Method and system for enabling real-time, collaborative generation of documents having overlapping subject matter
A method and system is described that enable a plurality of co-authors to generate and edit work product to be incorporated into different documents customized to suit the interests of different audiences. A first user authors a text passage that pertains to a certain subject matter, intending to use this passage in a particular document. The passage is made available over a network to other users who may wish to include the text passage or a derivative thereof in another document being authored. A second user may link to the text passage to incorporate it into another document. When that occurs, changes that either the first user or a copy editor, as a third user, makes to the passage can be made simultaneously in the other document being generated by the other user. If instead, the second user wishes to edit the text passage, the link can be broken and a derivative text passage can be created for inclusion in that second user's document.
1. A system for collaborative generation of a plurality of customized documents, each comprising a plurality of text passages, the system comprising:
a server connected to a network for maintaining storage of the plurality of text passages in a repository; and
at least one networked client computer in communication with the server and configured to receive user input from an author for generating a document and also for (i) generating new text passages and (ii) selecting already-generated text passages authored by others, wherein the new and selected text passages are to be included or modified for inclusion together in the document, and wherein the server is configured such that:
when an author has generated a new text passage for a document, the server stores the new text passage in the repository and creates a link of a first type between the new text passage and the document wherein a link of the first type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is also the text passage author; and
when an already-generated text passage is selected for a document, the server creates a link of a second type between the selected text passage and the document, wherein a link of the second type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is not the text passage author, and wherein:
(i) the link of the second type can be either a dynamic copy link, which propagates modifications made to the selected text passage by its author whose document has a link of a first type to the text passage, or a static copy link, which does not propagate any modifications made by others to the selected text passage; and
(ii) upon receiving a selection to lock a document, the server converts any dynamic copy link to the document to a static copy link; and
(iii) upon selecting an already-generated text passage authored by another, a document author is prompted to select whether the link of the second type is a dynamic link or static link.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of networked client computers in communication with the server via the network, wherein a subset of different client computers receive user input from a plurality of authors for generating a plurality of documents and for (i) generating new text passages and (ii) selecting already-generated text passages authored by others, wherein the new and selected text passages are to be included or modified for inclusion in the plurality of document.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured such that:
when a text passage is being modified for a first document having a link of a first type, and the text passage also has a static second type of link to a second document, the server
breaks the existing link of the first type,
stores a different text passage containing the text passage in its modified form, and
creates a link of the first type between the different text passage and the first document,
wherein the second document maintains the link to the original text passage without the modifications.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured such that:
when a text passage having a link of a first type to a first document is being modified for a second document having a link of the second type, the server:
breaks the existing link of the second type,
stores a different text passage containing the text passage in its modified form, and
creates a link of the first type between the second document and the different text passage,
wherein the first document maintains the link of the first type to the original text passage without the modifications.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the repository stores metadata associating a text passage with the one or more documents to which the text passage is linked, and wherein the server is configured to generate a back link from the different text passage to the original text passage without modifications, and at least a portion of the metadata is made available for the different text passage through the back link.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a document is divided into a plurality of sections, and the new and selected text passages are included into in respective sections of the document, and wherein the repository stores metadata indicating the section in which the text passage is inserted into the document.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the customized documents are news briefings prepared for customers, and wherein the text passages are stories summarizing news events and a subset of which include hyperlinks to a full version of the news event being briefed.
8. A method for collaboratively generating a plurality of customized documents, each comprising a plurality of text passages, the method comprising:
maintaining storage of the plurality of text passages in a repository;
in response to user input to generate a new text passage, storing the new text passage in the repository and creating a link of a first type between an authored text passage and a document;
in response to user input to select an already-stored text passage, creating a link of a second type between the selected text passage and the document, wherein the link of the second type can be either a dynamic copy link, which propagates modifications made to the selected text passage by its author whose document has a link of a first type to the text passage, or a static copy link, which does not propagate modifications made by others to the selected passage; and
in response to user input to lock a document, converting any dynamic copy link to the document to a static copy link,
wherein a link of the first type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is also the text passage author, and a link of the second type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is not the text passage author, and
wherein, upon selecting an already-generated text passage authored by another, a document author is prompted to select whether the link of the second type is a dynamic link or static link.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
generating a plurality of different documents in response to user input from a plurality of users, wherein links of the second type are to text passages generated by different users for inclusion in different documents.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
when a text passage is being modified for a first document having a link of a first type, modifying any second document having a dynamic copy link to the text passage,
wherein the repository stores metadata associating the text passage with the first and second documents to which the text passage is linked.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
when a text passage is being modified for a first document having a link of a first type, and the text passage also has a static second type of link to a second document,
breaking the existing link of the first type,
storing a different text passage containing the text passage in its modified form, and
creating a link of the first type between the different text passage and the first document,
wherein the second document maintains the link to the original text passage without the modifications.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
when a text passage having a link of a first type to a first document is being modified for a second document having a link of the second type,
breaking the existing link of the second type,
storing a different text passage containing the text passage in its modified form, and
creating a link of the first type between the second document and the different text passage,
wherein the first document maintains the link of the first type to the original text passage without the modifications.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a text passage is associated with metadata indicating the one or more documents to which the text passage is linked, the method further comprising:
generating a back link from the different text passage to the original text passage, and
making the metadata available for the document linked to the different text passage.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
generating a plurality of sections for the document in response to user input, wherein each new text passage and each selected text passage is specified by the user for inclusion in a respective section of the document, and
wherein a repository includes metadata indicating the section in which the text passage is inserted into the document.
15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the customized documents are news briefings prepared for customers, and wherein the text passages are stories summarizing news events and at least a subset of text passages include hyperlinks to a full version of the news event being briefed.
16. A method for collaboratively generating a plurality of customized documents, each comprising a plurality of text passages, the method comprising:
receiving over a network text passages to be stored and linked for inclusion in documents being generated by respective authors;
for each text passage received, creating an owner link between the text passages and the corresponding documents being generated;
in response to user input, selecting stored text passages for which owner links have been created and creating copy links between the selected text passages and the corresponding documents being generated, and
in response to an owner modifying a text passage having a link of a first type, linking the modified text passage to any documents having a link of a first type or a dynamic copy link, wherein any dynamic copy link to a document is converted to a static copy link, which does not propagate any modifications made by others to the selected text passage, when the document is finalized,
wherein a link of the first type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is also the text passage author, and a link of the second type between a text passage and a document indicates that the document author is not the text passage author, and
wherein, upon selecting an already-generated text passage authored by another, a document author is prompted to select whether the link of the second type is a dynamic link or static link.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
when edits to a text passage are received via the owner link, propagating the edits to documents having a copy link to the text passage, if the copy link is a dynamic link.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
when edits to a text passage are received from a user and metadata associated with the text passage indicates that the status of the text passage is locked, incorporating the edits into a modified text passage, and creating a new owner link between the modified text passage and the document being authored by the user that prepared the edits, wherein the modified text passage associated with metadata associating the modified text passage with the document being authored by the user that prepared the edits.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
in response to search criteria provided by user input, generating a listing of stored text passages that correspond with provided search criteria;
receiving a user's selection of (i) a stored text passage to be incorporated into a document being authored by the user, and (ii) whether to generate a dynamic or a static link.