Our website poll this week is about New Year's resolutions. I didn't make any, so I'm batting a thousand. I learned long ago not to set the bar too high for myself, or I would be disappointed in the results.
But if I had made some resolutions, here are my top eight (Don't want to get in trouble with David Letterman. He likely has a copyright on Top 10):
Stop being crabby with cranky people who phone to complain about things in the newspaper. I always used to be so meek and would just let people have their rant. As I get older I've become more argumentative and it really doesn't serve any purpose other than to raise my blood pressure to the same level as the person on the other end of the line.
Resolve to write at least one editorial a week. The problem here is that although I am increasingly crankier with those with complaints, I really can't get worked up about anything else.
Resolve to resurrect The Plateau, since I'm still firmly perched on it and now I'm looking down the barrel of being the MOB (mother of the bride) this fall. And yes, readers I will get to be someone's mother-in-law after all.
Vow to comb even more thoroughly through each and every story for grammatical errors and typos in order to put a damper on the glee of those readers who especially enjoy finding these.
Finally come up with a way to explain to advertisers and sales people the difference between news and advertorial. Can anyone out there help me?
Do a better job of maintaining our website. That's a hard slog for this confirmed luddite.
Find time to do at least one First Person Exploit Into the Unknown this year. Anyone want to take me wild boar hunting?
Quit fretting about the state of the newspaper industry. Trying to fight the power of the Internet is like pushing Jello up hill.
There you have it, but since I don't make resolutions, don't look for any of these vows to come to pass. I'll try, but in the newsroom we know "try" is just a another way of "not doing."
