OurDailyBears Is Recruiting New Contributors!

I need to kick this post off with an apology. In the past, I've coordinated recruitment efforts that elicited dozens of responses from people passionate about Baylor who wanted to help here; in short, the exact kind of people a site like this relies on to keep going after (nearly) 4 years (!!) in operation.

Unfortunately, because I was disorganized, busy, or whatever else, I didn't follow through the way I needed to in order to bring those people into the fold here and grow our contributor ranks the way that I hoped.  That's on me and no one else.

If you are reading this and have responded in the past, and I either didn't follow-up with you or let that opportunity go to waste, I sincerely apologize.  That was never my intent.  My intent, then as now, was to bring in as many passionate, knowledgeable Baylor fans as possible to help make this the best free Baylor site on the web.

Duties: ODB is looking to bring in new contributors to the team in a few primary areas.  Listed in order of their importance at this point:

1. Baylor News Coverage -- It probably seems pretty obvious that the biggest concern of a Baylor sports blog would be covering Baylor news, but the success of various programs has only increased the amount of news out there about them, and it's become much more difficult for a couple of people to cover it all.  If you'd like to help out as more of a generalist, this is where ODB needs you the most.

2. Recruiting -- Football, Basketball, even Baseball.  I am very much interested in increasing the scope of our recruiting coverage here at ODB past simply relaying what others report and what little information can be gleaned from the Twitterverse.  I'm talking film breakdown of commits and prospects, a bigger focus on where players may fit in the future, etc.  If you have a passion for recruiting and want to try your hand at writing about it, now is the time.

3. Football Analysis -- I want to take things to the next level in dissecting the Baylor Football team to help inform the Baylor faithful, because it's worthy of that kind of attention and I know the audience is there.  That means more in-depth game recaps, new takes on previews for opponents, Q&As with other SB Nation blogs, etc.

4. Tailgating Reports -- Believe it or not, people at home want to know what's going on before and after the games, particularly now that we have a sparkling new stadium next to the Brazos. I get more requests than you can imagine for information on the Baylor fan experience and how it's evolving alongside the team.

5. Basketball -- With people like Ted and Michael around, our basketball coverage has improved tremendously since it was just me yammering on about a sport I don't even pretend to know well.  But I am a firm believer that we can always do better with more voices, and I'd love to see that side continue to grow.

6. Other Baylor Sports -- Like softball, track, acrobatics & tumbling, and everything in-between.  If you enjoy a sport at Baylor that we don't cover well, why not throw your hat into the ring to do it?

This list is not exclusive, so if you have other ideas or strengths, let's talk about it.  I continue to be extremely interested in finding someone with a background in graphics design, since that's the new hotness of the college blogs.

Background and qualifications: Other sites on SB Nation and elsewhere prefer things like journalism degrees and experience in sports or digital media.  That stuff is less important to me than passion.  I am, at my heart, a fan of Baylor sports.  This blog is an outlet for people of similar ilk.  Obviously, if you have that lofty a curriculum vitae and are interested, by all means, contact me.  But it's not a requirement.

My ideal candidate:

• Has strong knowledge about and interest in Baylor, both current and historical.
• Possesses excellent writing skills.
• Will be active on the board itself in addition to contributing as a member of the staff.
• Is active on social media and capable of responding quickly to things that happen in the world of Baylor Athletics.
• Brings the funny.

Hours: As I've told people in the past that have reached out, I'm not a huge fan of telling people what and when they should write.  I didn't start this blog with the idea of doing a set number of posts per day or only covering a certain number of things.  I wanted to write about Baylor and saw very few people doing it well, so I did it.  Ideally, ODB would have various contributors posting each day, with each writing perhaps twice a week.  Those articles may be entirely original ideas (like Hammer's Rewind series or pieces during the season), they may be recruiting news roundups, or they may be regular posts we formulate together.

Compensation: As the site grows, the opportunity may arise for monthly stipends to regular contributors.  That's something we can talk about going forward, but I don't want to over-inflate expectations on that front.  Nobody is getting rich off the blogging game (at this level, at least). If there is a way for a student to receive some kind of academic credit for writing for ODB, I will fill out all any paperwork necessary to make that happen.

This blog began less than 4 years ago with a real writing staff of just two-- myself and Prashanth.  Since then we've added numerous dedicated individuals without whom ODB simply couldn't function.  Some of them contribute through videos made in their spare time, podcasts recorded after work, or posts written simply as an outlet for their passion.  I've met numerous wonderful people that I now consider friends, both on the board and at the tailgates, and I am incredibly proud of the community that we've grown here together.  This past season was our best yet by far.  What I'm trying to do now is make sure that momentum continues into the future.  If you want to be part of that, please contact me.

How to Apply: Email me at OurDailyBears@gmail.com.

The more observant among us may notice that this post looks a lot like the last time we did this on a big scale in May 2014.  You're right!