B ecause of the multimedia nature of their jobs, many editors hired for online publications are called producers. The nature of tasks handled by producers varies greatly from one operation to another, depending on staff size, features, etc. In addition to basic editing and headline writing, producers will be called upon to repurpose content from print editions, that is, take material that was printed and repackage it with supplemental material, hypertext links, and so on to make it more useful for the Web reader. For example, a travel magazine may run an article about visiting a certain city. An online version could include links to restaurants, shopping, museums and galleries, nightlife, a list of recommended accommodations and more.
B eyond that, virtually anything goes.
A third producer to work with huge databases of information, making editorial decisions how they could be turned into useful products, then design a user interfaces. A fourth producer to help with Web chat programs, online community development or other interactive features to promote interaction between visitors to the site. A fifth producer to serve as the lead editor for a series of local TV listing guides. A sixth producer to help create syndicated online features. Most of the producers find it much more rewarding, too.