Word). Webstaff would prefer that you compose your pieces in the CMS whenever possible. This will streamline production and editing.

If, however, you do compose a piece in MS Word, here’s what you must do to get it into the CMS. Type something in the “Article Body” text box, just a few letters (it doesn’t what they are). Highlight this text. Click on the “Paste from Word” button (5th from the left, 1st row), paste the text in that box and click “ok.”

Word Button


5. Save the article. Once you have some content in the text box (whether you typed it or pasted it), scroll to the bottom of the page. You will see four choices in the space labeled “Status.” Click “Pending” and, below that, click “Submit.”

Status Display

The article you just created should appear at the top of the list on the next screen. If it doesn’t, you can search for it by “Headline,” “Column” or “Author” (the most efficient way to find your own stuff). To continue composing or editing the piece, click on the button that looks like a pencil, next to the headline.

(NOTE: You can get to this screen directly from the homepage by clicking “POYNTER ADMIN” and then clicking “Edit an Article” beneath the “Content Management” header.)

As you work on the piece, click the “SAVE” button regularly to avoid losing any of your work.

Save Button

And that’s it! If you have specific questions, e-mail someone on webstaff, preferably your editor. Thanks!

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I'm a freelance journalist whose writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines, including The St. Petersburg Times and The New York Times Magazine.I also produce…
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