OpEdNews » Editor's Checklist: Website Consistency

December 4, 2008 at 21:36:14

1 1 1 View Ratings | Rate It

Editor's Checklist: Website Consistency

by Rady Ananda Page 1 of 3 page(s)

www.opednews.com

SAVE FAVORITES

VIEW FAVORITES

If you are a queue editor, it's really important that you read this document created by senior editor Rady Ananda. Thanks, Rady, for doing an extraordinary job. ~ Rob Kall

We're looking for consistency in our image, but writers submit their work in all kinds of formatting. Some people are visually impaired and have trouble seeing what they submit in anything less than 12 pt. Sometimes, people produce their work on a blog site that does not allow them to change the font or size, and then copy that work into the OEN Article Textbox. So, they will always submit it differently than what we want. We understand this. As web editors, you need to know how to change the formatting to adhere to OpEdNews preferences (see asterisked items below).

First, highlight all the contents of the article box (make sure your cursor is inside the article text box – hit CTRL A). Then select the correct size, font face, or color.

But sometimes, this doesn't work. There are two other ways to fix the formatting: using Notepad, or using HTML code. If you can't fix the font size or face, don't accept the article. Just make the edits you can make and leave the article for someone who can fix the font size and face.

Fixing the formatting using Notepad. (Windows users will find Notepad after hitting START, Programs, Accessories.) Copy and paste the article into Notepad. If the article has any embedded links, also copy it into your regular word document. Fix the formatting while in Notepad, then delete everything in the Article Textbox. Copy and paste all from Notepad into the Article Textbox.

Copy the links from your Word document into the correct place in the Article Textbox. Long URLs must be embedded (see below).

Fixing the formatting with HTML. As a web editor, knowing HTML basics is a great skill to have; here's a free online tutorial. Once you understand how HTML works, you may find this cheat sheet handy – scroll down to the HTML Tags Chart. HTML code p inserts two lines and HTML code div inserts a single line (each HTML code must be enclosed in the less-than and greater-than signs).

This is what OpEdNews wants for all articles (as with any set of rules, there will be exceptions that require a judgment call):

** Font face: Verdana 10 pt (size 2) non-bolded black type, single space, left justified.

** No indentation at the beginning of a paragraph.

** First letter caps on article titles – no ALL CAPS titles. There will be exceptions, e.g. if the news is BREAKING: or EXCLUSIVE: followed by regular 1st letter cap rules -- or, if it's some outrageously important news, like OBAMA WINS. See Chicago Manual of Style for headline capitalization rules if you are unsure. (In the 15th edition, it's Rule 8.167, including the other rules it references.)

** EMBED LONG LINKS:

In MSWord, copy the URL, highlight the word or words you want to embed, hit CTRL K, CTRL V, return.

In WordPerfect, copy the URL, highlight the word or words you want to embed, then click on Tools, Hyperlink, CTRL V. Hit OK.

To embed URLs using OEN's system:

Here's the short explanation by Managing Editor, Amanda Lang: If you highlight a "word/title/phrase" in OEN Populum editor, then click on the "link" button in the editor, a box will appear enabling you to paste the URL address in the box. Hit INSERT and you have a highlighted link that is functional.

Here are detailed, step-by-step instructions:

Highlight any word or words you want to embed (For example, USDA says, "raw milk is bad for you."). Highlight the words, 'USDA says'

Once you highlight a word, the chain link icon lights up. (Try it - if you then click on an empty space, you can turn off the chain link icon; if you double click on a single word, you turn the chain link icon back on; or you can turn on the chain link icon by highlighting more than one word.)

Notice the chain link icon has a broken link icon and an unbroken link icon. (Use the broken link icon to remove an embedded link or to turn off the icon.)

Now that the chain link icon is lit up, click on the unbroken chain link. A dialog window opens up. Follow the instructions - paste your long URL into the appropriate spot. CTRL X will cut the URL from the article box. Put your cursor in the URL link box in the dialogue window. Hit CTRL V to insert the URL into the link box.

The words you want to embed go in the spot called 'Title' - you can copy them (CTRL C) from the Article Text box and then paste them into the chain link icon dialogue box (CTRL V).

At "Target" I suggest you click on the down arrow and select Open in New Window. This lets people click on a live link in your article where a new window will then open up for them - without removing them from your article.

Don't worry about "Class" - ignore it.

Then hit INSERT at the bottom left of the dialogue window.

1 | 2 | 3

Senior Editor.

more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Authors' Articles

Share this page: (what's this?) Tell a Friend:

(More...)

11 comments

martinweiss

amazing!

I had no idea you all went to such great lengths to create this

superior cyber space place.

As you can tell from my submissions, I am an editing tyro. I struggle just to think up stuff that may be helpful or instructive, or use the weapon of humor to bring the self-sanctimonious to a useful focus.

This note is just to express my admiration for your work. You are making a difference and enabling humanity to utilize communication to survive and prosper. I am merely a musician, not an editor, and I know my limits, but you folks are terrific. My compliments to all of you. You should take some satisfaction from the knowledge you are driving the envelope of awareness beyond the power of TIME, Newsweek and the NY Times to control common knowledge. While they take profit from controlling and cursing the darkness, you are lighting the future. While the mainstream media echo-chamber prints the propaganda of the war mongers and polluters and vested interests in subjugation, you are driving them out of business. Nice work.

by martinweiss (41 articles, 6 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 503 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Dec 4, 2008 at 10:51:30 PM

(0+)

Rady Ananda

Reply: the beast behind good writing

is good editing.

;-)

by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:11:08 PM

(0+)

Meryl Ann Butler

Thanks, Rady, this is helpful!

And thanks for all that all of you do to make this site a great site!
I would love to have an area of OEN where Mac users could connect to work out the blips in the interface screen. Sometimes I follow instructions but things still look a little weird. Much of this has been solved by posting thru Firefox instead of Safari, but not all of it.

For instance, no matter what font I post in the box, it seems to “right itself” into Verdana 2, at least that’s what it looks like from my end. And I guess that's a good thing. And when it posts, it looks ok. However, I got a comment once that it wasn’t in the right font, so that is a little confusing, because it seems to look right to me at that point. so I think sometimes things look a little different on the mac.

Also, I find that fonts seem to be random on my comments. I don''t have an icon on the comment box that I can use to change fonts or sizes (tho i do have icons for bold, italic or underlined, and other icons that are perpetually ghosted), but sometimes the sizes and fonts just change by themselves. And, well, I guess can't really argue with that, because I think change is good! ha!

by Meryl Ann Butler (70 articles, 82 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 722 comments [29 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Dec 5, 2008 at 1:23:46 PM

(0+)

Rady Ananda

Reply: Mac issues

I received some feedback that this Tipsheet is too focused on MSWord, instead of what Mac fans use. However, no Mac user has yet provided the codes that effectively work, so they were not included.

As far as comments, the comment box is set up to post in 8pt Verdana.

Why you have differences between what you see and what is posted is beyond my knowledge. ;-)

by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:14:03 PM

(0+)

Margaret Bassett

Rady Dear, you are my hero

It's easier to write than to present the article in good form. And it's easier to "do" computers than it is to document how it is "done right." Information Technology, with soul. OEN should name an award for you.

by Margaret Bassett (45 articles, 2910 quicklinks, 43 diaries, 1853 comments [99 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Dec 5, 2008 at 2:14:53 PM

(0+)

Rady Ananda

Reply: Margaret the Editor Queen

Margaret ~ you do SO MUCH for OEN that it is YOU who should get an award.

by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:15:46 PM

(0+)

John Hanks

So how do I submit an article?

My problem is getting the thing through.

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1762 comments [39 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Dec 5, 2008 at 8:17:40 PM

(0+)

Rady Ananda

Reply: how to post an article

Go to your login page, click on Articles, click on submit an article.

by Rady Ananda (182 articles, 374 quicklinks, 49 diaries, 1718 comments [201 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:14:44 PM

(0+)

R. Queisser

Thanks, Rady

Great help, seeing this so succinctly written. Thanks for all you do.

R. Queisser

by R. Queisser (15 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 81 comments) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 2:44:56 AM

(0+)

Jai Daemion

A small point about html coding

Rady - Thanks for this really clear guidance. I want to insert one suggestion: the

tag in html not only shows as a line break but also creates boxes within boxes within boxes, etc., and is probably best used for that rather than just to achieve a line break.Also, I want to echo others' raves for what you do for OEN. Thanks!

by Jai Daemion (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 30 comments) on Saturday, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:31:37 PM

(0+)