Learn more about Bwog, Columbia, and yourself!

Click the link for information about each role:

Staff Writers

Staff Writers are the blood, the soul, the heart, the brain, the everything of Bwog’s body politic. They make the substance you read and as a result they make the substance of Bwog. They are why you chuckle or comment under an article. They transcribe dreams into text. They speak the voice of publication. They are the noble masses.

Or something like that.

It’s a central role that quite literally is the blog. In other words, Staff Writers hold all the power to make their impact on the site how they see fit. This semester, like always, we are searching for talented, motivated, and witty staff writers. You could be one of them! 

Staff Writers attend Bwog’s weekly meetings every Sunday at 9 pm EST, pitch articles, and write posts to be reviewed by our content editors and posted by our Daily Editors. Our Staff Writers maintain a healthy source of innovative and avant-garde energy, suggesting wild article ideas grown from the most brilliant corners of their brain. But Staff Writers can also pitch more serious and focused articles; they cover cool events and games, breaking news, and investigate campus. Our Staff Writers engage with any and every corner of the Columbia undergraduate experience—and write about it!—so long as the post is not an op-ed; we do not publish op-eds. As a result, Staff Writers get to uplift the Barnumbia community and meet new people. The possibilities with Bwog are (basically) endless. 

Being a staff writer means you should expect to write multiple articles over the course of the semester. Please complete the application below and send it to editors@bwog.com by Friday, January 27 at 11:59 pm EST. Please submit your application as a PDF titled “[First Name] Spring 2023 App.” 

Your application can be any length and is meant to serve as a way for our editors to get to know you and your interests so we can best help you in Bwog. Filling out an application allows us to learn more about you and why you want to join Bwog; we can’t wait to read what you have to say!  If you’d like to apply to be both a Staff Writer and a Daily editor, feel free to submit a single application with the position you’d prefer clearly indicated.

We will be announcing our Spring 2023 Staff Writers at our Open Meeting on Sunday, January 29 at 9 pm EST. 

Daily Editors

Daily Editors are the hands, the nimble fingers, the strong arms, and the tender legs of Bwog’s body politic. They copy-edit and publish the articles you read. They allow the substance to interact with the world. They keep the chaotic presentations of our Staff Writers in check, but are still able to create absurdities of their own. They are curators of Bwog’s voice. They keep Bwog afloat every day. They are the talented aliquot.

It’s an important job that quite literally keeps the blog running. In other words, a Daily Editor holds all the power of the site on their dailying day. This semester, we are searching for several Daily Editors, and you could be one of them! If we receive more applications for Daily Editors than we have positions, applicants will be considered for the roll of Staff Writer.

Each of the seven Daily Editors is assigned a day of the week. During this, they are in charge of confirming that the content matches Bwog’s style, is grammatically correct, and is published for our many readers to enjoy. At the start of each day, Daily Editors also compile a roundup of current news events called Bwoglines. 

Becoming a Daily Editor is a weekly responsibility; if you apply and are chosen, we expect you to commit for the semester. Please complete the application below and send it to editors@bwog.com by Friday, January 27 at 11:59 pm EST. Please submit your application as a PDF titled “[First Name] Spring 2023 App.” 

Your application can be any length and is meant to serve as a way for our editors to get to know you and your interests so we can best help you in Bwog. Filling out an application allows us to learn more about you and why you want to join Bwog; we can’t wait to read what you have to say! If you’d like to apply to be both a Daily Editor and a Staff Writer, feel free to submit a single application with the position you’d prefer clearly indicated.

We will be announcing our Spring 2023 Daily Editors at our Open Meeting on Sunday, January 29 at 9 pm EST. 

Illustrators

Illustrators are the clothes, the bracelets, the ring, the accessories of Bwog’s body politic. They draw, paint, sculpt, photograph, graphic design, etc. all the accompanying visuals in Bwog articles as well as create visual articles of their own. They present Bwog to the world. They make us look beautiful! They work to truly bring articles written by Staff Writers to life and promote artistry within the organization.

Illustrators attend Bwog’s weekly meetings every Sunday at 9 pm EST. They can pitch accompanying illustrations or visual posts of their own. Our Staff Illustrators have a variety of choice mediums, whether pasting collages from admissions material or sharing glimpses at the student experience. They depict any and every corner of the Columbia undergraduate experience. As a result, Illustrators get to artistically present the Barnumbia community, meet new people, and experiment with their craft. The possibilities with Bwog are (basically) endless. 

Being an Illustator means you should expect to create multiple images over the course of the semester. Please complete the application below and send it to editors@bwog.com by Friday, January 27 at 11:59 pm EST. Please submit your application as a PDF titled “[First Name] Spring 2023 App.” 

Your application can be any length and is meant to serve as a way for our editors to get to know you and your interests so we can best help you in Bwog. Filling out an application allows us to learn more about you and why you want to join Bwog; we can’t wait to read what you have to say! 

We will be announcing our Spring 2023 Illustrators at our Open Meeting on Sunday, January 29 at 9 pm EST.

Tech Team

The Tech Team are the stem cells and immune system of Bwog’s body politic. They work on both the frontend and backend to keep Bwog’s website afloat, ironing out issues and making sure that all runs smoothly. Our Tech Team edits, maintains, and expands our website’s internal and external features. They actualize the dreams of staffers in their coding ways.

We are 100% published online, so what is here is what is everything. We’ve had a few different looks over the years, but Bwog has always been a hub of student life. This site is a massive, living, breathing people’s history of Barnumbia—we’ve been posting since 2006. As a result, its maintenance is a unique, interesting, complex project. The team consists of a wide range of backgrounds, but some specific skills we look for (either one more multiple of the following): HTML, CSS, php, WordPress, server management, site optimization. If you have any skills not listed here, tell us about them! Above all else, we want people who are passionate and excited about web dev, and who are ready to come up with interesting, creative solutions to our website needs.

Enjoy the opportunity to create a site that is actually read by real people, with real consequences, and a good amount of user feedback. We have projects in all aspects of web dev, so if you’re interested in it, we can make it happen. And then of course, as a member of Bwog Tech, you are also a full member of Bwog itself, with the option to write (if you so desire), and access to our great community of people.

Please complete the application at the end of the article and send it to editors@bwog.com by Friday, January 27 at 11:59 pm EST. Please submit your application as a PDF titled “[First Name] Spring 2023 App.”

If you have further questions, feel free to contact tech@bwog.com. Our editors look forward to reading your applications!

Your application can be any length and is meant to serve as a way for our editors to get to know you and your interests so we can best help you in Bwog. Filling out an application allows us to learn more about you and why you want to join Bwog; we can’t wait to read what you have to say! 

We will be announcing our Spring 2023 Tech Team at our Open Meeting on Sunday, January 29 at 9 pm EST.

Applications

Staff Writer and Daily Editor

About you:

• Why do you want to join Bwog?
• You’re taking Bwog out on a date! What would you do? Where would you go? There are no limits!

Questions for Staff Writers:

• What aspects of Columbia might you be interested in writing about?
• In which building on or near campus would you most like to spend twelve hours?
• In 50 words or less, tell us about your move-in this semester. 

Questions for Daily Editors:

• Send us a screenshot of the open tabs on your browser.
• How do you manage your time and keep yourself organized? Are you able to dedicate one day per week to Bwog? 
• What three days work best for you to Daily?

Questions commitment/other student news organizations:

• It is Bwog policy that you cannot simultaneously be a member of Bwog and another student news organization on campus (such as Columbia Daily Spectator, The Blue & White, or The Federalist). You are allowed, however, to write for campus literary magazines and other, non-journalistic organizations. Do you understand that if you are accepted to Bwog and to another publication, you will be expected to only commit to one organization?
• For Dailies: Because the commitment required for Dailying is greater than that of being a Staff Writer, if you are accepted as a Daily Editor, it is our expectation that you will Daily for the entirety of the upcoming semester. If you are also applying to other places of student journalism, and are not sure which is your preference, please indicate that here. Do you understand this expectation of commitment?

Illustrators

About Bwog:

• What do you think Bwog is?
• Tell us about a header image you like and didn’t like, and why for both.
• How do you think Bwog could improve its visual aspects? About you:

About You:

• Why do you want to join Bwog?
• What mediums do you use?
• Are you comfortable with the process of digitizing your work?
• Provide up to three examples of your work from previous years.
• Choose a building or statue on campus. Give a rough sketch or idea of how you’d capture it. Nothing polished, we just want to see how you think creatively. Questions on commitment/other student news organizations:

Questions on commitment/other student news organizations:

• It is Bwog policy that you cannot simultaneously be a member of Bwog and another student news organization on campus (such as Columbia Daily Spectator, The Blue & White, or The Federalist). You are allowed, however, to write for campus literary magazines and other, non-journalistic organizations. Do you understand that if you are accepted to Bwog and to another publication, you will be expected to only commit to one organization?

Tech Team

About Technical Skills:

• What is your web dev experience? Have you taken classes? Worked on a personal project? Link anything you feel is relevant.
• Have you ever worked on a web team for an organization before? If so, link the website and briefly describe your contribution. 
• What is your favorite news website in general? Which specific features do you like?

About Bwog: 

• What do you think Bwog is?
• What is something you like about the Bwog website?
• What is one idea you have to make it better?
• Would you be able to commit an average of two hours a week to Bwog website work?

Questions commitment/other student news organizations:

• It is Bwog policy that you cannot simultaneously be a member of Bwog and another student news organization on campus (such as Columbia Daily Spectator, The Blue & White, or The Federalist). You are allowed, however, to write for campus literary magazines and other, non-journalistic organizations. Do you understand that if you are accepted to Bwog and to another publication, you will be expected to only commit to one organization?

Guidelines Summarized:

• To apply, please fill out the application below and email it to editors@bwog.com by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, January 27. 
• Please send the application as a PDF entitled “[First Name] Spring 2023 App.” 
• There is no length requirement for the application, as we are mostly interested in learning more about you and why you want to join Bwog. 
• If you wish to apply as a Daily Editor and as a Staff Writer, please feel free to do so by completing a single application (however, make sure to answer each position’s designated questions) and indicate which role you’d prefer.
• Application Decisions will be announced before our first open meeting on Sunday, January 29 at 9 pm EST.

Françoise Foliot – La radio à l’école via Wikimedia Commons