8/24 Update: All three spots are now filled! Thanks to everyone who wrote in and applied for a spot. I will be announcing the new writers when it gets a little closer to the new season.
8/21 Update: I can confirm 2 spots out of 3 are filled.
Before you know it, the summer will be over. Training camp and the 2016-17 NHL preseason are about one month away. There will even be an international tournament taking place real soon too. Hockey involving the New Jersey Devils will be happening soon. So it’s time to get ready.
For us, we need your help to get ready. There are some openings for some specific roles I want to have for this very site in place of the upcoming season. I am looking for volunteer writers, preferably from this very community. I’ve been very proud of the fact that everyone who has written here in the past and present were readers of the site and appreciate what it’s all about. For a refresher of what that is, this post from last year is as good as any.
As with last year, I’m going to list some general requirements (now two years running!) and then the specific positions I’d like to have filled. Read through everything first before you inquire about volunteering your time to this very site.
Requirements
#1) Be a New Jersey Devils fan. This seems obvious, but there may be a few who think that they can use this site as a platform for some other endeavor or their own personal soapbox. This is and always be a site by the fans for the fans about the team. So it's required that you are a fan of the New Jersey Devils. Not the Devils and some other NHL team. Not the Devils as a passing interest. Not the Devils as an attempt to "be somebody" and "make a name for yourself." You need to be a fan and accept this is a Devils site.
#2) Be a registered and non-banned user. If you haven't registered for All About the Jersey, then please, sign up as soon as you can. It's free, it gives you access to join 300+ other blogs on the SBN network, and add to their respective communities. If you've been banned, then I don't think this is going to work out. After all, if you can't follow the rules of this site, I don't see how you can follow direction on how to make a post or when things need to be posted.
#3) Be available - and honest in your availability. With these positions, there's going to be some variability in terms of when something has to be posted or something has to be done for the site. It'll make more sense when I explain them, but consistency and reliability are important. You may not be expected to write essays, but I do expect you to be honest in terms of when you can make posts and honor commitments and when you can't. And that you will let people know ahead of time if you can’t.
#4) Develop and share your passion. You don't have to be a perfect writer - I'm definitely not - but you will have to take this seriously to a degree. Again, no one comes here to read what they could read in the AP or hear from some lame pundit espousing the same narratives over and over. One of the big reasons why AAtJ is what it is now is because that the posts are thought out, arguments are backed up with facts, the writing is respectful to the reader (and the player, you notice it's not just "Jon Merrill," it's "Jon Merrill sucks because..."), and content is regular. That's what I will be looking for.
#5) Be willing to be active with the community. Readers aren't afraid to tell you what they think. I or the other writers may even disagree with what you write; but readers definitely will if they do. Tying into the prior if you present a good argument, then it should hold up on its own; but ideally you should comment with the other users to explain your point further or just to further discussion along. That's what makes a site like this so different than just a series of essays.
#6) Be able to communicate. Since you'll be a part of a blog on the Internet, it's vital that you're easily reachable by e-mail and you're able to keep open communication with me and the other writers. Occasionally, there may be matters to discuss among all writers or perhaps there's something I or someone else want to pass along your way. Maybe I need to tell you something, so I need to know if you're going to see that and recognize it. Maybe something's come up and real life requires that the blog gets ignored (which I would understand), so I'd like to know you'd actually tell me ahead of time.
#7) Be ready to put your real name on your posts. If you're selected for any position, then I want you to write under your real name. If you write something worth reading, then it's worth knowing who wrote it. Better to have the world appreciate your work by name than by some pseudonym. Don't worry about your account, changing the user name should be easily done.
#8) Don't post your entry here. I'll explain the submission process in a little bit. This isn't an open audition. Given the more specific nature of the positions, I'll be making the decisions. That said, I won't post anything from what I get, so please don't do the same.
#9) No attachments. If/when you apply, just put everything in the email. I will not be looking at any attachments.
#10) One position per writer. I appreciate the desire to want to do more than one of these positions, but I’m looking for one person to handle each of what will be listed.
The Available Positions
#1. A Dedicated Backup Preview/Recap Writer - FILLED AS OF 8/19/16
As you may or may not know, I tend to do a lot of the game previews and game recaps. As you may or may not know, I try to get the other writers to do the previews in a second game in a back-to-back set of games, or a recap if I’m unavailable for the night. Rather than bothering the other writers and stretching myself too thin, I’d like someone who I can rely on to focus on doing previews and recaps when it’s not really feasible for me to do them.
Do you have to write them like I do? No. Some of the same elements - go through our archives and check out a few to refresh your memory - should be there, but I would leave them largely up to you. Will you be alone in doing this? Not necessarily as Shane will be helping out with this task. However, with 18 back-to-back sets in this coming season plus some late games, it’s more than just one person can handle.
If you are interested: Email me an example of what you would write for a game preview or a recap. Also email me what your availability is, and a brief description of your passion for Devils hockey. Please put the following in the subject line: 2016 Writer - Dedicated Preview/Recap Writer - (your username on this site). Example: 2016 Writer - Dedicated Preview/Recap Writer - John Fischer
#2. A Devils in the Details Writer - FILLED AS OF 8/24/16
Nate has been doing a fine job with Devils in the Details for several years now. It’s a collection of daily links involving the Devils and the league. It’s also an “open post” for readers to discuss anything hockey related. However, it has not been a daily endeavor for one reason or another. That’s not Nate’s fault. It’s mine for not realizing and acting on it sooner. So we’re going to correct that to make Devils in the Details daily during the work week at a minimum.
If you are interested: Email me an example of what you would write for a Devils in the Details post. Also email me what your availability is (Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferred), and a brief description of your passion for Devils hockey. Please put the following in the subject line: 2016 Writer - Devils in the Details - (your username on this site). Example: 2016 Writer - Devils in the Details - John Fischer
#3. A Fantasy Hockey Writer - FILLED AS OF 8/20/16
For reasons I’m not going to go into and we’re not going to discuss here, we have an opening again for a fantasy hockey writer. Fantasy hockey isn’t my forte, but it is for a lot of Devils fans and hockey fans interested in the Devils for their respective leagues. Therefore, I would like a Devils fan who is active and passionate about fantasy hockey to write a weekly fantasy hockey post for this site. It can be an overview of what’s going on in fantasy, who provided the most fantasy value among Devils players, and more. Ideally, I’d also like this person to run a fantasy league among us (writers, readers, we can discuss later) at AAtJ to show off the good, bad, and ugly among both experienced and amateur fantasy hockey players.
If you are interested: Email me an example of what you would write for a fantasy hockey post. Also email me what your availability is, your experience in fantasy hookey, and a brief description of your passion for Devils hockey. Please put the following in the subject line: 2016 Writer - Fantasy Hockey - (your username on this site). Example: 2016 Writer - Fantasy Hockey - John Fischer
How This Will Work
So you followed (and met!) the requirements and you're interested in one of these positions. Great. The position itself tells you how to apply specifically for it. My email address is in the masthead of this site. Again, follow the directions for how to title the email and remember, I'm not going through attachments so put it all in the email.
I will be making decisions first come, first serve. So don't delay too long before applying. That said, you will wait a little bit. I'm not going to be looking at anything before Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Do not send me anything until August 17, 2016. I want those interested to think about it for up to two days, confirm with themselves whether they can put in the time. I know it's the summer and so some of you are more available than usual, but I need these positions for the season and that has to be considered. Think about it, take the time to put something together, and put in something good.
When I find someone for the position, I'll update this post marking it as filled. I'd prefer to announce who got what position when all three are done, but that'll depend on the response. I'm doing this now because I want those selected to be fully ready for the site when the season starts back up. I know I'm demanding quite a bit and all I can provide is a platform and the right to say that you’re a part of being one of the best sites on the entire Internet about the New Jersey Devils. Thank you in advance to everyone who will apply, and thank you to everyone for starting or continuing to read this site. We'll get back to actual posts about hockey and the Devils tomorrow.