The Informed Drinker: In the Beginning, There Was Rum
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SXSW Announces a Couple Hundred More Showcasing Bands for 2010 [Lots of Austin Bands in the Mix]
Why We Don't Like You: Texas A&M Aggies
![Preview: Legs Against Arms EP Release [Club de Ville / Saturday]](http://austinist.com/assets_c/2009/11/deville_28nov2009_250-thumb-110x110-460659.jpg)
Preview: Legs Against Arms EP Release [Club de Ville / Saturday]
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Weekend Music Preview: Woven Bones Tour Kick-Off [Beerland / Friday]
As you're surfing around the site this week, you may encounter some quirky HTML-related bugs; while we're making efforts on our end to address these, we still welcome you to shoot us an email or leave a comment if you spot something wonky or have feedback on the new look.
As our publisher, Jake Dobkin, put it on Gothamist:
The goal of the new design was to make our...content easier to read, and to make the site as a whole easier to use. The content area is now better visually defined (with borders!) and we've moved all the important site functionality to the top of the page, where it should be easier to find. Additionally, we've migrated Gothamist to the newest Movable Type software. That should make the site faster and more stable, and allow us to add new features over the next year. A big and well-earned thanks is due to Neil, who has been working on this relaunch for several months, and to our friends at Six Apart Services, who assisted him on the project.
In the meantime, while we get our brand-spankin'-new site fully up and running, this affords us an excellent opportunity to put out our semiannual Call for New Contributors. If you think you can handle joining our motley team of wise-cracking wordsmiths and functioning alcoholics, first ask yourself the following (after the jump):
Q) Am I passionate about one of these areas that Austinist is recruiting in, and, equally importantly, can I write intelligently and succinctly about that topic? Those would be Music, Theater, Film, Local and State News, GLBT Issues, Urban Development, "Green" Issues, Sports, and Technology.
Q) Do I have the motivation, dedication, and bandwidth to contribute at least five posts per month, with the assumption that story ideas and deadlines for each post will be clearly discussed with my section editor at least a week in advance?Q) Am I comfortable working with basic HTML and image editing (cropping/resizing), and have a working knowledge of sites like Twitter, flickr, and Facebook?
Q) [For prospective Arts & Entertainment contributors] Am I firmly invested in the notion that Austin's present and future hinges on its collective creativity, and am I willing to make an effort to explore and critically examine said creativity in the hopes of seeing this city thrive?
If you answered 'yes' to all of the above, send us an email that describes your background, what area you're interested in contributing in, and anything else that you think will help us with our decision. Previous experience with magazine, newspaper, or online writing is a plus, but not a requirement. You're also strongly encouraged to copy and paste a few writing samples directly in your email—not as an attachment or a link, please! Lastly, ideal candidates are modest, friendly, and outgoing.
The deadline for this contributor call is Saturday, January 3rd. If there's a fit, we'll be contacting you by January 24th. Due to the volume of responses that we usually receive for these, we're unable to respond to everyone.
Best of luck, and enjoy the new site!
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I really like the new design. Also, since y'all are getting all spiffied up, I think you should change the Austinist logo. Where's the Frost?