Unexplained Mysteries Dept.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:51 pm

Editor & Writers Sought for Start-up Web site

A start-up Web site publisher is seeking an experienced editor to help
manage our editorial workflow and to work with our freelance and
in-house writers to develop and perfect their prose. Must be Web savvy
and have very strong online research skills, as well as the ability to
write clearly and concisely to a broad audience. This is a tremendous
opportunity to join a fast-moving entrepreneurial company with
ambitious plans, and progressive management responsibility will reward
outstanding performance.

We are also seeking enthusiastic and Web savvy writers to join our
team. Writers are expected to meet quick deadlines and write in a
concise and clear manner.

The work environment is fast-paced and challenging, but collegial.
Competitive compensation, including stock participation in the
company, is available. Please send a cover letter detailing your
interest in this position, as well as a resume and writing samples.

*** What? Who? Where? How much? ***

KfitzR · **Posted:** Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:23 pm

Editor, experienced, on-line, competitive.
You want more?

Heartodixie · **Posted:** Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:44 pm

"Stock participation."

Options in stock that doesn't exist yet, that's the clincher.

trimtofit · **Posted:** Wed Jul 04, 2007 2:13 am

Phillip Blanchard wrote:

*** What? Who? Where? How much? ***

Geez, Phillip. You sound like a journalist.

Heartodixie · **Posted:** Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:14 pm

trimtofit wrote:

Phillip Blanchard wrote:

*** What? Who? Where? How much? ***

Geez, Phillip. You sound like a journalist.

Y'all don't get it. The secrecy's part of the appeal. Like the nondisclosure agreement they'll make you sign to interview you.

(I spent a few months as an editor at a startup in Silicon Valley back when ordinary people actually fell for that sort of thing. It's been eight years now, and still no sign of the IPO that was going to make everyone millionaires. That "business model" was on its last legs then. I can't believe anyone would take that seriously today.)

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:36 pm

Heartodixie wrote:

Y'all don't get it. The secrecy's part of the appeal.

"Secrecy" is one thing, but the ad doesn't even say where to apply.

Editer · **Posted:** Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:52 pm

There's a "send e-mail" link over on the right. I had to hunt around for it. Apparently they really, really, really don't want phone calls.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Thu Jul 05, 2007 2:00 pm

That may or may not be an e-mail address for the employer. Often on the ACES board, ads are posted by administrators who have no connection to the ads.

Editer · **Posted:** Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:10 pm

The link sends e-mail to Dulcinea Media, which does appear to be the employer in question. The folks at Contracts Watch have a bit of a beef with them, seeing as how they insist on retaining rights to contracted articles even if they pay a kill fee, which appears to be both rare and odious.

CW also notes:

Quote:

[T]he CEO and executive editor is Ari Kaplan - a lawyer and columnist for Law.com. From what we can see, the company is a start-up and doesn't yet appear to have a Web site in place (though there is a placeholder), which seems pretty odd for an Internet start-up head by someone who is supposedly writing a book on creative marketing for lawyers.

... which seems of a piece with the job posting in the original post.

FWIW.

zythophile · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:07 pm

Quote:

I spent a few months as an editor at a startup in Silicon Valley back when ordinary people actually fell for that sort of thing. It's been eight years now, and still no sign of the IPO that was going to make everyone millionaires.

Sometimes it does come true. I helped launch, as managing editor, a financial title in London back in 1996 that was finally sold earlier this year to Dow Jones for a large sum, making the editor and other journalists very rich. Alas, I left the title after nine months when I was offered a job on a daily national newspaper, giving up my share options - hence I remain up to my oxters* in mortgage payments ... [weeps quietly]

* armpits

Testy Copy Editors

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