The Alphaville Herald

Help Wanted: Underpaid, Overworked Managing Editor of the Second Life Herald

by Alphaville Herald on 25/05/06 at 12:03 pm

One of the first things that happened to me when I hit Second Life is that I noticed this advertisement seeking an editor at the Second Life Herald. I answered the ad and it not only changed my experience of Second Life completely, but it launched a new phase of my RL career. At the time, my predecessor, Herald founder Urizenus Sklar, had this to say about the job: “I’ve been both editor and publisher of the Alphaville/Second Life Herald since October of 2003, and I’m getting really burnt out (and have other projects I need to be working on).” Well guess what? I’ve been working for the Herald for a year and a half now (about as long as Uri had been running the show when he posted that ad), and I find myself in the same position. I don’t seem to be able to attend to my RL responsibilities and at the same time give the Herald the attention it deserves. I’ve passed the 18-month sell-by date that gets affixed to Herald editors when they come on board. It’s time to find someone to keep the tabloid fires burning.

The job description is much the same as it was a year ago: Basic idea is to average a story a day. Editor would be free to build a staff of freelance reporters (easier said than done). Starting pay is around US$100 a month, which would also have to cover pay to stringers you bring on board. Uri will continue in his role as Editor Emeritus, I will continue as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The new hire would be the Managing Editor, responsible for most of the day-to-day operation of the Herald. If you can get the paper to generate more income, then we rethink your salary accordingly.

We average around 1,000 unique IP hits per day, and several thousand page views. Despite the growth of SL media, the Herald remains the Grid’s only real representative of a watchdog press. It’s our job to get under the skin of those who run the world (or who would like to), and uncover the goings-on that don’t get reported about elsewhere. This doesn’t mean just sex and drama, but also interesting people, events and builds, new updates to the software, and, importantly, slapping a critical eye on all things Second Life and not being afraid to call it like we see it. That’s our mandate; unfortunately, we haven’t been fulfilling it all that well lately, and we could use a little help.

Uri wrote a year and a half ago that editing the Herald was “a good opportunity to make a run at turning a virtual newspaper into something real.” The only way I’d take issue with this is to say that the Herald is already very real. Throughout the nearly three years of its existence, we’ve consistently broken stories, gotten picked up by major traditional media outlets and, we like to think, had an impact on life in Second Life. While the hours are lousy and it doesn’t pay very well, editing the Herald is a high-profile position that will reap you major benefits in a variety of circles, if you play your cards right.

So, applications are now open. Send an email telling me a bit about your background and experience (both in terms of RL work and in terms of SL), and why you want to help run the Herald. And include your RL phone number, otherwise I won’t be able to consider your application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Walker Spaight
walkering AT gmail.com