It's that time of year again. Training camp is underway and the preseason is right around the corner. Also, I'm starting to look ahead to the 2012 season in terms of what we will be doing here on Pride Of Detroit. It's hard to believe, but this will be our seventh season of covering Detroit Lions football. We have grown quite a bit since first launching back in 2006, and the site actually just recently crossed the 20,000,000 page views mark.
As I begin to finalize my plans for how we will cover the Lions in 2012, a big part of this is assembling my team of front-page contributors. Jerry Mallory is returning as a contributor with his videos for SB Nation Studios, and simscity is back again to provide you all with analysis of past and future Lions games. Right now, they are the only two contributors in addition to myself, but I am hoping to add more for the 2012 season.
If you are interested in joining POD as a front-page contributor, send an email to writeforpod@gmail.com. In the email, please tell me what your username is on the site and what kind of posts you would like to do for POD. Also, direct me to any FanPosts you are particularly proud of and want to share as a sample of your writing. If you haven't written any FanPosts of this sort in the past but have written about the Lions elsewhere, please direct me to that instead. If you haven't formally written about the Lions at all, you can still send an email expressing interest in becoming a front-page writer. However, to actually have a chance to join the front page, you will need to start writing FanPosts as an audition in the coming weeks. I'm not interested in adding people without any track record.
What exactly am I looking for in new front-page contributors? Essentially, I want them to bring something different to the table. I have a good handle on news-based posts, but there is a need for more analysis on POD. That is the big area where we could improve, and I'm open to any ideas you might have about potential posts for the front page. Ideally, I'd like all front-page contributors to write at least one or two posts a week, and they could be in the form of a recurring series (e.g. "On Paper"), different posts each week or both.
In terms of the actual writing, I'm obviously looking for people who are strong writers and are knowledgeable about the Lions. I don't want to spend a lot of time editing posts each week, so strong grammar and spelling are a requirement to even be considered for the front page. Also, if you don't follow the Lions enough to be considered knowledgeable about the team, don't bother sending an email.
Just as a general FYI, front-page contributors are not currently compensated. That could always change down the road, though, and if you are looking for experience, this isn't a bad place to start.
To recap, send an email to writeforpod@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a front-page contributor. In the email, be sure to include the following:
- Your SB Nation username
- Ideas for what kinds of posts you would want to do for the front page
- Examples of your writing about the Lions (either links to FanPosts or writing you've done about the Lions elsewhere)
Again, if you haven't formally written about the Lions before, you can still send an email expressing interest in joining the front page. Just be sure to include the info requested in the first two bullets and be warned that my response will be telling you to start writing FanPosts to provide examples of your writing. Without that, you won't be seriously considered.
Based on the response I've gotten in the past, it may take a week or two to go through all of the emails, so if you don't immediately hear back from me, chances are that's why. I am hoping to get my team of writers for the 2012 season in place before the first preseason game, but I can't make any guarantees.
Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have any questions.
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