I’ve mentioned before that I hate doing payroll.
I guess part of the reason I hate doing it so much is that I see how much everyone gets paid — and it’s so depressing.
For how much everyone in the newsroom works, it’s honestly a slap in the face how much we get paid. It’s hard for [...]
Entries from October 2008
October 31, 2008
Managing when you can’t control things
October 28, 2008
Grades, commitments and managing my life
When friends, grandparents or recruiters find out that I work 50 hours a week, I usually get asked if my schoolwork suffers.
The answer: Not this semester.
I can’t say that’s always been the case. I’ve had semesters at the Alligator when my schoolwork has definitely suffered as a result of spending too much time in the [...]
October 24, 2008
Dead to me: Alligator Special Editions
Allow me to express my hatred of the Alligator’s 40-odd page special editions.
I guess I shouldn’t whine. After all, college students still read campus newspapers — which is why we have enough ads to print 40-page editions in the first place.
But last year when I was copy desk chief, I called the then-editor in tears [...]
October 21, 2008
Working wounded (or while sick)
One of the most difficult things about working at the Alligator is that you can’t delegate much responsibility — there aren’t enough people to delegate to.
So, when an epidemic sweeps the newsroom, you’re in trouble.
So far, our staff members biting the dust due to colds or flu-like illnesses include both copy desk chiefs, the managing [...]
October 17, 2008
Define: Managing Editor
At the career fair this week, I found myself explaining my job to recruiters, which is like summarizing this blog into a few sentences under a lot of pressure.
After a short line about how much I hate doing payroll, I explain my job as managing editor in two parts: first as the managing half, then [...]
October 13, 2008
Living the dream, but for how long?
As I’ve discussed at length in this blog, I love my job.
I love being in journalism and working with college journalists. I love being a part of stories that make a difference.
I feel — no, I know — that I want to work in journalism for the rest of my life. Managing the Alligator this [...]
October 10, 2008
Management on deadline
Wednesday night, we had Student Government elections, aka deadline nightmare.
To combat that, we had an extended deadline of 2 a.m., an hour past our normal deadline. We had bloggers, reporters and editors at the event — all waiting for the results.
And those results were not available by press time.
So, what do you do? Well, you [...]
October 9, 2008
Liveblogs!
I’m so proud of our Student Government election liveblogs, despite the aspersions cast on my musical taste.
Seriously, though, they were really well-done. I think the quality was on-par with some of the political liveblogging I’ve seen on mainstream blogs like Gawker.
October 3, 2008
Tips for dealing with difficult situations
I’ve said before that managing people in uncomfortable situations is not my strength. Firing, reprimanding or even editing a poorly written story can be difficult for me. My inclination is to be kind of an Alligator Mom, but not every situation requires that.
So, here are the top three things I’ve learned about taking the hard [...]
