PS3 Fanboy now recruiting

Please read all instructions before submitting your application. Incomplete applications will only be read after the release of Final Fantasy XIV -- because if you can't follow instructions now, there's nothing to make us think you'll be able to follow instructions if we contract you to write for us.
First off, what we're looking for:
- Bloggers willing to commit to writing at least 50 posts a month. (Not sure how much work 50 posts a month is? Take a look at an average-length post on this site. Now multiply that by 50.)
- Columnists willing to write weekly columns between 500 and 1000 words.
Anyone who's interested must have:
- A strong knowledge of the PlayStation brand, from the PS1 era onward. Also, you really need to own both a PS3 and PSP.
- A strong knowledge, and appreciation, of gaming in general. We may only write about PlayStation games, but we want to play with you on Xbox Live, and share Friend Codes with you. Just because we're called a "Fanboy" site doesn't mean we want to hire typical internet fanboys.
- Solid writing ability. Basic spelling and grammar are required -- and the ability to form words without any numbers in them a major plus. Insider tip: we're going to assume that the writing in your application is an example of the best writing you're capable of. Once we see a spelling mistake, grammatical error, or typo, we usually stop reading.
- Prolificacy! We want people who can commit to writing on a regular basis.
- Possess a computer and a reliable Internet connection. If you're reading this, that's an important first step!
- Have the software and knowledge to create and manipulate photos and screenshots. (You'll need to be able to resize images, but you're welcome to do fancier stuff if you feel like it.)
- Know basic HTML. (Our CMS is all WYSIWYG, but sometimes a bit of additional knowledge helps.)
- Are eligible to work wherever you're writing from. We can, and often do, contract bloggers from outside the US. The only caveat is that people outside of the US must have a bank account and be able to accept payments by wire transfer.
- Are reachable outside of your game world -- via e-mail, IM, Skype, phone, etc.
- Absolutely no attachments -- please include everything in the body of your message.
- Your full name and whether you're applying as a blogger or a columnist in the subject line. I.e. "John Doe -- blogger" or "John Doe -- columnist."
- Your city and state. (If outside of the US, include country as well.)
- Your contact information, including email address and any instant messenger addresses.
- Availability information -- when and how often you think you'll be able to post.
- An explanation of why you think you'd make a good Joystiq network writer.
- Some information about your gaming background, including games you've played in the past and games you're currently playing (on any platform). Please highlight previous journalism experience, if any.
- Do you have video editing skills? Do you love podcasting? Are you an artist? Please note any additional skills that may be helpful for the site.
- Three sample posts (at least one post must be dedicated to the PSP) in the style of a typical Joystiq/PS Fanboy post.
- A proposed theme for your column.
- Ten sample topics you might explore. (if you can't think of ten sample topics, you might want to re-consider your theme.)
- We will contact you for a sample if selected.









Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
reuben_yap @ Mar 17th 2008 12:18PM
Is owning a PSP a must when applying for this position?
wocyob @ Mar 17th 2008 12:32PM
yes sir
they said "must own both ps3 and psp" :P
reuben_yap @ Mar 17th 2008 12:41PM
Damn, I was hoping that it wasn't such a necessity. I would have loved to apply :(
T-P-M @ Mar 17th 2008 12:31PM
What's the usual pay for a blogger/columnist?
deafraiders @ Mar 17th 2008 12:44PM
Not for me my english i terrible but hope for those who take part good luck!
Mike @ Mar 17th 2008 12:56PM
When's the deadline for submission?
The Angry Gamer @ Mar 17th 2008 1:01PM
You fail.
"Still think you're right for the job? Then send us an application to apply.psfanboy@gmail.com before the end of the day Friday (11:59 PM EST) including the following..."
Phizzy @ Mar 17th 2008 12:56PM
People get paid to write this nonsense? :-O
M3ga Hax0r @ Mar 17th 2008 12:56PM
Does it matter about age? Do you have to be over 18?
whoelse @ Mar 17th 2008 1:02PM
I would be interested but there is far too much time needed to do this job for me.
Dahk @ Mar 17th 2008 1:06PM
Lol i'd love to represent some Canadian folks here.
Unfortunately, super difficult school term coming up in the summer means 50 frickin' posts a month (i.e. 1.67 posts a day) which don't fit too well in t3h tyme sk3doole.
... And I just violated the: "and the ability to form words without any numbers in them a major plus." part =/.
Nate @ Mar 17th 2008 1:06PM
I have a question... I own a PS3 and a PSP and play them both regularly, but I wouldn't be able to, for example, take a game and play it for 8 hours a day for three days to be able to review it. Would that discount me from the blogger position? Also, you mentioned you wanted to be able to play with us over XBox Live and share friend codes.... does not having a 360 and/or Wii disqualify me?
Haiddasalami @ Mar 17th 2008 1:17PM
i dont have a 360 or a Wii but I do have a PC and am a PC gamer. I doubt that would disqualify you..as some people dont have money to blow around.
Andrew Yoon @ Mar 17th 2008 5:29PM
Nope, that doesn't disqualify anyone. I think other than myself, no one on the PSF team has a 360. We just want gamers that are open-minded.
zyxwiley @ Mar 17th 2008 8:45PM
"but we want to play with you on Xbox Live"
So the lies come out...
Haiddasalami @ Mar 17th 2008 1:11PM
O bee's knees! (Seriously who used that) Anyways applying as i need a job and too represent us Canadians.
Nathan-DTS @ Mar 17th 2008 3:49PM
I fit all of the first two paragraphs of 'musts' but I'm afraid I'm underage and don't cover the requirement for great english skills (god damn this language that I have.
Well good luck to all applicants and I'm just curious how much would this pay
Nightz @ Mar 17th 2008 1:42PM
Would you guys be willing to hire part-time bloggers? What I mean is bloggers who don't necessarily get paid, but contribute to the site regularly?
PGAGolf3r @ Mar 17th 2008 1:53PM
I have both a PSP and a PS3, obviously a PC. But is it worth my time? Nothing in life is free, and my time is included in that statement.
T-P-M @ Mar 17th 2008 1:57PM
It say's 'Most importantly, we're looking for capable writers that are interested in getting paid to write about games.' just not how much...
Haiddasalami @ Mar 17th 2008 5:24PM
I assume above minimum wage. So 8.50?
HektikLyfe @ Mar 18th 2008 12:31PM
Well they did say the magic word, contract. It is completely possible that you may get paid per post and not per hour.
I have been writing about video games for as long as I can remember. Never once have I been paid. Other then my old ad supported website, I have done it all for free and loved the experience the entire time. If a fantastic opportunity such as this becomes available, I jump on it and don't question the minute details. Most bloggers and freelance columnists do this type of work for free because they love it, such as myself.
I would love this job and consider myself lucky to have it.
Phileoca @ Mar 17th 2008 1:51PM
with all of the typos I've seen from their current editors, I don't think they'll notice typos on any applications unless they're bold. :-D
Se7enwolf @ Mar 17th 2008 2:36PM
Do you have to run out and get the latest games and play them through all the way and write reviews for them? Or is that not really a mandatory thing? because I dont think most people can afford to buy/rent the latest games and review them.
sUKi @ Mar 17th 2008 2:36PM
I would definitely apply [For blogger] but the idea of me writing weekly and quite a lot during a month's time scares me a bit. It's more of time to dedicate and without distraction will I be able to actually write something up? I definitely meet a lot of those requirement except the spelling and grammar part. Definitely have a problem with that. Hope to hear who will take the position and to see their contribution here.
Byron517 @ Mar 17th 2008 3:05PM
HA! I was just talking to a buddy of mine about applying!! Awesome!!
dewmandew7 @ Mar 17th 2008 3:48PM
I guess that I am not eligible. I do not have a PSP and I gamed on the N64 rather than the PS1. Ah well...
Eddie @ Mar 17th 2008 3:50PM
Just sent it in!! :-)
Nahiyan @ Mar 17th 2008 4:51PM
What's the difference between a blogger and a columnist?
Andrew Yoon @ Mar 17th 2008 5:25PM
Bloggers write daily. Columnists write weekly.
seamonkey420 @ Mar 18th 2008 8:46AM
what about guest bloggers? i already am a paid blogger but would love to do a few random guest posts for PS3Fanboy since i know i'm a ps3fanboy.. :)
http://blogs.tech-recipes.com/seamonkey420
just curious...
rice @ Mar 17th 2008 4:25PM
Hmm, I can review few Japanese PS3/PSP games I get...but it's definitely not enough for 50 reviews a month....guess I'm not qualified.
Also, one thing that concerned me was that expected pay wasn't posted. Usually when a company is hiring, they would post a range of expected pay and also usually what kind of package you can be receiving.
Andrew Yoon @ Mar 17th 2008 5:26PM
Pay is disclosed to potential candidates. I can say that WIN is very competitive with similar positions. You're not being hired as a full-time employee, which is why we don't disclose that information.
Alex @ Mar 17th 2008 5:29PM
"Are eligible to work wherever you're writing from."
does this mean that you can be any age as long as you're legal for
paid work wherever you live?
Would you penalise a UK applicant for using UK spelling (e.g. I used
the s in penalise - US is z)?
Nahiyan @ Mar 17th 2008 5:30PM
Content wise, what does a blogger have to put up compared to a columnist.
What type of content?
Alex @ Mar 17th 2008 5:33PM
A columnist is more features, a blogger is more general news
Fraser JK @ Mar 17th 2008 5:42PM
Sounds cool... but I ain't a writer.
I specialize in photoshop!
Nahiyan @ Mar 17th 2008 5:43PM
Hmmm... OK. Is there any example of a columnist's work that someone could show me please? I understand the blogger's content is what we see on PS3Fanboy.
Examples would be nice.
Daniel @ Mar 17th 2008 6:32PM
I will be applying soon. I have a lot of experience in journalism and am a huge fan of the Playstation brand.
My only question is how important is the knowledge of HTML? I have a brother-in-law that can teach me how to use HTML but I have close to no knowledge of it currently.
Everything else, I qualify for 110% that's my only snag at this point.
rice @ Mar 17th 2008 6:53PM
I would like few questions answered if you don't mind:
・Would a "review" of games fit under columnist or blogger? To my understanding, it probably doesn't fit a blogger's task but it does for a columnist.
・By "# A strong knowledge of the PlayStation brand, from the PS1 era onward. Also, you really need to own both a PS3 and PSP." can you define the "strong knowledge of the PlayStation brand". Does this mean playing lots of games for the Sony consoles? The technical specs? Or little bit of everything?
・Would articles be provided to write for or are you required to look for an article to write yourself (is that a task of the bloggers/columnists or is it something provided from the company/company provides sources for you to keep a close eye on)
Andrew Yoon @ Mar 17th 2008 7:02PM
- We're not looking for reviewers. Bloggers tend to review games, but we're not specifically looking for people who are only interested in reviewing games.
- You don't need to be a Wikipedia of PlayStation (that's what uh, Wikipedia is for). But, having general knowledge of things PS Fanboy should know (big games of the PS1/PS2 era, for example) -- that's what we need.
- We need our writers to be able to get articles for themselves. There are many tools and tricks that we can teach, but for the most part, this is a self-initiated process.
HektikLyfe @ Mar 17th 2008 7:09PM
This is definitely something I will be looking into. This sounds like it could be a great experience.
Martin Bigg @ Mar 17th 2008 7:11PM
I have just submitted my application, I hope you have received it. I am very keen about this opportunity since I have a genuine aspiration to become a games journalist in the near future.
Joe @ Mar 17th 2008 7:39PM
I'm interested in applying for the columnist position, but I'm struggling to understand what exactly you want in terms of a theme and topics. I've looked around PS3 and PSP fanboy but its not really clear cut whats required.
This doesnt exactly bode well for my potential chances (cant even understand the application form, terrific), but Id like to have an idea of what I need to think about before sending in an application with something the opposite of what youre looking for.
Sindetta @ Mar 17th 2008 8:26PM
Is their a certain age that you have to be, because I'm old enough to have a job, but I'm not 18. I've been looking for a job and this may be just what I need.
rice @ Mar 17th 2008 7:45PM
Thank you for your time in answering my questions (helping me making things clear). As much as I would love to work for you and /or donate my time, I probably wouldn't be able to do it due to my full time work, however, I do know few people that might be interested. I will let them know about this opportunity.
If you ever decide to accept a Guest Editor in the future, I may try to apply for that. Of course, I will continue to look at this site so you'll have my support.
Best of wishes,
rice
Consolcwby @ Mar 17th 2008 7:57PM
I am currently crying waterfalls of tears after reading I need a PSP. I could pretend I had one, but it doesn't really cut it, does it? ;_;
Kspraydad @ Mar 17th 2008 11:58PM
1. Purchase at Best Buy
2. Do not unbox.
3. Apply for position with greatest honesty.
4. Return PSP to Best Buy.
5. ???
6. Win!
PS...get a PSP...they are a blast.
Tenchkov @ Mar 17th 2008 8:17PM
Arse! Shame about needing to own a PSP. I've been very interesting in getting involved in games journalism for sometime now.
I hope you find some new bods outside the US, it would be good to see other territories get greater representation on the Jostiq Network.
Good luck with your search for top talent.
Patrick @ Mar 17th 2008 8:48PM
The thing with reviewers, is that they are not above average at a game. It is hard for me to go by reviewers because they aren't good at a game. Yes, they can play the game on single player but most games that are coming out are online. In all the games I play i try and be the best. In THPS series i am the top thirty best at the game, in Socom I was one of the best in upstate New York, and Resistance one of the best sniper in the game. I know what makes a good player good and a great player great. Most reviewers aren't super at a game and they don't know what a really good person needs or wants in a game. Reviewers should just worry about non-online games. Nothing that will end up in MLG thats all.