Two years ago on this day, I made the decision that I would step down from the HoriZone Roundtable and pass the torch to someone else. When it became clear that (a) no such person was going to emerge and (b) I was having a change of heart, I made the choice to reverse myself less than seven months later.
Now, this won’t be about me attempting to step down again. So much has happened since my first try that there’s really no feasible way short of getting hit by a bus that I would ever leave. Nor do I really have any desire to leave. This is now my site, love it or hate it. And one should always take some pride in ownership.
But admittedly, there are times where I get incredibly frustrated. Like, for example, the ongoing initiative to get to a point where our writers can get paid throughout the year, both during the season and with features in the off-season.
While I consider it a point of major disrespect that there are some of you who read what our writers produce yet can’t bring yourselves to chip in even a dollar for their work, I also lay some blame on myself for maybe not developing and executing a sufficient strategy to put money in the coffers and, in turn, our writers’ pockets. This is a failure on my part of thinking I can or should do everything. And it’s this failure that has, at times, affected other facets of our operation, specifically social media and copy editing.
And it’s in this regard where it’s time to think further about the long-term future of the HoriZone Roundtable. The call to action for donations I made in January only scratched the surface of the changes that needed to be instituted to make this a sustainable media outlet, as well as drive me into an early grave.
So, with that, here’s what I’ve come up with.
The HoriZone Roundtable, as an organization, has five distinct divisions: Podcasting, Editorial, Technical, Social Media and Development. Up until now, I have been in charge of all of this, and, as I said, I feel that the organization as a whole has suffered.
Change is coming, and in some regards, it’s already here.
Let’s start with Editorial. Kyle Rossi is already the women’s editor, but considering I was doing everything, it left little for him to do. I’m remedying that, plus brining on a men’s editor, who, at this time, is TBD. I’m also mulling over selecting an editor for baseball as well, but we’re not there yet.
The men’s and women’s editors will be the final approvers after review by the copy editor, the recently-hired Sara Urban. They’ll also do what editors at any media outlet do: Manage the writers, provide story ideas and things along those lines.
Next up is Social Media, and it turns out that this was the easiest role to fill. Sam Dutch, who we brought on to cover Robert Morris this upcoming season, is on board to handle our social media accounts. That means about 90 percent of the posts you’ll see from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that weren’t automatically posted through WordPress will be from her.
That leaves Development, and clearly this will be the most important role to fill because it will ultimately determine what money will be coming in and, in turn, distribute that to the staff. Donations, sponsorships, promotional events, etc. will all run through this job. And Eric Fischer, who’s entering his third season covering Green Bay, has put his hand up to take this task on.
As I mentioned, the men’s editor position is open, and we are actively seeking quality candidates. You can learn more about each job by visiting our Help Wanted page. Resumes and/or additional work samples may be requested after your initial contact.
Over nearly 10 years, we’ve evolved far beyond what was, as I’ve described many times, a podcast featuring two guys talking out of our asses. We are an independent media outlet, a term I don’t use very often (even though I should). And the money you and I contribute, either through donations, Patreon, or even clicking on ads, is to further support independent journalism. This is an organization that deserves to keep moving in a direction where it’s self-sustaining and, for our staff, a source of income. Every little bit helps, and your ongoing support cannot be thanked enough.
