DailySource.org is looking for an individual with a nose for news to help update our site with compelling content around the clock and lay out the front page. All volunteering is via the computer -- you can be anywhere in the world. You might also be able to use our Baltimore Internet location, though there is some cost for that so virtual is preferred. Our online software is incredibly easy to use and automates most of the layout process. The Daily Source is truly a 21st century journalism site. Just drag and drop articles from one location to another and the page adjusts itself automatically. Editing the headlines is as easy as using Microsoft Word or sending an e-mail. You will receive guidance from our senior editors who are some of the top newspaper journalists and reporters in the U.S. Besides laying out the front page, you will find articles, videos, columns and other material from around the Internet for use on the site and make the final decision of what goes on the site.
We are happy to provide references from our current, very satisfied volunteers, some of whom work at full-time news jobs for places like NPR and IDG Publishing. You will be doing real stuff that directly impacts our front page and the public. You will also gain invaluable experience that will build your skills and look great on a resume. Two of our volunteers started their own non-profit organization after eight months of volunteering with us. The front page editor position is a minimum of 15 hours per week for a minimum of six and a half months. If you can volunteer 18 hours or higher a week, then the minimum is only six months. If you can volunteer 22 hours or higher a week, then the minimum is only five and a half months. All editors are credited at the bottom of the site each day, and daily editions are archived so your friends, family and future employers will see what you were part of creating.
To view our front page, visit -
http://dailysource.org/
To read more about us, view the links here -
http://dailysource.org/about/site
To apply, see the Requirements section below. We prefer some degree of experience or school study in journalism or editing for the front page editor position described above.
We also may have the following openings that require no experience (minimum hours per week and minimum number of months are in parenthesis). All these positions telecommute. If you are in school, volunteering with us can function as an internship. Interns can usually receive credit with their school for their internships.
Content Editor (12 hours for a minimum of five months): Scans the Internet for high quality articles, columns, editorials and videos, adds them to our system, and ranks them by quality. The front page editors pick from these to publish on the front page. Usually we have one content editor per shift in tandem with a front page editor. The person also might research facts if any facts are in question in a story we're running. This requires Internet surfing skills, strong understanding and judgment of the news, and attention to detail. Does not require knowledge of AP style or experience with layout.
Photography Editor (10 hours for a minimum of seven months): Must have an eye for photography to choose potential photos, crop them and add them to our content repository. This includes finding photos for possible use in the World in Photos section in the middle of the page, the main photo, the masthead photo and the Photo of the Day. You will also draft captions for the photos. You do not need photography experience and you do not need to know how to use photo cropping software. We have an online photography tool that anyone can learn to use in five minutes. You must have a strong visual aesthetic sense and pay attention to detail.
Copy Editor (eight hours for a minimum of five months): Spends about 45 minutes at different times during the week copy editing the front page for corrections of all types -- content, layout, etc. Submits them to front page editors to fix. Proofs take place every two and a half hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. E.T. This position requires attention to detail, knowledge of AP style, knowledge of grammar, etc. New copy editors must demonstrate knowledge of our site, AP style and our approach to news by passing a short test before starting.
Editorial Assistant (six hours for a minimum of five months): Helps with various projects related to the site including our special sections. This includes adding potential articles to our In Case You Missed It section, finding items for our quote of the day section, and various projects to improve the behind-the-scenes running of the site. Editorial assistants also do Web testing to test the functionality and usability of the site. We, like other sites, have testers to make sure existing and new parts of the site work and are user-friendly.
Marketing (five hours for a minimum of four months): Help research potential media outlets and blogs to cover our site, e-mail our press releases, and keep track of coverage of our site that has occurred. We have an amazing website and need to get the word out about it. The places we have e-mailed so far have responded positively to us, and PBS' Media Shift included us in their top 5 trends to watch. Also, we can track the number of visitors who come to us via different articles on us and links to us, so we will directly see the success of your efforts.
Promotion and Community Relations (five hours for a minimum of four months): Help promote the website by posting fliers on public message boards, and/or interacting with your local community and online communities such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Craigslist. No experience required.
Graphics/Graphic Design (five hours for a minimum of four months): This varies depending on what's currently needed and includes a range of items from Web page design, to business cards, to icons to fliers. Some experience or training is required.
Grant writer/Fundraising (six hours for a minimum of four months): Help write, edit and/or send grant proposals to foundations to secure funding for our site. We already have created three high quality grant proposals so there is a considerable amount of potential content that has already been written. The volunteer will also help research potential foundations to apply to, and draft/edit letters of inquiry to foundations.
Show Less
