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Synotrip is always looking for talented and adventurous people that are interested in sharing China with others.
Why join Synotrip?
There is a wide variety of individuals on our team and there is an equally wide variety of reasons for being interested in joining Synotrip. Here are a few of the common motivations for joining:
- Fun – We hope everybody shares this as a motivation. The bulk of writing about life in the city involves… living in the city! To write about a tourist attraction, go there. To write about a bar, go there. It is about exploring and sharing your discoveries with others.
- Publicity and Experience – Have your articles read. Some Synotrip members plan to use Synotrip to promote their own businesses or to help build a name for themselves as writers. Other Synotrip writers view the job as an opportunity to practice and develop their own writing ability or style. Since we all work together to improve our traffic, even a new and undeveloped Synotrip city guide will get over a hundred visitors per week.
- Money – Synotrip works on a generous revenue sharing system. Well, that is, when we start to earn real revenue, it will be shared generously. For now, at least it’s not uncommon to get freebies offered to you.
- Satisfaction in building a comprehensive online resource – At Synotrip we are constructing a resource that is currently used by thousands of people interested in travel or life in China. As China becomes less intimidating, more open, and increasingly globalized, our site will become a very useful resource for many, many more people. English teachers, businessmen and women, foreign students, and hordes of travellers have been arriving in China in increasing numbers since 1976. It is exactly these people that will want to make use of Synotrip.
- Be Part of the Team – Only by working together can we build the first and only resource built by foreign locals that covers all of China.
Travellers seldom go to only one place in China. Both short-term travellers and expatriates who want to do some travelling want to see many places in China and it is most convenient for them to just use one website. We provide a consistent brand, layout and content quality standards in order to build the type of website that people will come back to.
The team supports itself. The ‘tech dudes’ are constantly working on building new features and improving Synotrip’s design. Our Synotrip editor is always available to assist writers in developing, reviewing, and editing content. Everybody working on content is encouraged to share experience and insights with each other in order to allow each individual to reach their full potential.
- Last but not least, there are no fees!
What’s involved?
Synotrip managers are responsible for a specific city or geographic area. Once a manager is chosen for a city site, they are responsible for a variety of tasks associated with it:
- Writing - The most demanding task is researching and writing about the various aspects of travel and life within each city. Check the various city sites on Synotrip to see examples of the types of articles we are looking for. The categories of content that are needed are given, but most of what goes in those categories is decided by the managers themselves. They are the local expert, therefore they should know best. Articles about interesting destinations near a city are welcome as well. We are naturally open to new ideas and concepts as well, so don’t be afraid to make suggestions and pursue your own ideas.
Research mostly involves “fun work” such as going out to eat and drink. However, there is also some “hard work” such as hunting down current transportation information and keeping older articles up-to-date.
- Checking user submissions - In the future, checking user submissions will become an important task. It doesn’t take much time, but submissions should be checked frequently to make sure they aren’t obscene, completely off topic, etc.
- Marketing – Managers should be willing to help promote their site through various offline and online methods. One very basic example is the posting of local restaurants’ 'mini-sites' (see www.synotrip.com/themuttsnuts for an example).
Each position is long-term and part-time. Nobody is required to spend more than an average of 10 hours a week. We hope that once a manager is committed to a city, he or she will want to create an insightful, helpful, and up-to-date city guide.
What’s available?
If a city or area is not on the Synotrip network, that is because we don’t have somebody to manage that site yet. The Jinan, Hainan, Wuxi, Wuhan and Hangzhou sites are currently seeking new writers. Guangzhou, Lhasa, Xian, Chongqing, Urumqi, and Harbin are just a few examples of major cities begging for new writers to share its secrets.
What do we look for in people for our team?
- We want people that are committed and self-motivated. These positions involve a lot of freedom, so we need people that can make decisions, manage their time, and come up with ideas on their own.
- Knowledge of their location. Our site provides information that is detailed, thoughtful and current. Only somebody that lives in the area they manage or travel to it very frequently could realistically keep up with these requirements.
- Writing ability. Getting the information is the first step; successfully communicating it to our audience is just as important. Previous writing experience is helpful and desirable, but by no means required.
- Chinese language ability is a definite plus, but it is not required.
- Other skills such as experience with marketing, sales, general business management, editing, etc. Basically if you have some skill that you think would help build a better Synotrip, we would like to know.
Where can I learn more or apply for a position?
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