I’m wanting to add a handful of new contributors to The Gadgeteer’s already outstanding team of writers. We currently have 15 people on the team (including myself), and all but 3 of us are of the male variety. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guys on my team, but I think we need a little more female representation to balance things out a bit. 🙂
So here’s the deal… I’m going to add 5 new people to the team. I’m not going to say that only women can apply because I don’t want to miss out on some really great guys that might be out there. But I just want to say up front that my main objective is to add more female writers to the site. With that said, full details after the jump.
These will be strictly volunteer positions – which means no pay. Your payment will be seeing your by-line on The Gadgeteer, free software and/or gadget samples that you’ll be reviewing.
Product samples will be provided and it will be up to you to write a detailed review of a product with original photos that point out the key elements of the product. In addition to writing reviews, commentary posts are also required. These can be brief news items about cool gadgets that you’ve found while surfing, or short thought pieces on different gadget related topics.
Requirements:
1. You must be a gadget freak. You don’t have to be overly techy, geeky or a hardcore hacker, I just want someone that is always excited about new products and isn’t afraid to try new things.
2. Must be able to write good English and have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of grammar. I don’t have time to re-write your posts, so this is a must.
3. I’m looking for someone that can receive a product to review and have the finished review submitted within 4-6 weeks of receiving the product.
4. Above average photography (especially close up / macro photography) skills are a must. Blurry photos are a no no.
5. Applicants must have a US mailing address. Sorry… I really hate restricting it, but logistically, it’s just easier to deal with shipping things to US addresses. If you’re just interested in writing commentary type articles, then disregard this restriction.
6. If you’ve tried out before and didn’t get picked, don’t let that stop you from trying again 🙂
How to apply:
Send me an email and tell me about yourself and why you think you would be a great addition to my team. Let me know what types of products you would be most interested in reviewing. I’ll use this info to decide who I will ask to provide sample reviews. I will then choose the new team members from these audition reviews.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
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Is there an age requirement?
@Mark I prefer someone at least 18yrs old or so. There’s no max age limit 🙂
Yeah that’s what I thought I’m only 16. Thanks for replying fast. 🙂
@Mark Go ahead and apply via email… it can’t hurt. Convince me to give you a shot 🙂
Ok thanks I will!!!
I told you I don’t mind reviewing things in girly colors!
@Andy Yes, you told me that you are very secure in your masculinity. That’s why I’m sending you a Hello Kitty Laptop bag to review 😉
Just kidding. Claire would kill me 😉
Sheez . . . . talk about discrimination based on sex!
How does a 57 year old white guy ever get a job these days?? that’s like 3 strikes against me already . . . LOL
Just kidding . . . . glad you are expanding, and looking forward to hearing from a new person on new and exciting “geeky gadget stuff”
@Don Guys can try out too 😉 Don’t feel slighted.
Julie, I was interested in being a contributor to your gadgets website. I am a gadget freak and have enjoyed your website over the last two years. I msut admit that I have never done this type of work before but my enthusiasm for gadgets seems to be limitless.
My interest are mainly in the Home Theater and Media Center related technology. I am waiting to upgrade my home system this fall when Windows 7 rolls out and take advantage of new operating system.
My own personal technology slush fund is gearing up for a new Canon T1i SLR, Zune HD and a Ipod Touch for my wife.
I would say that I am not overly techy but I can dig into the details if I need to. Let me know if there is any other information you may require and I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for the opportunity. Gary Erickson
@Gary If you haven’t already done so, please send me your info via email. That’s where I’m tracking all the applicants. 🙂
We have a black president, a woman defence secretary and there are still people looking to hire women to “balance” things out.
@AA You got it 🙂
@AA – I don’t think Julie is on a moral crusade here, she is just aware that some women like tech, so it makes sense to have some women on the teamlist.
Separate issue – I don’t know if one black President (well, mixed race if you’re being pedantic) out of a sea of white faces is ‘balanced’. (And ditto with Clinton. It takes more than a few women in senior positions to say that everyone has an equal chance of proving their worth.)
@Julie – I’ve emailed you separately about reviewing stuff for the gadgeteer.
R.
such a shame! i’m a subscriber and i was thinking just yesterday what awesome fun you must have doing this stuff…but i can’t apply because i’m in australia!
grrr…
i hope all you people out there who luv this stuff as much as i do jump on this unique opportunity! *note to self; have a look around for an aussie version…
Hi Julie,
My friend Bill turned me onto this post and your site – I would LOVE to review things. I’m definitely going to apply.
>2. Must be able to write good English and have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of grammar. I don’t have time to re-write your posts, so this is a must.
Okay, I’m just nitpicking here, but…
“Must be able to write good English” –> “Must be able to write English well”
(in modern English “good” is (almost) always considered an adjective. If you want to modify the verb “write” you need to use the adverb “well”)
“re-write” –> “rewrite”
(technically, for the verb “rewrite”, no hyphenation is necessary)
🙂
@boop I guess I fail my own requirements. Darn 😉
Shame about the address restriction – I thought we got rid of borders on the internet 🙂
@Xaviera It costs too much too and it’s a hassle to ship samples outside the US. Sorry. 🙁
If you’re a bit on the young side it couldn’t hurt to apply anyways. I wrote reviews for a year or two for a large Pocket PC website when I was in High School (16 and 17). Disclose your true age, and let the quality of your writing and mind prove your maturity. : )