From March 2020 to August 2020, I interned remotely with a start-up website called parlia.com, which is based in London, England but has employees and interns from around the world. My official titles within the company were writer then editor, but I also researched, analyzed, led a team, and communicated regularly with the individuals behind Parlia. In my opinion, this is one of the best opportunities given to me to publish my writing, learn a ton of information about operating a large wiki website, and building connections with professionals. I appreciate my time with Parlia and recognize how much it has benefitted me.
Parlia is a wiki seeking to map the world’s opinions into an encyclopedia of arguments. The purpose of the website is to calmly detail each side of a potential argument, so people have the facts they need to make an educated judgment. In the about section, it states, “Debate and argument are how we build our values. At scale, it is how we decide what kind of states we want to live in: argument is the foundation stone of democracy. This is what Parlia seeks to enable, accelerate and celebrate.”
There are two main sections on Parlia: encyclopedia and opinions. First, the larger section, the encyclopedia contains information maps with organized, factual points that describe each opinion. All content derives from credible sources to ensure there is unbiased information. Here, anyone can easily read all sides to a debate to make an informed opinion themselves. Second, the opinion section contains polls that users can vote on. Even though Parlia wants facts, the opinions of users still influence future topics and discussions.
I had to supply a writing example to Parlia before they offered the internship position. After they approved of my writing, I immediately joined as an intern writer.
I was responsible for researching and writing one debate question each week. I corresponded with my editor where she provided revisions and critiques to help improve my skills. They gave me flexibility in what I could write, but I was also required to research specific questions occasionally. I found the process of researching and creating the maps enjoyable because I had to calculate the best way to present an argument and what points are most important. My work with the company felt important, and it was rewarding to see something I created online. In May, two months into my internship, Parlia approached me about a paid editor position for the summer. I was immediately on board, ecstatic to have another internship lined up.
My position as an editor intern came with more responsibilities. Most notably, I was appointed a team of ten new writing interns, which included training them for the position, editing their work weekly, and communicating daily. During this period of the internship, Parlia focused on perfecting any existing content on the site, so the work became more meticulous. I had to ensure each intern followed the weekly work schedule and their writing was at the website’s standards. Later, the writing interns began creating argument maps as I had, meaning my workload increased. It was an amazing experience to work with interns from around the world that have vastly different lives, and opinions from mine. Most of our communication took place over Slack, but I would also have weekly video meetings with the three other editor interns and the cofounder of the company. In these weekly meetings, we discussed the progress of the writing interns and planned for future projects. Additionally, I participated in a research team that scouted possibly websites, podcasts, and other forms of media to collaborate with Parlia. I logged onto parlia.com nearly every day this summer, gaining tons of professional experience.
Since Parlia is a wiki site, anyone can write and publish content. To my knowledge, the company still runs internships on a three-month schedule corresponding to the seasons. I applied to Parlia through Chegg’s internship section on their site. Since the internship is available to anyone who can fluently speak and write English, there is a large pool of applicants. But, I recommend still applying if you’re interested because it’s a wonderful experience.
Overall, I’m grateful for all of the opportunities Parlia presented me with. I never expected an editorial internship offer, but I appreciate how much they valued my work. I have a unique experience I can use on my resume, and skills I can apply to other jobs. My extended time with Parlia will certainly help me in my professional career.