The Messenger goes to Reno: A week has gone by

Ok, so a week has gone by. Sorry I have not updated my blog. It has been a busy and intense week of work and play.

I have worked incredibly hard and have learned a ton this week. We had some brilliant staff members to guide us along the way.

I learned a lot about the world of online journalism. Michelle Johnson, one of the founding members of Boston.com, taught us a great deal about journalism and the Internet. Everything from how to write better web headlines to working with slide shows to talking about an editors role in the online world.

Steven Downes, an editor from the Honolulu Advertiser and a design expert had us design pages during the week. It was rough and he tore our pages apart, but it was a great learning experience.

I also spent a great deal of time learning about grammar and managing world news from Craig Matsuda, a senior editor at the Los Angeles Times. We talked a lot about AP style and how certain words in sentences should be avoided or checked thoroughly during the editing process. One example he used was the word ONLY. Look how much it can change a sentence.

ONLY yesterday I hit him in the eye.
Yesterday, ONLY I hit him in the eye.
Yesterday, I hit him ONLY in the eye.

All the sentences are correct, but if that word gets moved around in the editing process, it could take on an entirely different meaning.

Craig also taught us about headlines and how to avoid what he called "no shit headlines" like "Warm weather draws many outside" and to avoid "may headlines" like "Gas prices may cause tourism to decline." Well, gas prices may not cause tourism to decline.

All of this seems like common sense, but it has been great to have it reinforced.

I could not ask for more from the faculty so far. They are incredible teachers. I can't wait to meet the next set of faculty members.

I have also loved exploring the world of Reno. It seems to offer the best and worst of a society. There are friendly people, beautiful mountains, and fun casinos. However, there are also drunks, drug addicts, gambling addicts and seedy casinos everywhere. I will go back to this topic another time.

So after a week in Reno, here are ten things I have learned.

10. The Reno skyline is beautiful. As amazing as the views are in the Finger Lakes, they are nothing compared to this.

9. Nothing in life is free. Free drinks at the casino are NOT free when you spend 20 dollars gambling.

8. There are things in life close to free. Champagne brunch for 20 bucks!

7. People take horse racing very seriously here ... Very, very seriously.

6. The Web is not the only solution to the problems journalism faces. And many in the industry are optimistic about a future revival of the print product.

5. The University of Nevada is awesome! I have more pride in the fact that I will study here for six weeks than I had in four years at SUNY Oswego.

4. West coast breweries are nothing compared to what we offer back on our side of the country.

3. If there is a casino in Reno and it doesn't have a hotel, it is a SEEDY place with some strange characters.

2. I am thrilled to be a part of this program and to be working with and learning from the people here. I can't wait to take back what I have learned and put it into practice at the Messenger.

1. Winning 98 dollars on a Sunday morning at the casino is pretty cool.

So that's where I am. Now that things have settled down, I will definitely be updating this.

I'll end with some photos of the city I have taken this week.