The Skinny Moose Media and Outside Hub Strategy

The time of the outdoors not being up and current with Technology has long since passed. Thanks to our Strategic Partner and key sponsor Outside Hub (outsidehub.com) Skinny Moose and outdoor media as a whole will be up to speed with the rest of the world. Since Outside Hub has come into the picture there now is a way to reach Sportsmen in huge numbers for Advertisers. Their network now receives up to 11 million visits per month. Outside Hub has created the ultimate 1 stop shop. This is valuable not just to advertisers but to outdoorsmen that like to find fresh content and videos throughout the web as well. The front end site has both a wealth of archived relevant content and also more current teasers of articles where people can surf through their portal to find stories that interest them in fishing, hunting, and many more activities of the outdoors. Read more

Skinny Moose Media Covers Gander Mountain Grand Opening in Evansville, Indiana

John Stabley, Vice President of Global Operations here at Skinny Moose Media and U.S. Hunting Today, spent some time last weekend at the official Gander Mountain Grand Opening in Evansville, Indiana. He spent the entire day there covering the event and taking lots of pictures.

The Evansville store is 53,000 square feet which features innovative products including firearms, equipment for hunting, fishing, and archery, apparel and footwear, camping and tons more. Gander Mountain currently has 114 stores in 23 states.

Here are a few pictures he took but head over to his blog and check out the entire article with all the photos he took of the place.

Gander Mountain Store

The Gander Mountain Truck

Sneak peak inside the store of the hunting and fishing departments

John Stabley (left) and Michael Waddell

See entire story and pics here >>

Skinny Moose Media Bloggers Continue to Interview Industry Leaders

One of our newer bloggers, Brad of Southern Adventures, recently interviewed the Founder of Youth Outdoor Connection, Inc. The following is only a excerpt of the actual article, but feel free to follow the link to read the entire thing.

“Youth Outdoor Connection was founded by me, Keith Southern. We officially got incorporated in October, 2006 and are currently celebrating our 1 year anniversary.

I’ve been hunting and fishing here in North Western North Carolina as far back as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to share the great outdoors with others. Once my son was old enough to start tagging along with me, I realized what I should do, provide free outdoor events to all kids regardless of wealth, disability, creed, national origin, religion, or any other reason…”

Read entire post >>

Rick Gets Invited to Tour the New Cabela’s Store in E. Hartford Connecticut

Rick, Skinny Moose Blogger over at Tails and Trails, also the Northeast Marketing Director for U.S. Hunting Today, was extended an invitation to tour the brand new Cabela’s store yesterday morning. The new Cabela’s is located in East Hartford, Connecticut and is scheduled to open on Friday October 19th, 2007.

Rick put up a blog post with some more specifics and he took a bunch of pictures of inside the store.

Go check it out and thanks Rick for the report.

Lance Dutson, New Skinny Moose Blogger, Interviews Fox’s Carl Cameron

Lance Dutson of Maine Web Report has been covering the GOP Presidential debate as a blogger and a legitimate form of press. This is great news for all bloggers as he was credentialed to cover the UNH / Fox News hosted debate.

Lance was able to catch up with Fox News Chief Political Correspondent Carl Cameron after the debate and get his take on it. Check out the short interview below.

Enjoy!

Lance Dutson to Cover GOP Presidential Debate

Skinny Moose blogger, Lance Dutson of Maine Web Report, will be covering the GOP Presidential debate airing on UNH/Fox News on September 5th, along with Jason Clarke.

Lance writes on his blog:

We’ll be blogging and filing video updates from the debate and the spin room after the debate, our coverage will be available at MaineImpact.com. Should be a fun night, Jason’s been on a self-imposed ‘blog vacation’ for awhile now, this will be a great way to welcome him back. More info to come…

Lance Dutson on Net Neutrality - Podcast

For those who are interested in furthering their business, or themselves, on the Internet should be following the concept of Net Neutrality. You can learn more about Net Neutrality by watching this video. Also check out more here, here, here, and here.

Last year (2006) seemed to be the rise (peak?) of Net Neutrality and has since fizzled. But how much? There isn’t as much talk about it these days but I think the threat is still out there. As our society finds ways to control the ever growing and wild nature of the Internet, the urge for large Internet businesses to select what they provide their clients grows.

Anyway, I would like to provide a podcast that Lance Dutson, Skinny Moose Media blogger, over at Maine Web Report posted a year ago. He covers the concept of Net Neutrality after there was a 3 count multi-million dollar federal lawsuit filed against him for speaking his mind about Maine’s tourism industry.

When you are done listening take time to read an article Lance wrote in the Portland Press Herald called Technology alone won’t fix Old Media.

As you can see, the Internet… and blogs in particular, are one big influential monster.

Blogging is One Influential Monster

Thinking about getting into blogging? Well it’s time to seriously think about a blog for your businesses. I think we all have thought about blogging and have entertained the thought. One of the biggest concerns is finding the time to blog. I still believe there is a large percentage of people who do not take the Internet seriously. They use it to Google topics, browse some online shops, and maybe check their email once a week.

But what are these people missing? I hate to say it.. but a revolution. And they will miss it if they don’t pay attention. It’s a new world, probably as big as the discovery of America. Instead of boarding ships and spending months at sea, you can discover the New World in the comforts of your own home. Forget scurvy and starvation. Forget the sea sickness. You need a rest… then walk away.

So what am I getting at exactly? Businesses have an opportunity in this New World. What is that vehicle? The vehicle to market and promote your business comes in the form of a blog. Blogging is so big that the Presidential Candidates are forming blogs. Senators are forming blogs. And Maine’s Tourism Industry is using blogs. Innkeepers, restaurant owners, the lodging industry, amusement parks, and tourist areas are using blogs to promote their businesses.

Lately I’m seeing a lot more innkeepers blogging, which I think is a great way to both increase one’s search engine visibility and to promote local businesses such as restaurants and shops. By blogging, innkeepers are doing over the Internet what they’ve been doing in person for so long: making their guests feel welcome and helping them get the most out of their stay.

It’s time to get serious about blogging. Toss out the stereotypes regarding school age girls meeting on blogs or posting about who they have a crush on. There is blogging and then there is “Pro Blogging”. Businesses can reach new clients, enhance the experience of current clients, and provide unlimited resources. The world is connecting on the Internet and don’t miss out on the opportunity. Most small businesses are sitting on Internet real estate with a website of theirs, it is now time to increase it’s value. The best way to increase your online real estate is through a blog. Endless amounts of knowledge can be added each day which is categorized nicely for your readers.

Blogs are used not only for business purposes, but it is used to slingshot your own career as an authority figure. Lance Dutson, a new Skinny Moose Media blogger at Maine Web Report has been blogging for quite some time. It started in as a hobby and over time had been credentialed through the Media Bloggers Association to attend the ‘Scooter’ Libby Trial as a viable media source. He is now the Internet Marketing Director for the Susan Collins re-election campaign for U.S. Senator. Susan Collins will soon have a blog on her site to help reach out to followers. We can learn more about Susan Collins, more about the campaign, and with this we can actually have constant commentary.

The Portland Press Herald is even beginning to really acknowledge the power of blogs in a recent article… which, in fact, mentions Lance Dutson, titled Constant Commentary. (Hat Tip: MWR)

People like Lance Dutson, of MaineWebReport.com, have made a name for citizen journalists. Dutson was critical of the state Office of Tourism’s marketing campaign and the performance of former director Dann Lewis, gaining headlines in traditional media. And earlier this year, Dutson was one of a small group of bloggers given credentials to cover the trial of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney.

But not only are the bloggers being recognized but it also means the rules of story telling are changing… Jason Clarke, also a member of the Media Bloggers Association shares his thoughts in the article…

An author and Web developer, Clarke got his start back in college when he began experimenting with sites like Geocities, which allows users to create their own Web page. As a developer for RainStorm Consulting, he is constantly keeping up to date on new developments in technology and media.

In his time away from work he prepares posts to the site that will be released during the week. Clarke, who is also a member of the Media Bloggers Association, a nonpartisan advocacy group for bloggers and citizen journalists, said blogs allow for a more comprehensive telling of stories, with embedded video and audio.

It also means changing the rules of storytelling, he said.

“Traditional journalism has eschewed a transparent point of view in favor of objective narration,” he said. “But some journalism originating from the Internet takes the opposite tack and infuses the narrative of the story with a distinct point of view, which often lends drama and passion.”

With a new form of communication and reaching potential clients and mass amounts of readership with no geographic barriers I strongly recommend blogging to small businesses. Where Skinny Moose Media is primarily a hunting, fishing, and outdoor blog network I would suggest that guide services, people in the travel and lodging industry begin dialog in the form of blogs. Kristine Shreve promotes her Gunslinger product through blogging at her Hunt Smart, Think Safety blog. It’s all about “networking”. What people normally do in the every day world can be done right here online. It’s a new world, a new avenue, a new vehicle, and most importantly a new opportunity for both people and businesses alike.

Need help getting started? Feel free to contact me at steve@skinnymoose.com

Turn That Computer Off And Get Out Into Your Community

There are ways to promote your blog and who you are when that computer is turned off. Unplug that thing and head out into the community. Go to shows, events, and just talk to people. Hand them a business card with contact information and your website link.

Another idea, is to submit editorials to local newspapers and talk about something that concerns you in what you are doing. Make sure to leave your name and drop your blog title. For instance, if I felt there was a lot of negative light being shed on the sport of hunting and I had an opinion, I could submit an editorial to my local newspaper and educate readers on the facts about hunting. Then at the end make sure to have them say:

Steve Remington
President/CEO
Skinny Moose Media

Try not to over do this. Maybe submitting an editorial once every month or every 2 months will do.

But show up to events, submit articles to local newspapers who are dying to get a story, take pictures, meet new people, and have a good time doing it. There is so much more you can do than sitting down at your computer each day and typing in a hunting or fishing tip, or telling how you caught that big fish back in the 60’s.

What else can you do offline? Can you think of anything?

How about go do an interview with a local resident. Maybe interview someone who owns a local gun shop or someone who is a Game Warden. Talk about the issues that matter. Snap a picture of you and them shaking hands. Why not bring your friend along to film it? Upload that puppy to YouTube and then embed it into your blog?

Let’s see… what else?

Got ideas on how to further your blogging offline? Shoot me an email at steve@skinnymoose.com with your ideas. When I get a few emails I will post up all the ideas in the form of a blog post. So make sure to provide a link to your blog, your first name, and what city you are from.

Support the Outdoor Bloggers Summit

Flash the following Badge in support of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit. Place this on your blog or website anywhere and link it to: http://outdoorbloggerssummit.blogspot.com

What is the Outdoor Bloggers Summit? Head over to their blog to learn more, but in a nutshell their goal is to form an annual event where hunting, fishing, and outdoor bloggers, like the ones here at Skinny Moose Media, can get together, learn more about blogging, and meet each other. We hope to hear more on some of their goals shortly.

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