An online producer oversees the making of content for websites and other online properties. Online producers are sometimes called "web producers," "publishers," "content producers," or "online editors."
The online producer's responsibility is usually to create, edit and arrange the text, video, audio, images and other materials that may be included on a website. Online producers define and maintain the character of a website, as opposed to running it from a technical standpoint.
The role is distinct from that of web designer, developer or webmaster. Technical and design knowledge is imperative for a web producer to be effective at their job. A web producer should be familiar with common web publishing technologies such as CSS and HTML to effectively communicate with web designers.
Finding ways to boost the popularity of a website and increase user activity may also be the online producer's responsibility, 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.
Many online producers have a background in journalism, or continue to work in journalism as online producers. For example, in radio or television, an online producer may work closely with an executive producer to meet a broadcast show's online needs.
Online producer roles often feature a project management 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.