Overview
The main task for which we're recruiting is coverage of SnakeBytes, our daily round-up of bits and pieces. If you've seen the spring training round-up posts, such as this one, you'll see the general idea. Quotes from the previous day's game; a round-up of other Diamondbacks stories not worth an entire post; and a few tidbits of general baseball news. These go up around 8 or 9 in the morning, to provide breakfast reading, but if your routine prefers, they can be written the night before and scheduled in advance. So it works for night owls or morning larks.
I think we are probably looking for two writers to cover this, unless you can really convince us you are up for doing this every day. We can split the days up by mutual arrangement, whether that's alternating days, first/second half of the week or whatever. We'll work that out. You'll also be able to write posts on just about any other topic you want, whether concerning the Diamondbacks or baseball in general, but that will be secondary to your SnakeBytes duties.
Requirements
- Reliability. Seriously, this is probably the most important factor. If you can not commit, do not apply. It's a long baseball season, and there will be times when you don't feel like writing. Suck it up. Of course, we understand there will be genuine emergencies, but we reserve the right to demand pictures of the alleged dead grandmother. In her coffin. With you weeping over her.
- Writing ability. You don't have to be Grant Brisbee; we're really talking about knowing the difference between its and it's, they're and their, etc. Since SnakeBytes is, to a certain extent, copy-paste, you don't need enormous creative skill. If you have, so much the better - see ZM's series previews for an example of the way everyday pieces can become lyrical artistic creations. That, however, would be a bonus: knowing you're and your aren't the same, is a requirement.
- Usual jobby blurb. You should be a self-starter who can work with minimal direction, possesses solid communication skills and is comfortable working in a virtual environment. Knowing your way around a mouse and keyboard are helpful, though we'll help you with the editorial tools as necessary.
- Diamondbacks fandom not essential. A certain degree of interest would probably help, since you're going to be writing about the team on an everyday basis. But it's not required. Nor is even being a pre-existing member of the site. It might give us more confidence if you're someone we know, but if you score highly on points 1-3, we can overlook it.
Benefits
This should be considered an unpaid position. Various ad campaigns may provide payment for additional features, but don't rely on it. There may also be freebies, in the form of books, game tickets or other stuff. After a probationary period, you get the corporate account at baseball-reference, ESPN Insider, Baseball Prospectus, etc. for research purposes. And when SB Nation hires for news desk positions, it almost inevitably draws internally from the staff of writers on hand. You'll also be part of a network recently honored as one of the year's best-designed news sites, for a company awarded "Publisher of the Year", and SBN writers have gone on to write for a lot of other outlets.
Application
Send me a cover letter and sample SnakeBytes. See the opening paragraph for more information on what it should contain, but you should feel free to be creative and entertaining if you want, and if you feel you can pull it off. Include details of your availability, and any other information you feel would be helpful in terms of assessing your application. I and the other writers will filter through the submissions and figure out how to proceed from there, depending on the quality and quantity of applicants. With Opening Day fast approaching, applications should be submitted by 11:59pm Arizona time, a week from today, March 21st.