connected [jigsha desai] from Laura Roberson on Vimeo.

Her title: Continuous news editor for www.knoxnews.com

Her goal: To keep the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Web site constantly updated with up-to-the-minute news and photographs.

Her deadline: Now.

For the last six and a half years, Jigsha Desai has served as the driving force behind www.knoxnews.com. Her days at the Knoxville News Sentinel’s continuous news desk are as moment driven as the Web site she operates.

9:15 a.m. Desai arrives at the Knoxville News Sentinel’s North Knoxville headquarters. After picking up a copy of the newspaper, she immediately begins sorting through her emails, responding to any pressing issues and resolving technical issues.

9:30 a.m. She heads to the daily budget meeting with the photo editor, the director of newsroom operations and the projects editor. They review the previous day’s metrics – Web site traffic and page views – and examine any technical issues. Then, they flip through that day’s newspaper and anticipate tomorrow’s news.

I don’t really have an average day. It’s a lot of chaos. Jigsha Desai, continuous news editor, knoxnews.com
9:45 a.m. Desai discusses the budget meeting with her team of producers, one of whom she assigns to manage the Web site’s homepage that day.

From there, any semblance of a schedule dissolves for Desai. She is at the mercy of the Web for the remainder of her day as she posts new stories, handles technical problems and works to find new approaches to online media.

“[I do] whatever falls in my lap that day,” Desai said. “I don’t really have an average day. It’s a lot of chaos.”

It’s chaos she says she thrives on.

“I like the Web, the interactivity of it, how you can change things really quickly. It’s just fun.”