Let’s face it: You and shoes were meant to be together. You love shoes and you love reading and talking about them. So when you saw that Shoe -n- Tell was “hiring” Shoe Correspondents to write about SHOES, you went out and quit your current day job before returning here in a breathless rush.
Eep. I sure hope you didn’t quit your day job…
If you know anything about internet communities and collectives, then you know that much of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes is done by individuals who are actually passionate about the community topic. Often, it’s a hobby or interest that drives them to contribute many hours of their free time in the form of posts, reviews and other content without a thought about compensation or personal gain.
Unfortunately, the truth is that most small communities like ours simply can’t afford to pay writers and reviewers a salary. That said, it’s our goal to provide at least SOME compensation for writers who go above and beyond the call of Shoe Duty. This is what the REWARDS portion of correspondent benefits addresses below.
So, now that you know that you’ve been semi-suckered, why would you become a Shoe Correspondent?
Otherwise known as What’s in it for ME?
This isn’t for everyone. We want correspondents with a lot of dedication and a REAL love for writing about shoes. Above all, if you’re not having fun and just slogging away for the gift certificate, then sooner or later it will catch up with you.
Please note that Shoe Correspondent Benefits are subject to change from month to month (though we’ll do our best not to spring surprises on you unnecessarily). Also, some of these benefits are “non-tangibles”, but nevertheless very valuable!
• Name Recognition and Writing Experience - You’re allowed to say that you’re a writer at Shoe -n- Tell, one of the best Shoe related publications on the web. Your name (or psuedonym) will appear by every post or review you write.
• Website Links - While we discourage random linking in every post, your name and website will appear as a byline next to each of your posts. It will also appear on the “staff” page. If you have a shoe-related website, we’ll allow you to post about and link to any going-ons over at your site (within reasonable limits of course!).
• First Dibs - Any exclusive coupons we receive and any free merchandise from shoe companies will be offered to Shoe Correspondents FIRST. From time to time, we will have special drawings for prizes that ONLY Shoe Correspondents are eligible for.
• REWARDS - Ah… this is what everyone is interested in:
Currently, if you write Twenty (20) or more APPROVED posts or reviews in one month’s duration you will receive a $10 gift certificate at Zappos.com. The posts MUST be written in the duration of time from the 1st of the month in question until the last day of that month. The post count does NOT carry over from month to month. You may only receive 1 gift certificate per month. Posts must be relevant to Shoes and must be longer than just a few sentences. ALL posts must be first approved by an Editor or Admin before they are published.
Of course, you don’t HAVE to write that number of posts. You can write just one post a month and still be a Shoe Correspondent. We have no minimum posting requirements, though we hope you’d WANT to write posts. It’s just that we want to reward the super dedicated Shoe Correspondents with at least SOMETHING to make up for the time they put in.
• Love of shoes and a committment to writing about them.
• Good writing skills and an excellent command of the English language.
• Prior blogging experience / basic image editing skills.
• You must be 18 years or older.
Preference will be given to folks who are familiar with Wordpress 2.0 and who have experience with Photoshop.
Please fill out your details in the form below, including your Blog address if you have one. In the “Message” field please enter:
• 1 paragraph about why you want to write about shoes for Shoe -n- Tell.
• Your blogging experience (list all blogs you run or participate in)
• Any additional software or graphic skills that may apply.
• A 3-4 paragraph sample review about a recent pair of shoes you bought or saw at a store.
Upon your acceptance into Shoe -n- Tell as a Correspondent, you’ll be provided with detailed posting guidelines, information on how to use the admin and site editor to post them, etc…
Good Luck!
