Outsourcing

If there's one thing I hate, it's companies who 'offshore' vital parts of their business.

I changed bank accounts last month, largely because I couldn't face dealing with an overseas call centre any more whenever I tried to query a payment.

Still, I've had to join the club myself this week and arrange for some of the Croydon Advertiser pages to be subbed from a completely different location.

OK, it's Canterbury rather than Bangalore, but the principle is the same.

Our slightly demented decision to change some of our titles from broadsheet to tabloid in the same week as replacing our entire editorial system has given our sub editors an almost impossible task.

Despite working excessive hours without complaining (well, no more than normal), it became clear yesterday we needed a back-up plan to meet the Croydon deadlines.

I'm having one of those weeks where I have had to give up all pretence of editing the Advertiser and focus on the tabloid project instead.

Luckily, I've got a management team in Croydon who share my view of how the paper should look, and being able to leave them to get on with it without any worries is a big weight off my shoulders.

The tabloid conversion of the Surrey Mirror and Dorking Advertiser is proving rather traumatic for technical rather than editorial reasons, but we have no choice but to get everything wrapped up by this afternoon.

And I already know that, whatever happens, the first dispiriting phone call I receive tomorrow will be from somebody complaining that they think the new look is crap, it's nowhere near as good as it used to be, the new size means it isn't even big enough to line their cat's litter tray with any more etc etc.

Such is life - at times like this you have to pin your hopes on the silent majority.