It's Time!

All of my long-time readers probably know, I have been a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew for the last two years. I have had a great time on this voyage and I'm happy to announce that try-outs for the next cruise will be starting soon!

As with any job (and please realize this is a job! Your payment is the product you receive for free in exchange for your opinion) there are rules to follow. I want to be sure this is clear before people excitedly jump in to the Crew and then become overwhelmed. 

• The new Crew year will begin in June 2011 and go through July 2012. This does mean you will have products to review during the summer and over the holidays. There are no breaks.
• You are typically given 4-6 weeks per product for the review. Sometimes you have less time and sometimes more. This is set by the vendor. 
• You can have up to three products due in a week.
• Following directions is of the upmost importance! This simply cannot be stressed enough.
• You typically will not have a choice about the products you are given for review. You are also not given the choice to decline. If you are assigned a product, you are committed to doing that review. 
• You will have to post a review of every product you are given - even if you or your kids don't like it or it doesn't fit with your homeschooling style. Vendors are not promised glowing reviews of everything. They are promised honest reviews. You are encouraged to discuss the high points of the product and share who might benefit from it - even if it's not you.
• You must have a way to show your public followers on your blog. If you use Blogger - like I do - simply go to the "design" tab at the top of your dashboard, click on "add gadget" and add "followers." Done. You must have at least 25 followers.
• You must post on your blog four times a month.
• You will need a Facebook account (either personal or a blog fan page) where you also post about your reviews. I have my FB account set up to import all of my blog posts and they show up there as notes.

If you are still interested after all of this....head over to this form:  New Crew Application. Be sure to read everything carefully and fill it out to express your interests.

If you have any questions, please ask! There is an "About Me" tab at the top with my contact info or leave a comment here. If you leave a comment and want a personal reply, please make sure I have a way to contact you. Otherwise, I will be posting the answer here.

Have fun!