This account was written for the MidAtlantic News Research Conference on July 18-19, 1997.
Jill Ford News & Record Database and Archive Manager Thursday, July 10 I usually get to the office around 8:00am. This gives me about 30 minutes to get organized before everyone else starts coming in. I check my voice mail for messages, and my in box for mail that may have arrived late the day before. I am leading the Technology Team meetings this month, and I leave for my meeting which begins at 8:30am. Our weekly morning meeting is just an information share. The team is comprised of representatives from News, Systems Services (MIS), Business (Business manager), Infinet, Advertising and me - representing database and marketing systems. Today we have invited the team leader for our new Imaging Department to update us on their activities. By 9:15 I am back upstairs, and I stop by the library to check-in. My Library Director is retiring in August, and we talk about the interviews we've had for a part-time position, his retirement, and some training we need to schedule. The library is next door to my database marketing team, so I stop in and get an update from this team next. Larry informs me about the problems we are having getting the vehicle registration database from the State, and we discuss 3 advertising projects that are in the works. Toni stayed late last night running our subscriber update files, and notifies me she will be attending a circulation retreat from 12 noon to 5pm. She's hoping they will be able to reach consensus about circulation marketing projects we will work on for the next 3 months. I also get their ideas about the database marketing training I will be doing this afternoon for the sales staff. When I get back to my office a sales rep is waiting, and I spend 30 minutes helping her with a database proposal for our coliseum. Then my boss stops by and wants an update on our selection process for a new database system. I spend the rest of the morning preparing for our database marketing project team meeting tomorrow. I pulled together all the information we've received from vendors, develop a matrix to evaluate the systems, call our technical representative to remind him to bring some expense information with him to the meeting. I also start the outline for my report since my boss just informed me he needs it Tuesday morning to take to the Divisional Leadership Team. I find out we can't install the next upgrade on our circulation system until we decide on our new database system. This will save us paying to have extracts written twice. After lunch, my marketing coordinator asks for my help with some computer problems. Apparently the tech guys installed Windows 95 on his system, and he can't locate our advertising presentation software on his desktop, and is having trouble with his e-mail and co-op system. At 1:30pm I'm off to another Technology Team meeting. This is our "regular" bi-monthly meeting where we discuss key topics related to systems. Today, we hear a presentation on front end systems from the group that attended NEXPO. I leave before the meeting is finished because I am presenting database marketing training to our sales staff at 2:30pm. After the training which ends at 4:00, I go back to my office. I have a lot of e-mail messages. Mostly from our sales automation team. I'm the sponsor of the team, and the homework assignment I gave them Tuesday was to e-mail me a proposal, or something off the net. After I respond to their e-mails, I send a message to the sales managers involved in sales automation, requesting a meeting Friday to discuss our team measures, meeting frequency and training issues for the team. My marketing coordinator stops by and we discuss his trip to Boulder next week for training on our sales presentation software - Immediate. The AD Director gave us the go ahead to do some mailings to our contract advertisers outlining the free services we provide. Mike and I discuss the format, the creative, and timing of the mailings. We agreed to get back together when he gets back from his trip. I process a few bills I've collected over the last few days, gather some reading materials and the file of applications we've received for our opening in the library --- and GO HOME. It's been a busy day, but not too bad. Definitely a typical "Day in the Life."
A Day in the Life
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Last Updated: 09/16/02
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