This Thing Still On?

[Bolty]

Are you looking for a site admin in general, with duties including forum maintenance or updating static site content? Or are you looking primarily for someone to update the news post a few times a week?

Good questions. I should clarify that I'm looking for content admins. That goes from news posts to static content to site layout (including the menus and such) for World of Warcraft. I handle the technical affairs, the "oh my god the site is down" stuff, security, etc. Otherwise I pretty much stay out of your way. If you want something installed on the site, I evaluate it, make sure it's not filled with security holes, and get it done. But it would be up to you to fill it with content/make it useful.

Forum Administration can come with this - you could be a moderator if you like - simply because it makes a bit of sense for someone who's controlling the content of the site to also control its forums. However, if you don't want to be bothered with that (and you're nuts if you really want to), no biggie.

Also, are you looking for one primary admin, or maybe several people to add news posts?

I'm looking for anyone with a general interest level. Could be one person, could be multiple. At one time, this site was the "Elitist Jerks" of Diablo II. It could be again, actually, if someone dedicated enough stepped up to the plate to make the site a haven for intelligent strategy/tactics discussion. I mean, you look around the 'Net, and you have WoW sites that:

1) Cater to general WoW interests, typically casual-focused (WoWInsider)
2) Are bigtime into stats, data mining, and getting the scoop on upcoming changes (MMO Champion)
3) Are vast databases of WoW spell and item information (Thottbot, WoWHead)
4) Are huge mod depositories (Curse, WoWInterface, WoWAce)

All those sites are great for their focus and goals. There's no point in reinventing what they do because you can't beat them at it anyway. All those are sites that are in it for the money, have a "paid" staff (sometimes around-the-clock, too), and the Lurker Lounge is at heart a hobbyist website, run and operated by people for the love of it.

There's no website out there that you could read multiple times a week and find out about the latest game theorycrafting, discoveries of game mechanics, analysis of how upcoming changes will affect said mechanics, etc. Sure, that can all be grabbed from forums in various places, but there's no editor to say "This is the good stuff you shouldn't miss." A content admin doesn't have to actually write any of this stuff. They just have to LINK to it...just as I did for Diablo/Diablo 2. I never actually did very much; I think my warrior guide from Diablo 1 was the only real piece of strategy I ever wrote. I just linked to and collected the stuff everyone else did, making sure to give credit of course. The Lurker Lounge started, after all, as a site pointing out good Diablo Strategy Forum posts to read. There was no forum at all at first.

Think of it as being the editor of a Reader's Digest to Hardcore WoW Strategy, and you have the mindset I'm looking for. That's what brought people here long ago, and it developed into a great atmosphere. What happens is that people start learning of the site, hearing about this place to go to read collated information about in-depth play. They make a forum account. They start to hang out. Next thing you know, the Lounge is getting Slashdotted, and the server dies in a fire. Blizzard employees are emailing you on a regular basis to get information. Blizzard employees post on your forums (sometimes in disguise). You get free stuff and access to betas. But you still don't get girls. :)

MongoJerry was a fantastic writer, able to develop long and interesting stories about his adventures in Diablo and World of Warcraft. You don't need to do that, but of course nobody would stop you if you did.

-Bolty