Still here, sort of

"Must-post-to-the-blog." I’ve been telling myself that every day since starting at the Fin over a week ago. Finally the non-posting guilt has got me, and here I am.

How’s it going? Great. Busy? Uh-huh. Working from 9am till 7pm every day. Haven’t done these hours since I first started work. And so, when you’re racing home to see your little daughter before she sleeps, blogging is of course the last thing on your mind. And then the new day starts again.

And so life on a daily newspaper is a blur. I honestly don’t know where the time goes. But it’s exciting. I’m back in the editorial saddle, building up my contacts, learning about the myriad of workflow processes one must master on a newspaper, and getting to know my new colleagues. I’m having a ball.

Another upside of working here is that it’s sharpened my focus on what blogs matter. I’ve removed a number of blogs from my Bloglines subs list because they were interesting, but not compelling. Time really does matter, and I’ve been ruthless on cutting out RSS subs that don’t deliver. Given that I also have access to tons of wire copy here, RSS feeds from many trade publications around the globe had to go because wire services too often beat them to the punch. So no point me reading the same wire story four times. Sad, but true.

What else? I’ve got a view over Darling Harbour, an easy bus commute across the Harbour Bridge every day, and subsequently plenty of time to listen to podcasts.

So that’s it for the moment. No promises on my next post. "Getting up to speed," is consuming more time than I thought, so that will be my priority for at least the short term.

Meanwhile, if you want to catch up or drop me a line, email me at mjones AT afr DOT com DOT au