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Deadline extended: You, too, can be mentioned in VShow!
Do you have opinions? Do you like to express said opinions through video, graphs, gifs, or even just old-fashioned words? Do you enjoy deep conversation about issues at Columbia and long walks on the beach? Are your elaborate doodles and/or Photoshop skills the envy of your Instagram followers?
Then apply to be a blogger, columnist, editorial board member, or editorial artist!
Below are the job descriptions. You may apply for and hold more than one position. More »
Apply to be the next sex advice columnist!
If you enjoyed C.U. in Bed this semester or have ever considered writing about sex, I’ll be handing over the baton as the resident sex advice columnist, which means one thing: Spectrum is looking for someone to fill that position next semester. Now you can be the next sex advice columnist.
What this position entails:
- You get to write about sex! Woo!
- But actually, you get to write a 600- to 800-word weekly post answering 2-3 sex-related questions
- You choose the questions you answer, which people will send in through a Google Form (like the one we used this semester)
- Must be comfortable talking about sex without anonymity
- Must be non-judgmental toward a variety of sexual desires, practices, sexual orientations, or gender identities
- Writes in a tone that is engaging but also informative. We want a fun but no-bullshit advice-giver!
- Rocks at empathy and understanding
- Must be good with deadlines
Introducing PavéLife: Extreme ticket discounts
In the last few weeks, hopefully you’ve had time to explore Spec Marketplace, one of our site’s most exciting new features. Spec Marketplace is a portal that connects Columbia students to companies who provide services such as textbook exchanges, discount ticket deals, and internships.
This week, we’d like to tell you a little bit more about our partnership with PavéLife, a premier ticket aggregator that can provide you with discounted tickets to arts, culture, and entertainment shows at over 500 venues from New York to Los Angeles. Tickets are discounted up to 65 percent and are available for theater shows, ballets, operas, concerts, exclusive museum tours, botanical gardens, and much more.
How does it work? There is no membership fee required to access the deals, and buying tickets is quick and easy. Once you purchase your ticket through the Marketplace site, a voucher is emailed to you. All you have to do is print it out and head out for your night out on the town.
So break out of the Morningside Heights bubble! Grab a friend and enjoy a New York City adventure that won’t break the bank.
Click here to try out PavéLife, and leave a comment if there are other features you’d like to see in our Marketplace!
Wes Rodriguez is Spectator’s chief revenue officer.
Sports journalists share tricks of the trade
Sports journalists, accustomed to filing stories almost immediately after an up-and-down game, are pretty flexible—which is why New York Times associate managing editor Tom Jolly thinks those reporters are best equipped to navigate the changing media world. That was the takeaway from the latest installment in the Columbia Media Series, held Saturday and sponsored by Spectator along with WKCR, the fencing society, and women’s ultimate frisbee. Here are some tips and quotes:
—When asked about the most bizarre story the journalists have scooped, T.J. Quinn, an investigative sports journalist for ESPN, hinted at a story he’s working on right now which would be really cool to talk about “maybe 10 years out,” but he can’t say anything more about it right now because the story has not yet been published.
Introducing UniversityGigs
When we launched our new website last week, we told you about one of our exciting new features, Spec Marketplace. The Marketplace is a portal that connects Columbians to businesses that specialize in services like textbook exchanges, discount ticket deals, and internships.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to one of our Marketplace partners: UniversityGigs. Over the next few weeks, we’ll have posts highlighting our other partners.
UniversityGigs connects Columbia and Barnard students to paid and unpaid opportunities. It’s a network of undergrads, graduate students, alumni, and local residents that you can use to find jobs, offer services, or sell items. You can connect with people who are looking for writers, editors, tutors, interns, textbooks, admissions prep, or furniture-moving—really, just about anything. And UniversityGigs does all of this while preserving users’ privacy.
How does it work? UniversityGigs has a simple interface where you can quickly post a gig you’re looking for help with, or a service you can offer the community. You’re notified when your gigs have been responded to, and you pay a nominal fee to unlock gigs and interact with people who have responded to your posts. The site has just launched, and for the rest of the semester you can unlock gigs free of charge.
Click here to try out UniversityGigs. And let us know in the comments if there are other services you’d like to see featured on the Marketplace!
Wes Rodriguez is Spectator’s chief revenue officer.
Columbia Sports Media Conference this Saturday
If you’re a sports fanatic, really into journalism, or both, this event is for you.
Sponsored by the Spectator, WKCR, the fencing club, and women’s ultimate frisbee, the event will be an awesome opportunity to hear from sports journalists and get all of your questions about sports journalism, or just the latest triple play answered by the experts!
The event, the second in the Columbia Media Series, will take place on Saturday, April 20th at 2:00 pm at the Kraft Center and will consist of two panels of sports journalists, including Megan Greenwell, the senior editor of ESPN The Magazine and a former Speccie, T.J. Quinn, reporter for ESPN’s investigative/enterprise unit and adjunct faculty at the Columbia Journalism School, and David Roth, editor of The Classical, columnist for the Wall Street Journal and columnist for VICE.com.
Tickets will cost $5 and can be paid for with cash or card at the door.
You are now free not to be anonymous
If you’ve tried to comment on an article on our new website over the last two weeks, you might have noticed a glitch: Even if you commented while logged in—and even if you put your name on a comment while logged out—the comment would still show up as having been written by “anonymous.”
As of last night, the problem has been solved—if you leave your name on a comment, it will show up. Your name will also show up on your comments automatically if you’re logged in, unless you check the “Make this comment anonymous” box. The fix is retroactive—if you left your name on a comment last week, it’s now showing up.
On a related note, our online team is still working on importing comments from the old website to the new website. We’re hoping it’ll be done by the end of the semester, but bear with us if it takes a little longer. We’ll be rolling out some exciting new features over the next few weeks, and our online team can only do so much at one time.
(Quick plug: If you want to get involved with Spec Online, shoot us an email at join@columbiaspectator.com! We’re looking for coders and Web designers of all experience levels who can help us make #NewSpec even better.)
That is all. Back to our regularly scheduled blogging.
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