An online producer oversees the making of content for

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and W ...

s and other online properties. Online producers are sometimes called "web producers," "publishers," "content producers," or "online

editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

." Online producers have a range of responsibilities. They are in charge of arranging, editing, and sometimes even creating content, which comes in various forms like writing, music, video, and

Adobe Flash Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash and FutureSplash) is a multimedia software platform used for production of animations, rich web applications, desktop applications, mobile apps, mobile games, and embedded web browser video players. Flash ...

, for websites. Many online producers often, but not always, specialize in one particular form of web content. The role is distinct from that of

web design Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; user interface design (UI design); authoring, including standardised code a ...

er,

developer Developer may refer to: Computers *Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications * Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games * Web de ...

, or

webmaster A webmaster is a person responsible for maintaining one or more websites. The title may refer to web architects, web developers, site authors, website administrators, website owners, website coordinators, or website publishers. The duties of ...

. Online producers define and maintain the character of a website, as opposed to running it from a technical standpoint. However, technical and design knowledge is imperative for an online producer to be effective at their job. Online producers are typically responsible for working with system engineers or

ers to design site features with a user-friendly interface for smooth navigation and transitions. This means that an online producer should be familiar with common web publishing technologies such as

CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML (including XML dialects such as SVG, MathML or XHTML). CSS is a cornerstone technolo ...

and

HTML The HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser. It can be assisted by technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaS ...

to effectively communicate with the system engineers or

ers on their teams. Online producers may also be responsible for finding ways to boost the popularity of a website and increase user activity, particularly if the website sells advertising space. Online producers will also work with web teams to conceive, design and launch new web products such as blogs, community forums and user profiles. Online producer roles often feature a

project management Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. T ...

component. The producer will schedule resources to create content, ensure that the content has passed Q/A on a staging server, and publish the content to the production server; keeping to a pre-defined schedule or project plan.

Annual Pay

The estimated annual pay for an online producer in the United States ranges from around $42K USD to $98K USD a year; with the current reported, average salary being around $65K USD nationwide as of September 2021. However, salaries range depending upon an individual's experience and skill levels and the size of the companies hiring online producers.

Skills and Educational Requirements

Online producers should not only be familiar with web publishing technologies, but they should also have skills in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (p ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

, and

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

as the job requires aspects of all three.{{Cite web, last=columnist, first=Full Bio Follow Linkedin Follow Twitter Rachel Deahl is a, last2=Director, first2=News, last3=Deahl, first3=e-book author for Publishers Weekly who has had a career in journalism or publishing since 2002 Read The Balance's editorial policies Rachel, title=What It Takes to Be a Web Producer, url=https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-on-how-to-become-a-web-producer-2316063, access-date=2021-09-22, website=The Balance Careers, language=en Writing skills and the ability to direct traffic to a website are essential to the success of an online producer, and having skills in these three subjects makes it easier to accomplish these responsibilities. Many online producers may have a background in

, or often continue to work in journalism as online producers. For example, in radio or television, an online producer may work closely with an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

to meet a broadcast show's online needs. A formal degree is not technically required to become an online producer, however, many universities do offer web production degrees. Earning a degree in web production is a way to get a resume to stand out in the field, but experience with the necessary skills can also mean just as much. It is also important to note that websites are live 24/7 which means there will be times that an online producer must work late hours to address any problems that may arise. The ability to work late and manage tough deadlines is also a skill any online producer should possess.

References

Web design Online journalism

Annual Pay

Skills and Educational Requirements

See also

References