Not quite 'Dear Abby,' but a story teller

When multiplatform editor Deb Finken was in eighth grade, she was voted "Most Likely to Replace Dear Abby."

Did her classmates choose that superlative because she always had her nose in other people's business? Probably. And though that prediction didn't technically come true, it wasn't far off.

Deb has spent more than two decades at the Daily Herald with her nose in suburban business. At the heart of community journalism is the desire to tell people's stories - their triumphs, their heartaches. Not so different from Dear Abby.

Before there were multiplatform editors, there were copy editors. Copy editors are the last people to touch a story. They edit the text for grammar, continuity, fairness. They write headlines, design pages, put everything together. These days they also post stories to the web and social media.

Deb spends most of her week on the web staff curating content for dailyherald.com, as well working on the Neighbor section. Over the years, she has worked on just about every section in the paper.

The most rewarding part of her job is seeing a story take off online or on social media. It feels good to take a story you know people will like, massage the headline, play it up and then watch it reach readers. It's a great feeling!

Deb came to the Chicago area to attend Northwestern University and never left. She lives in DuPage County with her husband and son.