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Why would equestrians want to network on the internet?
Horse people are as a rule social animals and naturally do a fair amount of networking on a daily basis without even trying. On the internet this natural talent can be very useful, especially for those hose riders and horse owners who intend to earn some spare cash on the net.
The simple act of setting up a horse blog in cyberspace, even if it is on a fascinating subject like equestrian holidays, will not guarantee you visitors who click on your adsense ads or buy your e-book. When you have told all your horse fiends and acquaintances as well as your grandmother about your blog or e-book, time has come to take it to the masses of eager readers on the net. Although they are very keen to get hold of the equestrian information you want to share, they can not do so if they do not know where to find it.
So how do equetrians network on the internet?
Much the same as you would in real life. You talk to other horse people about your passion and exchange horse stories. Meeting people from all over the world is a truly enriching experience. Here are a few quick and easy ways to go about it:
1. Join a forum. There are literally hundreds of forums on the net. Choose one on a subject that interests you specifically. Two favorites of mine are the Yahoo groups Ride with Confidence and the Friesian Horses Group. Just be very careful never to advertise your services or products directly on the forum. You will get banned. Forums are about making contacts, not selling your wares.
2. Join a society or a club. If you are interested in classical riding, join a classical riding club. Or an eventing or show jumping or horse breeding club. Be an active member and contribute regularly.
3. Subscribe to and comment on other people’s horse blogs. You can subscribe by RSS- just click on the little orange sign- or by e-mail. When you comment, leave your blog address.
4. Join MySpace, an enormous social networking site, and invite MySpace horse people to become your friends. You can also join horse groups at MySpace, and you are free to advertise whatever you like on your home page.
5. If you are looking for romance, join a reputable equestrian singles site. Make sure your private information is safe. Never give out any personal details, especially not your e-mail address. All communication happens via the site. Even if you are not looking for romance, these sites can be a great place to meet new people, and you can specify on your profile if you are looking for a relationship or just want to make horsey friends.
6. Subscribe to quality equestrian newsletters like the Equestrian Information Newsletter; or even better, start writing one of your own.
7. Subscribe to equestrian magazines, or e-zines, like the Equestrian Online Weekly about how horse people can earn money on the net. Choose an e-zine that will provide you with valuable, practical information in every issue.
8. Attend equestrian webminars. These are a bit like real-life seminars, except the whole thing happens in cyberspace. It can be via a telephone connection, or via webcam, with means you can also see the other participants. Tremendous fun, and very informative.
9. Use social bookmarking sites like Delicious, Digg and specifically for blogs, Technorati. These humongous sites exist purely to help you find the information you are looking for according to what other web surfers thought of the quality of the information they have already discovered. When you find a useful website, you can bookmark and rate it depending on how practical and realistic the information was on the site. Other people can then look at your assessment and decide whether it will be worthwhile to visit that site.
10. Write your own blog. Probably the easiest and most profitable way of networking on the internet and definitely the most amusing. Go to Technorati and do a search on horse blogs to see what is already out there. You ill be amazed and impressed and soon you’ll also be addicted. Don’t forget to bookmark your own blog with the social bookmark sites!
