Real-time collaboration
Edit articles together using the collaborative editor.
Real-time collaboration
IANews supports real-time collaborative editing. Multiple team members can work on the same article simultaneously with live cursors, instant sync, and automatic conflict resolution.
How it works
When two or more people open the same article in the editor, a real-time connection is established. Every keystroke, formatting change, and cursor movement is synchronized across all connected editors instantly.
Live cursors
Each editor gets a uniquely colored cursor with their name label. You can see exactly where your teammates are typing, what text they have selected, and what section they are working on.
Instant sync
Changes propagate to all connected editors within milliseconds. There is no "save and refresh" cycle -- edits appear as they happen. If someone adds a paragraph while you are editing a headline, both changes appear immediately for everyone.
Conflict resolution
The collaborative engine handles concurrent edits automatically. Two people can type in the same paragraph without overwriting each other. Changes are merged deterministically so every editor sees the same result.
Offline support
If your connection drops, your edits queue locally. When the connection resumes, your offline changes are synced with the server and merged with any edits made by others during the disconnect. No work is lost.
Collaborative editing works on the rich text editor. All formatting, images, tables, and citations are synced between editors. The AI sidebar actions (rephrase, expand, summarize) are also visible to collaborators.
Suggested editorial workflow
Author creates a draft
An Author generates an article from a brief using AI. The article is created as a draft with citations, images, and structured content.
Author refines with AI tools
The Author uses the AI sidebar to expand thin sections, rephrase awkward sentences, and adjust tone. These edits happen in real time and are visible to anyone else viewing the article.
Editor joins the article
An Editor opens the same article. They see the Author's cursor and can observe ongoing edits. The Editor begins reviewing the content -- checking facts, improving flow, and adding context.
Simultaneous editing
Both the Author and Editor work on the article at the same time. The Author might be refining the conclusion while the Editor restructures the introduction. Everything merges seamlessly.
Editor publishes
Once both are satisfied, the Editor (who has publishing permissions) clicks Publish. The final version includes contributions from both collaborators.
Presence indicators
The article list page shows presence indicators for articles currently being edited:
- Active editors -- Small avatars of team members who have the article open right now
- Last edited -- Timestamp and name of the most recent editor
This helps your team avoid duplicate effort and coordinate who is working on what.
Connection details
Connections are authenticated securely, so only team members with the appropriate role can join an editing session.
Collaborative editing requires at least an Author role. Viewers can open articles in read-only mode and see live edits happening, but they cannot make changes themselves.
Tips for effective collaboration
- Communicate sections -- Agree on who edits which section to minimize cursor collisions in the same paragraph.
- Use comments -- Leave inline comments for feedback instead of directly rewriting a colleague's section.
- Review before publishing -- Even with real-time editing, do a final read-through before hitting Publish.
- Leverage async editing -- You do not need to be online at the same time. Edits sync when both parties are connected, even hours apart.
What's next?
- Manage your team -- Invite members and assign roles for collaboration
- Roles and permissions -- Understand which roles can edit and publish
- AI Editor -- Learn the editor features, AI sidebar, and keyboard shortcuts