Over the course of Niners Nation's history, we've slowly added specialized writers covering everything from 49ers history to statistical analysis and much in between. It's taken a bit off my plate and hopefully given the readers of this site a little something more to enjoy.
However, the expansion of the site has reached a point where I feel a need to take on a co-pilot for day to day writing responsibilities. Basically, I'm looking for someone with a passion for the 49ers and somewhat regular contributor to the site. My schedule has stretches where I get extremely busy and it takes away from the time I could be posting to the site. A second (somewhat) daily contributor would allow the site to keep going, even when my life is getting hectic.
Also, just to get it out of the way, this would not be a paying position at this time. It's possible it could turn into a paying position, but don't apply under the assumption that it will definitely become a paying position. I want a person who is doing it for the love of the team and the love of writing about the team.
Requirements
The requirements are very fungible. These are not binding because the best person for the job might end up not not quite fitting certain aspects of these requirements.
I'm not necessarily looking for the person who has been on this site the longest (although it could end up being that person). If you've only been visiting the site for the last few weeks, but have become a regular, intelligble contributor, you could be the person for the job. I'm looking for someone who has a passion for the 49ers and would be able to write on a fairly regular basis about the team.
You don't have to have blogging experience, although that would certainly add to your credentials. The plus of requiring involvement already within the site is that that will help me get an idea of your writing style. If you bring a comedic writing style great, it's no big deal. I'm not looking for a specific style of writer.
Speaking of writing style, you don't have to agree with my own thoughts about the team. In fact, if you have an opposing take, it could potentially be a nice complementary role. Additionally, if a lot of people disagree with what you say on the site, there's nothing wrong with that. Inspiring debate on a topic is an important part of the job.
As you can see, much of this is rather generic because I don't want to say something that would make an otherwise qualified person feel they shouldn't bother applying for the position.
Committment
I'd like the person to be able to commit to be able to write something 3-5 times a week (or more if you can handle it). Unlike our current writers, you would not be writing about just one area related to the 49ers. Rather, you'd be like a mini-Fooch, so to speak. We have people specializing in certain topics on the front page, but that doesn't mean you couldn't post about such a topic. For example, briandean writes about scouting, the draft and the 49ers, but you could certainly provide your own insight about the draft in certain pieces.
One reason for this need is when breaking news comes out, we can have someone getting it up as fast as possible. So, in addition to writing 3-5 pieces a week, there might be stretches where basically, you'd be on duty for breaking stories. For instance, through mid-April my Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday schedule is rather hectic because of school and an internship. My new co-pilot would hopefully be able to cover some of that time for any breaking news.
The goal of this site is to keep folks informed on everything about the 49ers 365 days a year. I've been writing about the team almost every single day for the last 26+ months. I'm enjoying it immensely, but I also think bringing in a second person will improve the quality of the site on a day to day basis.
If this is something that would interest you, email me (ninersnation@gmail.com), or leave a comment and we'll discuss it in greater detail. Depending on how many people apply, I might even consider going with two people instead of just one. And if you have any questions, I can definitely answer them.