Ma says that his first experience in the world of professional journalism was as an intern for the Atlantic Monthly, where he worked during his summer vacations from Harvard.

Ma's assignment was to read the "slush pile," the weighty but eclectic group of unsolicited articles received by the magazine.

At Harvard, Ma continued to develop his literary skills as president of the Advocate and as a Crimson editor.

After a brief stint working as a lawyer, Ma took up journalism as a full-time occupation in Newsweek's Washington office.

In the mid-1980s, Ma moved to U.S. News and World Report and was named deputy editor in 1989.

Ma says that although he was interested in the business side of publishing during these years, his responsibilities were limited to editorial work.

According to Pei, who worked with Ma on the Advocate, Ma excelled in these positions because he possesses the unique qualities of a gifted editor.

"He has an openness, a breadth of knowledge, an interest in written work and an interest in working with people," Pei says.

After more than a decade in editorial journalism, Ma took advantage of the opportunity last year to join The Post's on-line division.

"I wanted to move into the kind of role where I could build on my editorial experience, but also be involved in charting business strategy," Ma says.

In his new position, Ma is not responsible for day-to-day printed copy, but instead is charged with what he calls "developing program strategies."

In other words, Ma is charting the future of The Post's Internet site.

Currently, Ma is working on various projects designed to expand services for local users.

His group is now planning to introduce an on-line guide to Washington arts and entertainment.

Ultimately, Ma says that hopes these types of new services will make the site into a highly remunerative operation.