Further information on Wire positions
Readers,
Last week, I sent an email stating the need for new CSU Wire editors. I did not, however, do a good job explaining what the Wire is. I hope this email explains it, and that it makes some of you interested in this project.
The CSU Wire is a student experiment.
I created this because I thought California State University’s student papers could benefit from sharing stories between each other. One paper’s coverage on tuition increases could be read across the CSU. Another paper’s photos of the CSU’s Board of Trustees can accompany every paper’s articles on the trustees’ meetings. A third paper’s collection of systemwide crime data can be used as a basis for stories by every paper. The idea was to plug coverage gaps, while also promoting student writers.
That was the Wire’s starting point. It was made by a student journalist for other student journalists.
Since then, I have passed the Wire’s accounts to students who experiment their own way. They republish different types of stories, promote on different platforms, design graphics for visual view and use Instagram to push stories.
They do it their way, and feel what works for them. I offer them a guiding point, show them my workflow and give them the passwords to all of our accounts.
This is not a staff or contract position. We don’t have revenue or pay. If a student wants to experiment with the Wire in any new way, and try out what they think would work, I can give them the accounts. The Wire is informal, and self-directed.
We can also have multiple editors. One editor can manage the republication of stories. Another editor can create graphics for social media. Both editors could focus on republishing stories, giving and taking the job as needed. Three editors could work on writing stories together, as a team. One editor can put in an hour a week, and another five and another seven. The editors can have a flat team structure, appoint a lead or make departments.
As a former editor, I’m going to walk you through what I did, and you can choose to do things your way.
Here are the Wire’s existing accoutns:
Publishes posts through both email and a website
Slack
Has an automated feed of all stories published by CSU student papers. Can be used to further collaboration among student journalists
Email
CSU Wire editors can choose to ignore some of these accounts, or use them however they want.
To recap:
A CSU Wire editor is self-driven. They decide to work however they want, with whatever goals they want, and for however much time they want. Once their term is done, I will pass the Wire to the next editor. I am coordinating hand-offs, and not directly managing the Wire.
If you still have questions, or are interested in taking a part in this experiment, please reply to this email.
Thank you for your time.