Content development management system and method

• US 20040153466A1
• Filed: 01/15/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ziff, Susan Janette, Davidson, Allan L.
• Application Number:
  US10/760,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153466A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for content development management is provided which increases the speed, quality control and accuracy of the content generation process and reduces the cost of the content generation process by providing the steps of the content generation process in a single integrated system. The system also permits the users of the system to work at different times of the day and in different geographic locations. The system also permits the users of the system to rapidly determine the current status of any content in the system. The system may be used to generate various different types of content including 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 and visual content including television video or video data.

Claims

1. A content generation management system, comprising:

a first computer comprising a database that stores a plurality of data records, each data record containing information about a particular piece of content including at least content lead information and content information and a content generation workflow manager that manages the workflow from lead generation to content publication; and

one or more extranets connected to the first computer over a network, each extranet being used to generate content for a particular entity, each user of a particular extranet being able to submit information for content about the entity to the first computer; and

wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises a lead generation system for generating leads for content and performing interviews of the leads, a writer module for generating the content and a publisher that publishes the content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises a client node for each client of the system and one or more workthread nodes that store information about the workflow for each piece of content associated with the client.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the database further comprises one or more department nodes associated with the client node so that one or more different departments of a client may have different content, but the content for the client is associated with all of the other content of the client.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more workthreads are associated with the department node.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein each workthread node further comprises one or more content nodes wherein each content node contains information about a particular piece of content for the client.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each content node further comprises one or more content type nodes wherein each content type node further comprises information about a different generation of the content within the system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each content type node comprises one or more content component nodes wherein each content component node contains information about a portion of the particular content type.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each content component node further comprises one or more component version nodes wherein each component version node contains information about a particular version of the component.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein each workthread node further comprises a datastore node that further comprises one or more lead nodes containing information about the leads associated with a particular piece of content, one or more interview nodes containing information about the interviews associated with the piece of content and one or more workcontent nodes containing the information about the piece of content.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises means for assigning a different access privilege level to each user of the system.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises a ticketing system for permitting limited access to the system in order to submit information to the system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises means for generating a lead for a piece of content, means for generating interview information for the piece of content based on the lead, means for generating a piece of content based on the lead and interview and means for publishing the content.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the interview generation means further comprises a ticketing system to permit a featuree of a lead to access the system for the limited purpose of submitting interview information into the system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the content generation means further comprises a ticketing system to permit a reviewer of a piece of generated content to access the system for the limited purpose of reviewing the generated content and approving the generated content.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises means for customizing the information associated with each user of the system including the user interface.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the content generation workflow manager further comprises a search engine that permits users of the system to search for the content stored in the database.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the publication means further comprises means for randomizing one or more elements of the piece of content.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the publishing means further comprises means for pre-generating a search page of the content in the published web site.

19. A method for managing the workflow during the creation of a plurality of pieces of content based on content leads, the method comprising:

receiving a lead from a user, the submission including contact information about the submitter and information about the potential piece of content;

storing the content lead data;

generating a piece of content based on the content lead comprising rating a lead as being publishable and managing a content lead rated as publishable in order to produce a publishable piece of content, the managing comprising tracking the one or more steps involved in publishing the piece of content wherein each step is independent of each other step and the steps are completed in any order; and

publishing the publishable content in one or more different formats.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the content generation workflow managing further comprises assigning a different access privilege level to each user of the system.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the content generation workflow managing further comprises ticketing a user to permit limited access to the system in order to submit information to the system.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the content generation workflow managing further comprises generating a lead for a piece of content, generating interview information for the piece of content based on the lead, generating a piece of content based on the lead and interview and publishing the content.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the interview generation further comprises ticketing to permit a featuree of a lead to access the system for the limited purpose of submitting interview information into the system.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the content generation further comprises ticketing to permit a reviewer of a piece of generated content to access the system for the limited purpose of reviewing the generated content and approving the generated content.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the content generation workflow managing further comprises customizing the information associated with each user of the system including the user interface.

26. A computer system for managing the workflow during the creation of a plurality of content based on content leads, the system comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of data records, each data record containing information about a particular piece of content including at least a lead;

means for receiving a lead for a user, the lead including contact information about the submitter and information about the potential story;

means for interviewing the user about the piece of content;

means for generating a piece of content based on the lead and interview comprising means for rating the content lead as being publishable and means for managing a content lead rated as publishable in order to produce a publishable piece of content, the managing means comprising means for tracking the one or more steps involved in publishing of the content wherein each step is independent of each other step and the steps are completed in any order; and

means for publishing the content in one or more different formats.

27. A database for storing one or more pieces of content associated with a client in a content generation management system, the database comprising:

a client node for each client of the system and one or more workthread nodes that store information about the workflow for each piece of content associated with the client and one or more department nodes associated with the client node so that one or more different departments of a client may have different content, but the content for the client is associated with all of the other content of the client.

28. The database of claim 27, wherein the one or more workthreads are associated with the department node.

29. The database of claim 28, wherein each workthread node further comprises one or more content nodes wherein each content node contains information about a particular piece of content for the client.

30. The database of claim 29, wherein each content node further comprises one or more content type nodes wherein each content type node further comprises information about a different generation of the content within the system.

31. The database of claim 30, wherein each content type node comprises one or more content component nodes wherein each content component node contains information about a portion of the particular content type.

32. The database of claim 31, wherein each content component node further comprises one or more component version nodes wherein each component version node contains information about a particular version of the component.

33. The database of claim 27, wherein each workthread node further comprises a datastore node that further comprises one or more lead nodes containing information about the leads associated with a particular piece of content, one or more interview nodes containing information about the interviews associated with the piece of content and one or more workcontent nodes containing the information about the piece of content.