Outside Hub is already helping groups like the Archery Trade Association with video projects and overall exposure of their message. They are not doing this for profit but rather as an example of the type of philanthropy that Outside Hub cares about. “We have a huge reach of outdoorsmen and anytime we can help key industry organizations get the word out, we are there to assist” says Erick Bzovi the Director of Business Development for Outside Hub. Erick adds “We also love the power of Skinny Moose and their capabilities in putting content out on the web and therefore this strategic partnership is beneficial in many ways”. It is clear that as Sportsmen we must band together to ensure that hunting, fishing, and shooting Sports have a viable safe future. We at Skinny Moose Media feel that Outside Hub is helping to ensure the future of Sportsmen with bringing so many web sites together under their network umbrella. This helps all of us web publishers financially justify what we are doing and keeps our businesses healthy by bringing larger brands to the table that advertise through our sites. This is crucial so we can pay our bills and strengthen our voice. It is also great to see big companies such as Chevy, Versus, Rhino, LL Bean, and many others supporting Sportsmen. In a day and age where the anti’s are spending billions fighting us, we must have a strong voice and we must be organized.

Web is not just the way of the future; rather it is the way of the current times. It is no secret that print and TV are losing ground to the internet on a daily basis. It is just easier to get on the computer and find the gear you desire, the stories you want to read, or read reviews, and so much more. The power of vertical focus like what Outside Hub offers is huge for sportsmen. Now you can use the internet for just about everything. Outside Hub experienced 35% organic growth in their publisher network in 2007. This means that the web sites in the outside hub network received a 35% boost in traffic simply by more users finding the resources inside of the network on their own. Why is this big deal? It is huge because it means that just like in every other sector in the world of media; a rapidly growing number of Sportsmen are using the web as a primary resource. For years, the players like Field and Stream and Primedia have been the voice of the outdoors. However, when it comes to on line, we are proud to say that our partner and network captain Outsidehub.com reaches over 50% of hunters and shooting Sports enthusiasts on line. The growth has been spectacular at Outside Hub and the technology and ad serving capabilities are improving on a regular basis. We are very excited to represent the Blogosphere side of Outside Hub and we will do our part to help continue to grow Outside Hub at an aggressive pace. The network now has over 300 websites integrated into it and it achieves up to 11 million visits per month. Outside Hubs COO Matt Moore says “We will continue to grow in the hunting, fishing, and shooting sports sectors as this is our wheel house and frankly we all live to shoot, hunt and fish. Therefore being an integral part of the leadership team at Outside Hub is blast and comes second nature, no pun intended”.

Steve Remington

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 >>

“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 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 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 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…

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.

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

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.

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.