The Virgin Post

Greetings brave readers who have made the leap from the reassuringly familiar pages of the Tribune to this, the new frontier.

Okay, so that sounds a little grandiose, but this is a pretty big deal for us. We haven't exactly been at the forefront of modern technology in recent years, so instead of aiming for the 20th century, we've gone straight for the 21st instead.

It's part of what readers will hopefully see as a fresher, more vibrant approach to what's going on in our communities.

You can even contact me via Facebook - how swanky's that? Just look for me under Emma Ray Nuneaton Tribune.

The aim of this blog is to give a bit of a feel for how the paper works, what it's like being a regional news reporter, and, if you're lucky, a bit of office gossip.

By the very nature of our work, we should be out of the spotlight, but hopefully this will show journalists are human beings too!

In fact, you only have to look at this picture of me interviewing former England rugby captain Martin Corry to know professionalism can easily give way to awe in the blink of an eye. He's a real gentle giant. Very big arms. Anyway...

One thing people who don't work in newspapers don't realise is that news is seasonal. Sounds strange, doesn't it? Nevertheless, it's true. Summer holidays, in particular, can be pretty lean for regional newspapers. Contacts jet off to sunnier climes - damn them! - and at the schools, one of our biggest source of stories, the teachers elbow the pupils out the way as they race for the exits and a long six weeks off.

January is another slow time for us. For the Christmas editions, when mince pies and eggnog take priority over contacting the press, we have to stockpile stories in order to fill our festive editions.

Come January, and we're down to the bare bones. This year has been no different. Those drawing the conclusion that it's not coincidental we are launching the blog this week would not be too far wide of the mark.

As in, bang on.

Hopefully, the digital age will open up a whole new vista for us, but more importantly, for you. Get to know us. Learn about what we do. Criticise us and praise in, hopefully, equal measure.

But most importantly, get involved in what we do. It's your community, so it's your newspaper.

- Emma Ray