My 2 Cents: My Furlough

I view Huckleberries Online as more than a job. I believe I serve a readership at least half the size of the real circulation of the Coeur d’Alene Press (5000 to 6000 Berry Pickers) who are hungry for the type of local/regional news and commentary that this site provides — information and opinion that can’t be found in one place elsewhere. Also, I believe HBO has developed a unique online community that isn’t found in too many places. That’s why I’m concerned about the unpaid week furlough that everyone in the newsroom is required to take by Sept. 30. Add that to my remaining vacation schedule of 4 weeks, and I’ll be gone from HBO Central for at least 5 more weeks by the end of the year (with the possibility that we’ll be required to take another furlough in the fourth quarter). I hate shutting down this site several times a year and denying you access to the online fun. CindyH performed admirably in filling in during my recent vacation of 11 days. But we need to come up with some sort of system to cover my absences in the future. I’ll talk to Blogmeister Ryan re: possible ways to fill this space during vacations and furloughs. Can any of you think of a way that the HBO community can help minimize the impact of my vacation/furlough absences?