I guess when you work for the newspaper you tend to miss things that are right under your nose.

    Sometimes, I notice as I scan my morning edition I read the paper as a manager of the people who produce the paper and not as an avid newspaper reader, which I have always been.

    But last week I did … on our Web site. I have always been a classified reader. When I moved to Pensacola, Fla., I remember subscribing to the paper I worked for, the paper to the west and then picking up a copy of the weekly papers in the area. Aside from reading the news, I would dissect the classifieds. I really didn’t have to be looking for anything to buy; I just liked browsing the selection of goods. I thought it was interesting how you could find anything from a part-time job or a garage sale listing to a DVD player or a home.

    They’re just fun, and useful, to read.

    Until last week, I also was a strong proponent of the printed version. And while I still prefer the hard copy to scan with a pen and a cup of coffee, I did find a definite appeal to searching for a few things on The Meridian Star Web site.

    I decided I wanted to see if anyone had any good deals on Chevy Avalanche’s. I pulled up our Web site, meridianstar.com, and clicked on Classifieds, Autos. I was blown away. As I searched, I noticed there were about 9 used Avalanche trucks within a 50-mile radius of my home, and local auto dealers offered most of those. And aside from the basic description, I could browse high-resolution photographs, get a car fax history report and see all of the fine print. The more I browsed, the wider I cast my net to see what other people in the region had to offer.

    I was amazed and how the search gave me the options of limiting my search. It was like AutoTrader.com meets the newspaper classifieds. As a reader, it was the perfect mix.

    So if you, like me, have never tried the online Classifieds search tool, I highly recommend it.

On a side note:

   

    Since I’ve already used most of this space this week for some shameless promotion, I want to take another opportunity to publicly congratulate the staff of The Star. A few weeks ago, the company that owns us, Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc., awarded us as the 2009 “Newspaper of the year.” The best part about this acknowledgement: it’s an all-encompassing award.

    I have served as a judge in years past. The one thing I remember is how precise the judging of that award is. They take full editions of the paper — two of your choosing and one at random — and spend about two hours reading them, taking notes and critiquing. They judge each of the 105 newspapers from across the country on the following criteria:

    • Presentation, quality and reader appeal.

    • Original coverage of local news. Enterprise.

    • Reporting on issues of importance to local readers.

    • Engagement with the community on important public issues.

    • Design and layout.

    • Use of photography and color.

    To know that they got through all of that and singled us out was humbling, especially considering the size of our staff. And for those staffers, it was a great honor. In the newspaper business, the last thing you usually hear is the good. The calls to reporters and copy editor are usually about errors that are made. In all of that, the good they do is often lost.

    So today, I want to thank the dedicated news staff of The Star. They are all dedicated to bringing you the readers the most relevant and up-to-date news each and every day. I’m proud beyond words for our company recognizing their efforts.

    Fredie Carmichael is executive editor of The Meridian Star. E-mail him at fcarmichael@themeridianstar.com.