The talented Joy Ward will no longer be writing the For the Love of Dog Blog after this month. Staying on top of dog news is quite time-consuming as you’d imagine, and Joy needs more time to focus her energies on her forthcoming novel. We look forward to reading it and wish her all the best!

If anyone you know is interested in blogging for Dogster, please have that person contact us at jobs [at] dogster [dot] com.

The job description follows:

Dog Blogger

Dogster.com—the most vibrant, passion-centric, pet-centered community on the web—announces an opening for an exceptional blogger to join our team. This is a contract position providing a fantastic opportunity to work as part of a highly creative, thriving information and social networking site.

Summary:

• Take over Dogster’s popular For the Love of Dog Blog. Cover a wide range of topics relevant to dog lovers: daily real-world news and events, food recalls, adoption and rescue, puppy mills, entertainment, celebrities, etc., as well as the latest happenings on Dogster.
• Write an average of two to three posts per weekday, or 10-15 posts per week, for a minimum of 50 posts per month. Posts should be optimized for search engines and include images. They will be published by the blogger using WordPress blog tools.
• Encourage reader comments and participation.
• Be active inside and outside the Dogster community so as to promote the blog, stay plugged in and be widely known.
• Understand Dogster’s content, copy style and company goals and incorporate these into the blog.

Other Key Responsibilities:

• Experiment with new ideas and content to maximize traffic and reader engagement.
• Assess new standards and trends, and formulate plans for enhancing the blogging strategy.
• Use the latest syndication and blogging tools.
• Ensure images are of good quality.
• Ensure all links are up to date.
• Report bugs and problems.
• Respond promptly to blog comments and email.
• Maintain a BlogRoll of pet sites.
• Stay on top of metrics of traffic statistics, reports and blog comments.
• Act as liaison between blog readers and Dogster.
• Find and/or oversee occasional guest bloggers.

Minimum Job Requirements:

Must possess engaging “conversational” writing skills. Must have prior blogging experience and provide writing samples. Must be computer and Internet/search engine savvy.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Writing

• Ability to create, compose and edit engaging blog posts.
• Strong proofreading and self-editing skills.
• Ability to write in a conversational style that is harmonious with the Dogster tone and voice.

Social Networking

• Ability to seek out and develop relationships with “blogosphere colleagues”—other sites and blogs—for link exchanges and cross-promotion.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Professional but friendly posture with blogsphere colleagues and throughout the Internet.
• Ambassador and liaison for Dogster with the Internet community.

Technical

• Solid understanding of all sections related to the anatomy of a blog.
• Ability to utilize reporting tools for analysis of traffic, referral links and reader demographics.
• Knowledge and understanding of current editing and authoring tools, WordPress in particular, and related blog technologies.
• Ability to utilize word processing, blogging and internet software.
• Solid foundation in search engine optimization (SEO) for blog pages.

And of Course…

• An understanding of the deep bond between pets and humans.

To Apply:

Email your resume and cover letter to us and include “Blogger” in the subject of your email. To be considered for the position, please send a writing sample as well: two blog posts, 100-150 words each, written in the Dog Blog style and tone, along with a short explanation of why you’re right for the job. Original samples are preferred over links to previously published posts.

This is an offsite contract position. Compensation is based on level of experience and blog traffic.