Camden Chat is looking for new writers

Hello, Birdland!

Camden Chat is looking to add a few writers to our bunch for the upcoming season. If you have ever sat there thinking to yourself, "I'd like to write about the Orioles," this is your chance to do so.

Maybe you've been a Camden Chat reader or regular commenter for years and this is the inspiration you were looking for to jump to the next level. Maybe you've never been on this site before reading this post. If you are in the latter group, let me briefly introduce what Camden Chat is and what we do.

This site is the Orioles-specific blog that is part of the SB Nation network of blogs. As you can see on the top of our page, there are 309 blogs in the network covering the professional ranks of every major North American sport as well as European football, with a number of college-specific blogs covering NCAA sports as well.

SB Nation was founded with the idea of providing fan-centric content and we do that here in our little corner of the Internet every day. I am Mark and I have been an Orioles fan from the day I was born and will be one for as long as I am alive. All of the writers here are Orioles fans who write for other Orioles fans. Many of us, including myself, were long-time readers and commenters before we ever became writers. The community matters.

Sometimes writing for the Orioles fan community that means stepping back and trying to consider something objectively. Other times it means embracing the irrational excitement or disgust of a given moment. This is not the dry, stuffy air of the New York Times or some other old-guard newspaper, although in my heart I do like to imagine that Camden Chat can be all the Orioles stuff that's fit to print.

Does this sound like the kind of place you'd like to be writing? If so, step right up. You could be our kind of person.

WHAT TO DO

There are two things. The first is to fill out the form you find below. The second is to write a FanPost on an Orioles-related topic of your choosing that must be completed by 11:59pm EST on Friday, March 6. This will be your audition, so put your best foot forward.

EXPECTATIONS

You will be expected to write 1-2 articles per week during the season within the sphere(s) of interest you check below. You will not be expected to write more than two per week in ordinary circumstances.

Examples of unusual circumstances could include: Minor league writers getting leaned on a little more leading up to and during the draft, recap writers having to pitch in a little more if a couple of people take vacations at the same time, and news/reaction writers having ideas thrown at them leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.

Unless you are a recap writer, you can expect that you will have a set day/time each week that is your time to post an article, so you can have a regular writing rhythm. For recap writers, the schedule is posted a couple of weeks at a time and people sign up for what they can do.

As mentioned above, you must write a FanPost. The reason why is simple, and it is so that I can see what you have to say about the Orioles. An ideal range for this post is 750-1000 words. Your FanPost should be within the broad area of the box you check below - if you check multiple boxes then pick the area that interests you more.

Minor leagues/prospects - Your post should be a profile/scouting report of a current Orioles prospect other than Dylan Bundy or Hunter Harvey. You can also choose to write about a prospect traded within the last 12 months and whether you think the Orioles should have kept that player instead.

News/reactions - Pick out an article written since the start of spring training about the Orioles by any mainstream baseball writer, local or national, tell us what they're talking about, then tell us why you think they're right/wrong. OR Pick out an ongoing spring training storyline, summarize the story so far for us, and tell us what you think should/will happen.

Game recaps - Pick any game in Orioles history other than Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS against the Tigers, act like it just happened right now, then recap it. You don't have to have been there, or even alive, when the game happened.

Commentary/analysis - If you're thinking commentary, write about the kind of thing a newspaper's opinion columnist might write about, only without being boring, insufferable, or otherwise terrible. Hot takes are stupid. OR For analysis, a great example is this stats-oriented discussion about Miguel Gonzalez by our writer Alex Conway. Another good one is this look at whether the Orioles should trade a starting pitcher, written by my predecessor and occasional contributor Stacey.

Other - I have an open mind. Show me what you've got.

THIS IS A HOBBY, NOT A JOB

I don't want to insult your intelligence by talking about opportunities for exposure or any of that, nor mislead anyone with future promises of possible payment. There is no money in blogging for people writing 1-2 times per week. That's the way of it. You should do this because you think it would be fun to write about the Orioles and share your thoughts with an audience of Orioles fans.

If you have any questions, e-mail camdenchat AT gmail DOT com and ask away. Enough of me talking, here is the form. All questions are required!