The site would consist mainly of subscribers that would pay a monthly fee. For any visitors, they would be able to access a limited amount of information off of the site. They would not have access to the job seeker portion of the site.
For subscribers: I envision this portion of the site as a type of Facebook. Each member would create a profile page, complete with bio, a resume and a video reel (if they have one available). You would be able to interact with all other members through private messaging which would essentially be email addresses.
- Subscribers would also have total access to a job databank that lists all of the available sports journalism/broadcasting jobs in the country
- I think monthly Q&A's with those who are already in the profession would be helpful. These could be done 1 of 2 ways: in a live chat room featuring subscribers and the main subject or a Q&A written out in a story form available to subscribers to read.
- The site would also pull articles from around the country that pertain to the sports journalism world.
- Member chat rooms started by the members on any subject matter relating to sports, sports journalism/broadcasting
For non-subscribers:
- They would have the chance to read through any of the articles (which would be archived) and they would be teased with portions of the Q&A's.
- They would have no access to the "Facebook"-type portion of the site and they would also not have access to the job databank.
->The site would further be broken down by industry. So articles and jobs related to radio would be in one section, articles and jobs related to TV in another, etc.
->All of the Q&A's would be archived as such by the date they were posted on the site.
->The site would be updated with new articles every day. Q&A's would be weekly or bi-weekly and the jobs would be posted as they come out.
I really envision this site being a place where those who are looking to break into the profession go for the latest on open jobs, articles on the sports journalism field, as well as a place where they have the opportunity to chat with or read about some of the people who are already making a living in the sports journalism world.
I would also want to make it interactive enough to the point that professionals continue to come back to the site to read the articles, keep up the interactive social feature and possibly participate in the Q&A's.
This site would be a Facebook meets tvjobs.com meets national sports journalism news site.
Cool pioneer idea for cashing on online reporting projects!
ReplyDeletePeople are getting used to free online information ever since the beginning of the Internet age, how can you persuade the potential viewers/visitors to pay for the similar quality information available free somewhere else?
I love entrepreneurship!
Jen-
ReplyDeleteI think your niche-market multi-media project is a great idea! It is so difficult to find a job, especially when one is looking in a small, competitive field. You might want to look at these websites. After being a Division I athlete in college I was bombarded with websites that catered to college athletes and the job search. I was actively involved in one that no longer is running, but they offered great internship opportunities (Wall Street Program), and a forum that allowed you to connect with alumni, other athletes in your sport, etc. These websites might offer ideas of how to arrange information and how they capture and keep the target audience.
http://www.thecorporateplaybook.com/
http://www.careerathletes.com/
http://www.ncaa.org/
http://athletesmentoringprogram.com/about_us.html
My biggest concern would be keeping the target audience once they had a job. Perhaps you could offer a discounted rate once the individual found a job in sports journalism if they agreed to be a mentor. I think a career website like this has to create a bond between users or it will just be another career site. Also, will each individual have a profile with viewable resume (LinkedIn features) that allow other uses to see who they are and what they’ve done/hope to do? Will your website also allow for a ‘dream board’ where users can write down what they’d like to do –their dream job, allowing them to chart out a career path? (Offering steps they need to obtain before they can get to x position?)
Great idea- I hope these websites can be helpful! Looking forward to hearing the final proposal!
-Katherine
In the job market myself I like this specific approach towards creating a niche place for those in sports journalism to network and find a job they love. I have some questions about the Q&A's. Who would be leading the Q&A's? Would it be a place where a question or comment was posed by a moderator to get others thinking about ways to further progress the industry? For instance, I was thinking about Frontline where they just did a piece on our digital lives. As part of the 2nd documentary, they are having a discussion where they have professionals and then the other people part of a network to agree or disagree with what the have to say? Here is the link to what I'm thinking about. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view/index.html#forum
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteHow much would you charge for a subscription and how would you get subscribers to pay for the right to access the information? I think a monthly fee would be difficult to maintain. How about a nominal yearly fee and get outside funding to help with production costs? Would this be a for-profit endeavor or could it be run as a non-profit? I like the interactive aspects of your proposal. Your sports journalism jobs website also could be a great tool for employers seeking new talent.
I think there's a market for your idea.
Bonnie
I love your website. I'm all about the job search. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteQuestions - Is there anything similar out there that focuses on sports related jobs?
How will you go about finding the jobs? Will you charge those that list a job a fee? And if you do, where are you going to get the jobs from the start of the website or start a revenue stream?