First, I'd like to thank you for your interest in CreateDebate and our
position for a Political Beat Writer.  As I mentioned previously, we
are very excited about the quality of applicants interested in
covering the 2008 Elections for CreateDebate.

In order to ensure we review each applicant's postings thoroughly to
determine who will be selected as our Beat Writer, we will be
reviewing each posting over the next week.  We expect to make a
decision by next Sunday, August 10th.

In the meantime, we encourage you to continue posting to CreateDebate
in any of the debates you find interesting.  While your postings in
the Senatorial debates will be the primary arguments analyzed for the
position, quality posts in any debates will also be evaluated to show
diversity in writing ability.

Thank you again for your interest and belief in what we are trying to
build with CreateDebate.  Please feel free to contact me if you have
any questions.

Best Regards,
Bryan Orme

On Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 1:40 PM, Bryan Orme <bryan.orme@createdebate.com> wrote:

Congratulations on being selected as a finalist for a position as a beat
writer for CreateDebate 2008!  We are very excited (and humbled) by the
quantity and quality of the applicants to join our team to cover the 2008
Election.
Based on your application and writing samples submitted, you have been
identified as a finalist for the positions available.  In order to help us
better gauge your writing style, research abilities, and comfort with
covering the upcoming election we'd like to have you participate in a
"correspondent trial" by covering the Alaska Senatorial race found here:
http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/1772

Ground Rules
To keep this as fair as possible for all finalists, we want each candidate
to observe the following ground rules:

The trial will run from now until Midnight EDT Thursday, July 31st.
Each finalist can post up to 10 arguments in the debate above.  Feel free to
post in other debates if you so desire although these will not be judged for
the positions available.
Arguments should be limited to between 50 and 100 words per argument.
Arguments should be based on facts and backed up with supporting evidence by
using the "Add Link or Embed Video" option on CreateDebate.
Writers will be judged 1/3 on their argument scores (via the CreateDebate
voting process, which is open to the public), 1/3 by the top 10 CreateDebate
users, and 1/3 by the CreateDebate Management team.
Participation in the trial is completely optional, although only candidates
that participate will be eligible for hire.
Arguments should be as an objective journalist perspective, whereas we
expect our users to be the "Op-Ed" contributors.
Any attempt to subvert the voting process by using multiple accounts, etc
will result in disqualification.

FAQ's
Many of you have asked the following questions in a variety of formats, so I
want to make sure we address them so as to set common expectations.

How many beat writers are you hiring?  We are looking to hire between 3 and
4 beat writers to cover the upcoming election.
How will I be paid?  We will pay you on a monthly basis based on the quality
and quantity of your posts up to a maximum of $1500 per month.  Payment will
be made via check.
Is CreateDebate affilliated with any Political Action Committee or special
interest group?  No, we are a completely independent startup with 4
employees.  Our goal is to provide a forum for people to debate topics they
are interested in so they can make better decisions.  Who to vote for in the
2008 election is a very important decision that US Citizens will need to
make in the near future and we want to provide them with as much factual
information as possible so they can make an informed decision.
Will I be posting in already created debates or will I be able to create my
own?  The debates we will want you to cover as a "Political Correspondent"
are mainly going to be made in advance, although there will be some latitude
to create additional debates based on the election.  You can definitely
create debates about any topic that you'd like to as well on the main
CreateDebate site, although payment will be only for those on the CD 2008
site.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Please also send
me your CD username once you create one so we can ensure we keep track of
who's who.  Thank you again for your interest in joining our team!
Best Regards,
Bryan Orme
Co-founder, CreateDebate