How do you run a publication when you are almost 400 miles away? I can tell you one thing, it's certainly not easy and it isn't for everyone.
In December 2019, I packed up my entire life and moved to Virginia. Long story short, my stepdad, a US Navy veteran, got the opportunity to work and restore the USS Wisconsin. Now berthed at Nauticus, the military history and Maritime museum located in Norfolk, VA, my entire family finds itself with a new house and new adventures.
Before relocating, I had landed my first full time editing job. I was nervous to take the leap from reporting, but I also knew I desperately needed a full time job. I interviewed for the editor position on a Friday afternoon and by Friday evening, I had accepted the job offer. I was super excited to get started.
Life as I knew it was about to change. After starting my job in December 2018, my stepdad was offered a new position in southern Virginia. He moved down to the Williamsburg area and my mom visited him almost every weekend. When talks began about selling my childhood home, I was not happy.
My childhood home
Long Valley was a great place to grow up. It's where I graduated from high school, it's where my mom and stepdad got married. It's the town where I played softball and soccer as a kid and where I would come home to every break from college. There were so many memories attached to that house, from Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations to lazy summer days just sitting on the porch swing.
Reality hit me as the topic of selling became more and more real. What about this job I had just taken on? I was working from home, but at least I lived in our publication area. I broached the subject with my boss who wasn't sure what we were going to be able to work out. I didn't want to give this job up.
After working for the company for a year and always putting my best foot forward, my boss agreed that I could keep my job and go 100% remote when I moved away. Things have a funny way of working themselves out because just a few months later, the world shut down because of COVID-19.
Managing my staff from 400 miles away is hard. I am always attached to my phone and computer. We hold Zoom calls, multiple text message chains, and emails galore. In the digital age, the tools that allow communication are second to none. Life gets particularly crazy for me during our deadline period.
Being the sole editor of multiple publications and platforms, deadline week is hard. There is so much more to being an editor than just making sure everything is grammatically correct and spelled right. I am in charge of payroll, posting to all of our social media platforms, formatting the online publications, and more. I also keep track of our views and content systems.
I think the hardest thing about being in another place is the inability to attend events or meetings that are taking place. I cannot apply proper coverage to certain events and am forced to send a staff writer out to all things we are invited to. There are often some really neat speakers who come to town who I don't get to meet or interview because I have changed locations.
It takes a special kind of individual to manage and coordinate from a far distance. I think my strengths include being organized and possessing good time management skills. I write everything down and I communicate frequently with my staff. Communication is key to the success of any business.
Moving to a new place has been really good for me. I am living in my own apartment and doing extremely well for myself. Of course, I miss my friends and good old New Jersey pizza, but overall, the transition has been for the better. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can come together.
Signing off,
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