All right, this is the official nominating thread for the 2007 class of contributing editors.
Things are going to change from previous years, however.
In the past, I used to do all blogging during the week, while the current crop of contributing editors would take over Friday-Sunday. Then, this year, we allowed the alumni to post again on weekends. Then, as I focused on races and coverage of other news waned, I allowed all of them to blog during the week as well.
I thought we kicked ass this year. I'm extremely proud of this site and how we served our readers and community.
So I'm keeping things going much the same way.
As most of you know, I'm not really that interested in blogging about policy. It's not my forte. I'll be looking ahead to the 2008 Senate, House, and governor races (in addition to the few governor races in 2007). Even the presidential race bores me at this point. Maybe I'll motivate to write more about it next year, but right now I'm more interested in the House and Senate than anything else. So other people will have to pick up the policy and presidential stuff.
Several of the alumni will become "Daily Kos Fellows", and part of their duties will include blogging daily. I see myself going from 8-12 daily posts to 3-4. I'll use the extra time to focus on my many other projects.
Also, all alumni will have the ability to post whenever inspiration strikes.
This will mean a couple of things -- one, the site will become more professional, with paid bloggers helping maintain site content, and two, it will become a true "group" blog.
It also means that the need for new contributing editors is essentially erased.
But because we don't need them, it doesn't mean I don't want new blood. It's great to elevate several people each year to this huge-ass stage. Not everyone has adopted positively to the change -- we've had some flameouts over the years -- but those have been few and the successes have been many. It's a tradition I intend to keep going not out of necessity, but out of desire.
But it's not all roses...
I won't pick as many contributing editors this year as in year's past. Instead of 4-5, I'll likely pick 2-3. And I'm not looking for the "best" writers, or the most prolific, or the most knowledgeable. This isn't necessarily a competition of the top diarists. Rather, I'll pick people who I think are the best fit for the continued success of the site. So if the best writer on the site is an expert on Pineapple growing, wonderful. But it's not a skill that I would find particularly relevant to the site.
So I know some people will be hurt when they are passed over, and will look for excuses or people to blame. The blame will rest on my shoulders. I will make the decisions myself. The final decisions will not be a value judgment over any individuals. It doesn't mean that someone sucks, or that I hate them, or that they're bad for the site, or any such thing. It'll just mean that the number of slots is small, and that I'll be looking for a very specific set of traits that I think will set the right tone for the nation's largest political community site.
Remember that ultimately, this is a site about the Democratic Party and elections. "Governing" has direct implications on the next election cycle, hence coverage of policy and how it's sold to the American people will be important topics to address. But I'm not looking to fall into the old trap of "let's get someone to write about the environment, and labor, and choice, and X, Y and Z." Those issues are important, and it'll be critical that people address them in the diaries and elsewhere. But personally, for this site, I'll be looking for people who get that we're building a movement, not someone who wants to fall back into the old issue silos.
I'll also be looking for people with thick skins, since this isn't a job for the faint of heart. They must be loyal to the site, the movement, and our community. They have to be dependable. While we all lose our tempers at times, being generally level-headed is important. They have to be humble. (This is not a good gig for people with big egos. Believing the hype is dangerous.) I won't pay any heed to physical attributes (sex, race, etc). In the blog world, the writing -- and how it fits in my vision for the site -- is everything. They have to understand that to the outside world, they speak editorially for the site, and that's a heavy burden. Finally, this is a site about American politics and will remain so. Apologies to our non-American friends, but foreigners don't have the standing to talk about our internal affairs the way Americans do. Thanks for any moral support and constructive criticism you might send our way, but ultimately, we have to take care of our own house.
So nominate away. I've seen most of the other nomination threads, so I already know what to expect. But this is the "official" thread.