Web responsibilities and roles: authoring

Optional title or role/descriptor

Author

Responsibilities

Creating new content for publication on the Web/Internet. Revising existing content. Writing metadata for content.

Ensuring content is user-focused, appropriate, accurate, authoritative, relevant and useful to the intended audience.

Obtaining copyright clearances where required.

Typical skills required

The following skills would be beneficial to a staff member performing Authoring tasks:

• Expert in their knowledge area
• Writing for the Web or excellent writing skills

Authoring web tasks do not have to be exclusive to one staff member, especially in a decentralised publishing environment. The responsibilities should however be assigned based on expert knowledge of the topic, audience and business driver. For that reason it is essential to assign Authors to specific site areas.

Typical current role

In the present University environment, the following positions and/or hybrids of, would already be taking ownership of the above responsibilities:

• Content experts: Academic and General Staff

• Authorisers

• Managers