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Reminder: Last day to get those apps in!
If you're thinking about trying to finagle a spot on the Nintendo Fanboy blogging squad, you better get going on your application -- today is the deadline! Turn your attention to our recent posts if you're not sure how to proceed, and get those samples together. After midnight Pacific time, we'll stop considering new applications.
Want to write for us? The deadline approaches!
If you saw our recent post requesting applications for new bloggers and you're planning to throw your name in the hat, get to it! We will cease taking applications Friday, March 14th at 11:59 P.M. Eastern time. Rather than rehashing everything we said before, we thought we'd take this time to offer up answers to the three most frequently asked questions:1. Can I write for only DS Fanboy or Wii Fanboy instead of writing for both?Sorry, half-fanboys -- we need someone who can write for both sites!2. Do you assign stories and material to your bloggers?For the most part, no. In order to succeed, you'll need to be pretty attuned to the news of the gaming world. There's no time to wait for someone to discover the news for you. However, this also means you get a chance to write about the things that interest you.3. Do I need to own a DS or a Wii in order to write for DS and Wii Fanboy?It's probably a good idea! After all, how can you be a fanboy if you don't own the hardware?For any other questions you may have, be sure to hit up the original post. It includes instructions on how to apply (and not following them is a bad idea), as well as answers to other questions you may have.
About the Bloggers: Krystalle Voecks
Twice a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more About the Bloggers. This week features one of our "semi-alumni" bloggers, Krystalle. (She's the short one with the pink hair above -- the rest of the above folks would be some of her many guild-mates.)What do you do for WoW Insider?These days? Some back-end smacktalking helping out where you guys don't see it. I tend to float in and out giving a hand when things are quiet, and am bringing back both Reader UI and Reader WoWspace. Before I landed my current spot as one of the leads on Massively, I was a blogger here, Guild Leader & event coordinator for It Came from the Blog. I had a lot of great times with the WoW Insider readers both there and at Dragon*Con 2007, where I got to co-host several panels with Elizabeth Harper and several other great folks. (And for anyone curious, we're doing it again at Dragon*Con this year too!) What's your main right now?She's a L70 sword-specced Troll Rogue who I primarily just raid on these days. I also have a L42 Rogue that I'm bringing up, just to see how the other (dagger) side lives. Well, that and because I can't break away from the Rogues. I just love them too much.
New faces at WoW Insider
Last December we put out a call for new writers. Breaking news bloggers, weekend bloggers and a Mage columnist were all on our list of positions to fill. After reading the hundreds of excellent applications (and a few very strange ones), we've made our final decision.The new WoW Insider staffers include Adam Holisky and Alex Ziebart who have both already hit the ground running to boost our weekend coverage. Daniel Whitcomb, Amanda Dean and Heath Milo will be starting this week to cover breaking news throughout the week and Allison Robert will be following soon after.The decision to choose which applicant would be our new Mage columnist was a tough one. The applications for this position were very, very good. However, one not only informed, but entertained in such a manner that we couldn't say no. Very soon Arcane Brilliance will be returning under Christian Belt. Trust me, there's no one quite like him.Finally, one applicant who applied as a general writer turned out to be a specialist. We liked him so much that we are in the process of hiring him to write news, tips and guides specifically for AddOns, UIs and macros. Look out for his work to start in the next month or so.If you weren't chosen, there will always be a chance in the future to apply again. Until then, our sister site Massively, covering news for all MMOs, just put out their own call for bloggers today. Applications will be accepted until February 15th.
About the Bloggers: David Bowers
Twice a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more About the Bloggers.What do you do for WoW Insider?I blog about whatever seems interesting at the time, and I also write the roleplaying column, All the World's a Stage. I'm especially interested in writing about roleplaying and PvP, too, because they're the things I participate in most often. Everything and everyone in the game is interconnected, though, so even if I'm not a big raider, for instance, I still care a great deal about the things raiders are going through.What's your main right now?My current main is a draenei hunter, pictured above, but I'm spending just as much time with other alts right now, trying to decide which one will be my main Horde character. My most-played Hordie is currently a warlock. Previous mains I don't play as much anymore include a druid and a rogue, both Alliance.For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?Heh. For both! I used to be all for the Alliance because I couldn't relate to the whole deformed and inherently violent look that many Horde characters have, but I'm one of those people for whom blood elves really opened up access to the Horde and see them in a new light. I like to appreciate the stories of the monstrous Horde races without actually having to play a monstrous character myself.
About the Bloggers: Dan O'Halloran
What do you do for WoW Insider?I'm one of the Lead Writers of the site. Which is fancy talk for a lot of behind the scenes administrative work. But the fun part is I get to hire writers as well as oversee a staff of exceptionally talented people who not only are passionate about the game, but who also know how to put words together in a coherent and entertaining fashion. And occasionally I get to test drive $5k laptops for a few brief, but glorious weeks. Not a bad gig if you can swing it.What's your main right now?My main is my very first character in the game, a Druid. I was Resto for the first 60 levels. Hey, don't knock it, Feral wasn't really an option pre-BC. But with the arrival of Burning Crusade (which, yes, I stood in line at midnight for) I went Feral and never looked back except for a brief flirtation with Moonkin spec in my mid-60s. I can currently be found switching specs between Feral and Resto as needed by my group, but I mainly like to be in cat form.For the Horde or Glory to the Alliance?Alliance, thanks.Favorite thing to do in Azeroth?Run a 5-man with my friends. I've been playing MMOs with this group on a regular basis after we met in EverQuest 8 years ago (taking out the trash in Unrest!). They are a joy to work with. Not because they are particularly talented players, but because they don't care if we wipe, accidentally pull the whole room or forget to bring a much needed reagent. We take gaming for what it is: fun. But, boy, they're hell on my repair bill.
About the bloggers: Brian Karasek
What do you do for WoW Insider? I just recently started as a blogger here. I focus mostly on Engineering. I try to take a mostly in character approach, as though I'm writing not just an article for WoW players but an actual training lecture for Engineers. Outside of WoW Insider, you might also know me as Palehoof, if you read the official forums. What's your main right now? I play, as I have for three years, a Tauren Hunter named Palehoof, currently on Lightninghoof (RPPVP). I'm a niche market gamer, and always have been. My first main was a Tauren Hunter named Palehoof on Kel'thuzad (PVP), and I played him for a year before rerolling him as essentially the exact same character when a new RPPVP server opened. The wisdom of leveling one hunter to 59 before starting the same hunter over again has been mentioned to me. Palehoof is a Gnomish Engineer with mining, having 375 in both, as well as fishing, cooking, and first aid. I've been into Karazhan enough to get some loot, but not enough that I'd call myself a raider or even a regular. I call myself a second string filler DPS/CC. That's how I've gotten into Kara most times, a friend will ask if I can fill in for them on one boss. I've had excellent luck with that sort of run.
Blogger application deadline extended
As some of you have noticed, we're experiencing technical difficulties with regards to our mailing address for blogger/columnist applications, causing some messages to bounce back. You may receive a message like the following:This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification THIS IS A WARNING MESSAGE ONLY.YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESEND YOUR MESSAGE.Delivery to the following recipient has been delayed:apply@wow.comAs the warning says -- you do not need to resend your message. Delivery may be delayed, but e-mails are getting through. However, due to this issue, we are asking anyone sending in applications from this point forward to direct them to wowinsiderapply@gmail.com (if you have sent in an application already, you do not need to resend it) and extending the deadline for applications until Monday at 11:59pm ET. Note that due to the volume of applications we receive, I'm afraid we cannot reply to them individually.For those still interested, check out our call for bloggers post and our how to apply page.[Update: Clarified technical details, changed e-mail address]
WoW Insider is looking for new blood
As World of Warcraft only gets more and more popular, we have more and more news to cover. We're looking for new bloggers to add to our site as well one new columnist. If you want to get paid to write about the game, read on!For bloggers, we want at least one who can write a minimum of 25 posts a month on the weekends. We're also looking for bloggers that can post all through the week at least 50 times a month (2-3 posts/day). Preference will be given to those who can post heavily on Saturday/Sunday.For the columnist position, we are looking for a high level Mage to contribute to our weekly class feature Arcane Brilliance. You don't have to be a hard core raider, but some raid experience would be an advantage.For all open positions, we are looking for people who are passionate about the game and can write articles that are both informative and entertaining. See our application page for instructions on how to apply. The deadline for this round of applications is this extended to Monday, December 17 at 11:59pm PST.EDIT: Deadline extended to Monday due to current mail delivery issues.
Well hello there!
Greetings, TUAW readers. England calling! It's great to be here, writing alongside a great team of Apple-loving bloggers. Eagle-eyed readers may notice that I'm joining from Download Squad just like fellow newcomer Lisa Hoover, and boy am I excited. Us Europeans, whilst lacking the iPhone, iTunes Video Store and the (relative) inexpense of Apple products, love our Apple kit just as much as the rest of the world, so you can imagine my reaction at being offered the chance of writing for the motley crew fine folks here at TUAW.I look forward to seeing where the next year takes us - and playing a part in bringing you all the greatest things to do with your Apple gear!Disclosure: I am a free-lance contractor with a company whose product has been covered on TUAW in the past. Readers should also be aware that there are impartiality clauses we agree to adhere to as part of our contracts on ANY Weblogs Inc property.
Why, hello there.
I had my own personal unboxing of the new 24" iMac (yes, it's every wonderful thing you've heard, and more) and sat down to migrate all the info from my old Mac. Just as I was thinking life couldn't get any better, I got an invitation to join the TUAW team. I fainted, but of course made sure to fall sideways so I didn't mar the Mac's beautiful, glossy screen. Now that I have regained consciousness and finished installing all the important apps (the triumvirate -- Firefox, Adium, and Skitch), I'm all set to start blogging. If you get around the Weblogs, Inc. network at all, you may know me from Download Squad and DIY Life. I'm sure I'll have just as much fun here as I do there and, hey, maybe now I can justify getting that iPhone. All in the name of research, right?
Calling all bloggers, part two: deadlines and more
First and foremost, we wanted to offer a friendly piece of advice to all would-be bloggers and columnists: not bothering to follow the directions laid out in the original post? Probably not the best way to get started. Just to reiterate -- please do not send attachments unless, for some reason, you cannot get things to work otherwise ... and if that happens to be the case, e-mail first and ask if it's alright to use a different format than that which we requested. But enough lecturing! Let's talk about deadlines. We would like to announce that we will stop taking applications as of 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time), Friday, August 24th. Anything received after the cutoff will be deleted unread. However, if you are seeking a space as a columnist on DS homebrew, we will continue to accept pitches until the following Friday, August 31st. This only applies to DS homebrew -- any other subject, your pitch needs to be in by the 24th.As a reminder, all bloggers will be applying to write for both Wii Fanboy and DS Fanboy, not just one or the other. If you have questions, please follow the guidelines laid out in the original hiring post, and we'll get to them as soon as possible.
WoW Insider is looking for a few good bloggers!
That's right! We're looking to expand our staff here at WoW Insider by adding a few talented bloggers and an additional columnist. Getting paid to play isn't just a daydream -- though we will expect you to be able to alt-tab out for long enough to write for us. For bloggers, we're looking for people with a passion for the game and solid writing ability. We're accepting applications from all types of players, but right now we're particularly interested in adding writers with PvP experience or who play on the European realms. For columnists, we're wanting someone who can commit to writing articles weekly or bi-weekly on a specific topic. In the past, we've asked potential writers to pitch topics to us, but this time we're only interested in one column subject: PvP. If this sounds like a good time to you, head over to our application page to get the full scoop on how to apply. We'll be accepting applications between now and Wednesday, August 22nd, at 11:59 PM EST. This isn't a lot of time, so if you're interested, get on it!
Calling all bloggers!
Do you live, eat, and breathe games -- especially on the weekends? Would you like to get paid for writing about Nintendo? If these questions spark a ray of hope deep within your chest, we may have the offer you've been waiting for. DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy are looking for a few good bloggers, and we're particularly interested in someone willing to do most of their writing on the weekend. Our new weekend blogger will not be in any way discouraged from writing during the week as well, but please understand that we are specifically looking for someone who can focus on the weekends.If we happen to receive a particularly amazing application from someone who wants to write during the week, we may consider it as well, but a weekend writer is our first priority here. But please, go ahead and apply if you are truly interested and think you are the perfect Nintendo Fan-blogger!In addition to a weekend writer, we're always on the lookout for columnists to join our team. Do you think you can provide 800-1000 words on an interesting subject each week? If so, we'll happily listen to your pitch. Want to learn how to apply? Head past the break.
Another one bites the dust
First Tobold, and now Mastgrr of Paladin Sucks has exited Azeroth.Before you yell at us for saying the sky is falling (again), that's not what we're saying at all. WoW has lasted for a long time for a lot of people-- more than almost any other videogame out there (in some cases, ever). For some people, including this first round of bloggers, it's run its course. Just because they're quitting doesn't mean the end of the world (of Warcraft) is upon us. In fact, it doesn't even mean the blogging is over-- Tobold quit a week and a half ago, and he's still blogging about WoW. My guess is that both bloggers will be back when the next expansion hits.But then again, it's kind of sad that these WoW veterans are stepping out of the game. At least it's productive-- Tobold quit partly because of attunements, and they were lifted the next day. Maybe now that Pally Sucks is RIP, that ret Paladin review will come sooner than we think.
Tobold cancels his account (until next expansion)
Tobold, MMO blogger-at-large, has posted that he has cancelled his World of Warcraft account.Sign of the times or outraged for the wrong reason? That's for you to decide-- Tobold says his guild has moved on to Serpentshrine, and since he's not attuned yet, he probably never will be, which means there's no point to moving on. Apparently no one has told him about Vashj's attunement scrolls, which will let a guild that beats Vashj attune whoever they want to SSC. Of course, he'd have to wait until his guild actually beats Vashj, but hope is not lost yet.Then again, maybe Tobold's just going with the flow. If you ask me, leaving because your guild has moved on is a terrible reason to leave-- not only is there lots to do out there, either on your own or with the people in your guild who don't happen to be running SSC, but I do believe there is more than one guild in the game. Surely someone else would be willing to take Tobold to Karazhan, right?Either way, it's his choice. As he says, cancelling the account sends a clear message to Blizzard that he wants things to change. And if enough people send that message (for whatever reason), then you can't but agree that they will.
More ecto 3 details, a screenshot and roadmap revealed
Adriaan Tijsseling, developer of the Mac OS X version of the ecto blogging client, has been teasing us with sneak peeks and development details for some time now, but he's just posted another more revealing screenshot of ecto3, along with more details and a basic roadmap. Adriaan has touted ecto3 as a complete rewrite from v2, ushering in a new plug-in architecture that should make the app far more extensible. Also on the notable changes list is the replacement of the rich text editor by Editable WebKit, a new, more WYSIWYG feature of the engine that is used to power Safari, many other browsers on Mac OS X and even HTML rendering in Apple Mail. While Adriaan doesn't have any kind of ETA for a shipping version or even a beta just yet, it does sound like development is wrapping up well. Since support for different blogging platforms has moved to the plug-in format as well, he still has to build support for the latest Blogger (yes, it'll be in ecto3) and WordPress. As a final note, it's always nice to hear a developer using their own product, as Adriaan is using ecto3 "heavily" to try and catch as many bugs and problems as he can before unleashing it in one form or another on the masses.
MarsEdit 1.2 lands with Growl, Picasa and Vox support
Making good on his word after purchasing MarsEdit from Brent Simmons, Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater Software has quickly taken up development of the blogging client. Today Daniel released MarsEdit 1.2, a minor update that brings some great features like Growl support (when publishing, refreshing or uploading images and files) and Picasa upload support for Blogger.com images, as well as support for blogging to Vox, the community-focused blogging system from Six Aparts, makers of Live Journal and TypePad. For anyone who needs the power of Mac OS X while blogging, MarsEdit is a great great choice that offers a wealth of other features for a mere $24.95. A demo is of course also available from Red Sweater Software.
Last reminder: WoW Insider is LFM!
Just a reminder, we are looking for some new bloggers and columnists to add to our staff. If you weren't aware of this already, you can read up on the details here. However, today is the last day we'll be accepting applications, so if you want to apply you've only got until midnight (EST) to send yours to us. So what are you waiting for? Read up on what we're looking for and send in your application!
Kmart plays with one blogger's emotions
Seriously, how sadistic are you Kmart? You lure us in with those blue light specials and soon we're signing our name in blood on the dotted line. All for what? A cheap set of plush terry cloth towels? Well, you've tormented us for the last time! Well, actually, you tormented a different blogger for the last time, but all for one and one for all, y'know?See, a blogger, who is still without a Wii (poor lad), has been checking on a daily basis to see if he could snag one of those elusive Wii. And he isn't about to pay for one of them rip-off bundles, either. So upon seeing the system for sale, all by its lonesome, via Kmart's website, he decided to snatch it up with the quickness, only to be let in on the cruel, cruel joke: the console is in stock but only available in quantities of zero. [via digg]
