It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Walking into the Illini Media Building as a freshman in 2010 or being an assistant editor last semester, I never imagined myself in this position. I never imagined myself leading a staff of 120-plus and I never imagined myself managing a budget. I could go on.

But just a couple of weeks into my tenure, I’m already finding this experience more rewarding than I could have ever hoped. But I’m still understanding my role; I was previously an assistant sports editor, so you can imagine that this job brings a similar but also a new set of responsibilities.

That list starts and ends with being accountable to you, our readers, who we would not exist without. I have some ideas, but I also want to hear yours.

Email us — we’ll respond. Call us — we’ll answer. Tweet at us — we’ll reply. However you want to reach out to us, my staff and I are here to listen.

And from our end, we’re already rethinking how we use DailyIllini.com and our army of social media outlets.

Select stories from the next day’s paper, especially those with immediate news value, won’t have to wait until midnight to be published to the website. And we’re off to a great start — a second-day snow day story recorded a large number of hits shortly after it was posted Monday night.

With that, social media will continue be the cornerstone in moving information and spreading ideas — quickly but accurately. We were able to provide you with a story less than 10 minutes after we originally tweeted out classes were canceled last Monday. We were able to do that because it was a byproduct of the news staff’s planning. All we needed to do was update the first few paragraphs.

It’s clear that our online presence will dominate. DailyIllini.com will be the go-to source for up-to-date information as we move forward.

But we love our hard copy too.

For example, last Monday’s paper looked a bit different, it was the first time in a long time that sports was featured on the front page.

After the Illini held off Colorado two days earlier, we thought it would be appropriate for Illinois basketball to be a Page One story — regardless of the outcome that Sunday. Though the tip time was unfavorably late, we tried something new — a photo with a quick summary, refering you to the sports section.

We’ve traditionally been conservative with our front-page coverage, but this year, you’ll see the stories that matter most to you first — including sports and features. And when appropriate, columns, too.

This is just a taste, a preview of what is to come and what can potentially be accomplished. 

So join the conversation this year. Take ownership of the news. After all, we’re working for you, our readers. 

That’s how it’s supposed to be.

Darshan is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drshnpatel.