Content management with Alex: creating smart content

Smart content

The purpose of 'smart content' is to reuse content in every conceivable way and to respond more easily to future demands. “Interesting for educational books”, we can hear you think. That’s certainly true!

Alex makes this possible by:

• Creating content independently of the final layout or a specific publication platform.
• Structuring content and generating the related metadata. Your content will be easy to find and can be used in different contexts and publications. Moreover, the content structure brings predictability to the content production process.
• Exporting content to various delivery formats by default.
• Easily updating content. With Alex, you create content that you can reuse in different places. Do you want to make changes to the content? Then these changes will automatically be passed on to all places where the content is used.

Intuitive online editor

‘Medium-neutral’ and ‘topic-based’ writing offer great potential. But this also requires a new way of working within a structured environment.

To make this switch as easy as possible, Alex connects with Fonto as standard. This online editor makes the underlying content structure transparent without scaring the user off with XML syntax.

Fonto combines the familiar user experience of a Word processor with the extensive possibilities of an online structured environment.

Importing from Word

Is a web-based editor not an option? That's fine too. Alex also offers the possibility of working from MS Word. By using the right templates, the desired structure is followed.

Cooperating with everyone involved

Whether authors or editors, everyone makes a unique contribution to the content from the perspective of their own field of expertise. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.

Alex promotes cooperation between everyone involved, throughout the process. Because every organisation is different, we can set this up entirely according to your requirements and wishes.

Reuse pieces of content

Content can obviously be released either on paper or electronically. Some content can be included perfectly well in multiple publications. If changes are made, this only has to be done in one place and the content is immediately up to date in each publication! Practical, isn’t it?

Finding content easily

By adding metadata, content can always be found quickly and easily. Alex has a powerful search engine and specific ways to achieve this. Have we convinced you yet?

Collecting and compiling content

Alex allows source content to be included in several publication structures or arrangements.

These are collections of smart and reusable content blocks that are put together in a certain order for a specific purpose. For example, a learning platform, workbook, manual, and so much more.

Publish from a single source

Content is stored in a medium-neutral format. Alex provides exports to common formats such PDF, HTML and XML.

And after that? We check with you what exactly you want to do with this content. A pipeline to the desired XML format is an option, or we can automate the conversion to the correct design in InDesign as much as possible.

Internal and external delivery of content

Your content must be available in the right place at the right time. This can be on internal platforms, but delivery to suppliers, printers or external platforms is just as important. Alex enables efficient and careful delivery.