My year at The Rakyat Post

 

Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at The Rakyat Post , an online news portal.

Educational is the best way to sum up my year at The Rakyat Post.

Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”.

Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”.

When I left the New Straits Times to join The Rakyat Post on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect.

Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year.

Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post

He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes.

Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made that transition will tell you.

Editorial content is disseminated by way of the internet as opposed to publishing through print or broadcast.

Think immediately, at once, suddenly, straight away, right now … the list goes on.

Azah Azreen is a designer at The Rakyat Post

Daunting turned into heartening as confidence set in and the job made easier through consistent practice.

And I am leaving today. My decision to depart from The Rakyat Post is in response to an deep desire to try something new but that is another story.

The best part of my experience at the portal has been exploring my creative possibilities and learning and working together with a group of hard-working and dedicated journalists, new and experienced.

We were siblings on a boat in the deep sea and strength and comfort came from a shared desire to survive.

Survive we did and much more.

Kesala is one of the uploaders at The Rakyat Post

 

That The Rakyat Post was the 13th most visited local website on desktop computers and the third most visited local website on smartphones for the month of October 2014 was testimony to the fact that hard work, resilience and optimism are essential ingredients of success.

TRP staff deserve all the praises heaped on them.

The Rakyat Post is entering a new phase of its existence and quiet introspection can be extremely valuable. It is time to ponder on the next steps to take.

Sub-editor Tan Kok Tong is one of the pioneers at The Rakyat Post

Thank you very much The Rakyat Post.

I leave you with this quote: "At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." Albert Schweitzer

This post was first published on Wednesday, Dec 31, 2014 (16.42).