Topic: On the job.
Haha, it’s funny how involved I’ve become with student organizations, even though I haven’t even set foot on campus yet. Besides being on the food committee, I’m the new subscriptions manager for the Record (the Williams newspaper). I don’t write articles, but I manage everything subscriptions-related at the paper. It’s actually a fun job, at least to me, although I don’t get paid. I mostly answer and send emails to people who subscribe to the paper, and some other details like maintaining the database, being in charge of the payroll, getting the paper out, etc. However, right now I’m more focused on coming up with ideas about how to raise revenue. I’m going to set up a table, along with the EIC (editor in chief), in front of Paresky during First Days in order to sell subscriptions. I’m also planning to do this again during Family Days and/or Alumni events.
But I have a feeling that it won’t be enough. (Plus, I personally hate selling stuff. I’m not a natural salesman - I’m better at coming up with business strategies, managing, sorting files, soothing a ruffled customer, anything that doesn’t require me to pitch a product/idea to a stranger.) Yet the Record needs a long-term business model/plan since subscriptions and advertisements have been declining this last decade. We need some type of fundraiser. But I still have no idea what we can do, although there are so many possibilities and so many ways to eff it up.
The whole newspaper business is soo iffy. You can hardly make money. Barely anyone advertises because there’s the internet, which is much cheaper, and newspapers make their contents available for free online. (Who wants to buy it if they can get it for free?) And yet newspapers are afraid of disabling their websites because then they might lose a large chunk of their audience. It’s maddening. And so far there seems to be no magic solution - at least none that I have heard or can think of.
Oh well. It seems like I’m off to a busy start at Williams. I’m moving in on the 1st, and I’ll be busy for a few days with Ephventures before I start classes on the 8th. I’m hoping to get my meal plan reduced so that I can cook for myself…but I’ll probably not get word about that until early September.
I’m looking forward to going back to school though!
