The Business History Conference announces its search for a new web editor to oversee its online presence as an organization. The application deadline is Oct. 1, 2013.
The new editor will succeed the current editor, Pat Denault, who will be permanently stepping down as of June 2015. The new editors term would officially start in March 2015 (running for 3 months concurrent with the current editor), runs for three years, and is renewable. Ideally, the new editor will work closely with the outgoing editor as an assistant editor beginning in the fall of 2014, in order to manage the transition process.
Subsequent to the selection of the web editor the BHC will appoint an assistant editor in charge of social media and an assistant editor in charge of web content. The assistant editor positions are new. The assistant editors terms would also start in March 2015, run for three years, and are renewable. The new web editor will participate in the selection of the assistant editors.
The current responsibilities of the web editor are as follows [with some of these duties being delegated to the assistant editors in the future, e.g. the assistant editor in charge of social media would handle blog posts on the Exchange; Facebook, Twitter, etc. The assistant editor in charge of web content would be in charge of maintaining the various link and resource pages]:
· Maintaining and enhancing the BHC website overall.
· Designing and posting annual meeting materials. This involves both proactively contacting people for relevant information and then posting the program, abstracts, and papers in advance of the meeting. There is also a very modest amount of creativity in design required for this section. These duties, running from approximately December to March, constitute the busiest time of year for the web editor and the most concentrated work.
· Updating the Governance sections as required (annual changes in Trustees, committees, etc.); updates to bylaws.
· Maintaining and updating the Prizes and Awards pages (new prizes, each year’s winners, etc.)
· Maintaining the Resource pages, which now include general links and the newer syllabus pages.
· Maintaining BEH On-Line (posting new essays each year, creating table of contents page for each issue and adjusting other links accordingly; adding new essays to the cumulative index). [Many of these duties are likely to be assumed by the new BEH On-Line editor.]
· Posting to The Exchange frequently (this is on Blogger, not on our H-Net website).
· Keeping track of and renewing our URL ownership as needed.
· Posting announcements and other information as required (e.g., our new AHA affiliate status).
· The editor also serves as an ex-officio BHC trustee.
The ideal candidates would be enthusiastic about the BHC as an organization, flexible in the face of constantly changing medium, creative in terms of what kind of material the BHC might want to add to the site, and conscientious regarding the maintenance of the web presence. A basic understanding of HTML would be useful, and also the ability to use/willingness to learn a complex text editor such as Dreamweaver. It would be ideal (but not essential) for the person to have access to student or other administrative help. The new editor can reside in any country.
The BHC is in a position to budget modest funds to support these positions, preferably in conjunction with matching support from an institution.
Formal applications for the web editor position should be submitted by 1 October 2013 to Anna Spadavecchia, Chair, Electronic Media Oversight Committee (a.spadavecchia@henley.ac.uk). Please include a C.V. or résumé, and a cover letter explaining your qualifications, interest in the position, and vision for how to grow the BHCs web presence. If you have ideas on how to recruit the assistant editors, you may include that, but doing so is not required.
Initial expressions of interest are welcome, and should also be sent to Anna Spadavecchia as well.
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