Looking for a new challenge after years working in the world of sport, I applied for a job as subeditor on the business and consumer desks of the Guardian – and was hired.Working on the production editor or deputy production editor shifts on the business desk, my role involves subbing and revising stories for the website as well as managing the content on the business, money and media pages. I also play an active role in monitoring how well the content is doing by using the in-house analytics tool, Ophan, and changing how stories are promoted when necessary.The shifts on the consumer desk of the Guardian involve subbing for the newspaper and website as well as proofreading.I also do the occasional extra shift working with my former colleagues on the sports desk.

I was a sports subeditor on the Guardian and the Observer newspapers and website. I edited copy and wrote headlines, standfirsts, captions and more for newspaper stories and for the website, which meant publishing a story as quickly as possible or working to various deadlines. Making decisions on search engine optimisation was also part of the role. I was proficient in the use of InCopy. I was often asked to proofread the pages for the Guardian. On other shifts I helped to manage the content of the website by deciding how best to display the stories, features, blogs and videos. I edited headlines, added photos and tweeted our content on Twitter and published some on Facebook. I used Ophan – the Guardian’s in-house, real-time traffic tool – to monitor the content to ensure it was displayed in the best way.

When Ceefax merged with the BBC Sport website in 2004, I joined the Sport Interactive football desk and was regularly in charge of that output. It meant being across the wire services, choosing which stories and features should be written and by whom, encouraging staff to chase original lines, subbing copy, placing content on the website, weighing up if it needed to be promoted elsewhere on the BBC site and liaising with the relevant people. I wrote the occasional news story and feature.In November 2008 the position of chief subeditor was created with me in mind. All copy came through me, I decided who subbed it and, where possible, also tried to act as a revise sub – making suggestions over headlines and giving guidance to writers and subs. How and where the material was used could also be down to me, so I often dictated the news agenda.Apart from the website and Ceefax, I also had to be aware of the digital interactive television/red button and mobile platforms and when the website acquired international pages I oversaw those as well. In all, my position involved managing more than 300 website pages. Deciding how we used audio and video was also part of my role.As a senior person on the desk, I was mindful that we had to abide by the BBC’s compliance and producer guideline policies and I worked well as part of a team or on my own. I had in-house SEO training and had to advise staff on this. Plus, with social networking sites a big part of the media world I was involved in how we incorporated such views into our output. I took a voluntary career break when my department moved to Salford and I decided not to go. I thought it might be the only chance I would have to take time out from the workplace.

From 1995 I was a broadcast journalist at BBC Ceefax Sport and wrote four-paragraph stories on all sports. From 1997 - when I became a permanent member of staff after previously being a freelance worker - to 2004, I was also motorsport editor of the corporation's text service. I was promoted to a senior broadcast journalist position in 2000, which meant I was often in charge of the output.

The Score was a free, glossy magazine that was posted to all sportsmen and sportswomen in Britain. I wrote and subbed copy and made decisions on content but - because it was a small company - I also acted as a personal assistant to one of the bosses.

My role involved running the sports desk in the build-up to the first three editions of the newspaper. I had to keep the production desk ticking over so we did not miss any deadlines - meaning I dished out stories to subeditors, liaised with the news editor and other staff, subbed some stories and was the proofreader for the print-outs of the pages.I would also sometimes put in extra hours on a Saturday by reporting on Premier League games for the newspaper.

This involved being in charge of the sports desk when the back bench and the rest of the staff went home and making any relevant changes. I would be there each night when the final edition was put to bed and, for example, during the World Cup in the United States in 1994 - because of the time difference - it was down to me to ensure the reports from the final matches of each day were ready in time to be included in our last edition.

The day-to-day tasks included checking/rewriting copy, writing headlines and captions, fitting stories on the pages and liaising with reporters. I was also trained in the page design systems used by the newspaper (GBT and ENL) so - because I was one of the few people skilled in using them - I would input the designs at the start of my shift and then move back to the main desk to sub the stories to go on to those actual pages.

At the same time I was also the sports editor of the St Albans Observer.

I was a news and sports reporter for the News series of free newspapers before my editor moved to the paid-for Herald part of the company and then offered me a post. I did the same role but then solely became a sports reporter and in July 1989 was promoted to sports editor.

Initially worked as a freelance football writer for the newspaper, providing match reports and details on Conference matches, and that led to being employed as a freelance sports subeditor.