AHP Dues Changes and Restructuring Digital Media Membership

The American Horse Publications Board of Directors met in beautiful Colorado Springs on Oct. 5-6, 2011, for our fall meeting. One of the important agenda items was to look at the AHP dues structure and digital membership categories. 

Currently the annual digital media membership dues include three categories: 

• Equine-related Website - $250
• Associate Equine-related Website - $100
• Digital Publication - $100

The board voted to change the digital publication/website memberships to digital media membership.

Digital Media membership dues are based on average unique visitors per month or issue.

• Under 10,000 average unique visitors - $100
• 10,000-50,000 average unique visitors - $150
• Over 50,000 average unique visitors - $200

Digital Media members will be required to submit verification of average unique visitors per month or issue. These statistics may be calculated by using sites such as Google Analytics or Sitemeter.com.

Other current membership categories and dues include:

Print Publication membership dues based on average circulation per issue

• Up to 5,000 circulation - $100
• 5,000 to 25,000 circulation - $150
• Over 25,000 circulation - $200

Individual Dues - $100

Corporate Dues - $350

Nonprofit Corporate Dues - $250

College/University Dues - $250

The Print Publication and Individual dues have remained the same since 1998 and the Corporate dues have been at the same rate since 2007. 

Beginning Feb. 1, 2012, all membership categories dues will increase by 10%. Members will have the opportunity to join or renew for 2012 at the current rates until Jan. 31, 2012. After that date, dues will be at the new rates below.

Print Publication Dues based on average circulation per issue

• Up to 5,000 circulation - $110
• 5,000 to 25,000 circulation - $165
• Over 25,000 circulation - $220

Individual Dues - $110

Corporate Dues - $385

Nonprofit Corporate Dues - $275

College/University Dues - $275

Digital Media Dues based on average unique visitors per month or issue

• Under 10,000 average unique visitors - $110
• 10,000-50,000 average unique visitors - $165
• Over 50,000 average unique visitors - $220

Student Dues remains at $25

The board feels that even though the economy is still not great, the services and benefits of memberships are worthy of a small rate increase. And, if everyone renews before the deadline of January 31, 2012 that slight increase will not occur until 2013. 

AHP appreciates all of your feedback, good and bad, and we welcome it always. Please e-mail me at cheryl@ridingmagazine.com or call me at 858-967-5765 about any of our organization's policies or procedures. 

Cheryl

AHP President

Cheryl Erpelding

Riding's Publications, Inc.

Please note: Renewal notices for 2012 memberships will be mailed out starting November 2011.

By Chris Brune

AHP Executive Director

I have to admit that I knew very little about Colorado Springs. Okay, I did know the city was home to Western Horseman offices until recently. And I had researched the city as a potential site for the 2013 seminar. However, I was not prepared to discover the many reasons why I would come to love Colorado Springs.

In July, I made my first visit and was introduced to the city's major landmarks such as the Garden of the Gods Park, the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Pikes Peak. Accompanied by Cheryl McCullough of the Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, I toured four hotel properties and several of the city neighborhoods, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs and Downtown. I knew then that I had only touched the surface of all the city had to offer.

Fast forward to October when I returned to Colorado Springs with the AHP Board members for the fall board meeting at the Colorado Springs Marriott,  the hotel considered the best option for the 2013 seminar headquarters. Since we had a very full meeting agenda, I planned to spend a couple extra days exploring the region for activities and attractions that would be of interest to AHP members. Two Colorado-based members, Jennifer Denison, Western Horseman, and Christine Hamilton, The American Quarter Horse Journal, agreed to be my cohorts on my exploration day.

Why is Colorado Springs perfect for AHP members?

First and foremost, there is the "cowboy" hook. The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Cowboy Museum is within walking distance of the Marriott. It is the only heritage center in the world devoted to professional rodeo and full of personalities and artifacts. I had an opportunity to visit the museum in July at the Western Horseman 75th Anniversary celebration, but I returned in October to spend more time exploring the exhibits.

No trip to Colorado Springs would be complete without a visit to the Flying W Ranch. Jennifer, Christine and I enjoyed a chuckwagon dinner indoors at the Winter Steakhouse as guests of Aaron Winter, Director of Sales at the Flying W. Aaron filled us in on the history of the family-owned working cattle ranch and the unique chuckwagon recipes and entertainment that gives guests a glimpse of the Old West. During the summer months, the chuckwagon suppers are held outdoors. After an amazing barbecue meal with foiled-wrapped baked potatoes, ranch beans, skillet buttermilk biscuits and cobbler, we sat back to listen to songs of the American cowboy performed by The Flying W Wranglers, 
the world's second oldest western singing group. And these wranglers are true to their name. When it's time for branding at the Flying W each fall, these cowboys get down and dirty and take care of business.

And then there is the "horse" hook. AHP members like nothing better than an opportunity to trail ride in unique surroundings. We checked out two great options for trail riding in Colorado Springs. The Stables at the Broadmoor may carry the name of the historic and elegant Broadmoor Hotel, but be prepared for a long and winding ride up into the mountains via the Old Stage Road. Stables at the Broadmoor offers a unique western experience with its replica of a frontier town and horseback rides through the Pike National Forest. Also be on the lookout for some pretty amazing views and wildlife. The Academy Riding Stables are the only outfitters permitted to offer trail rides through the Garden of the Gods Park. Trail riders enjoy Colorado on horseback guided by real cowboys who point out some of the interesting red rock formations. Kim Brown's husband, Ben, experienced a three-hour ride while we were in Colorado Springs and he gave his experience a Thumbs Up!  

While horses played a major role in settling the western frontier, railroads, mining, and a healthy environment also contributed to the growth of the Colorado Springs region. To capture the history of this area, Jennifer, Christine and I toured Glen Eyrie, a 67-room English Tudor-style castle built by General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs. General Palmer and his wife Mary (Queen) Mellen originally built a 22-room frame house on their 800-acre estate. After Queen's death, Palmer and his three daughters remodeled the house in 1881 to include a tower, 24 fireplaces and additional rooms to resemble a stone castle, reminiscent of those native to England from which Mrs. Palmer hailed. General Palmer was a true horseman, preferring horses to motor vehicles most of this life. The castle is now owned by The Navigators, a worldwide Christian parachurch organization headquartered in Colorado Springs. We enjoyed touring the castle which also serves as a bed and breakfast...yes, you can actually stay overnight in one of the many bedrooms. 

 Our next tour was at another historical landmark, Miramont Castle Museum, founded by a Catholic priest who built the castle for his mother. The castle later became the residence of the Sisters of Mercy for their use as a sanitarium, primarily for the treatment of tuberculosis. In 1976, the Manitou Springs Historical Society purchased the building and began restoring it to its original grandeur. Jennifer Denison's grandparents were involved in the restoration and she spent many childhood days exploring the nooks and crannies of the castle, although she never saw any of the ghosts reported to haunt the castle.

 Our day was packed from morning to night. It was memorable and fun despite draining all three cellphone batteries and almost getting locked out of a parking lot. After two visits, I'm convinced that Colorado Springs offers members an opportunity to embrace the Old West and much, much more.
  

But whoa!
 Colorado Springs won't happen until 2013. Up next is Colonial Williamsburg. It's time for me and Judy to don our tri-cornered hats and get patriotic. 

2012 Internship Handbook Available Online

Every year since 1998, AHP has produced an Internship Handbook for college students who have an interest in horses and seek a career in equine publishing media. The AHP Internship Program is a great way to provide students with valuable hands-on real life experience and AHP members with additional help when and where they need it most.

Awards Contest

Rules and classes for the 2012 AHP Awards Contest won't be available until January and the entry deadline date will be early March. The contest is for entries published in or dated 2011. The General Excellence classes are for Print Publication members only and offer several divisions based on circulation, format or type. The cost to enter is $30 and members enter only once with two different issues from 2011. Every print publication should enter this class if it's the only class you enter. For one reason, members receive a professional critique on their publication based on its statement of purpose, design and content. That is worth the $30 alone. The second reason to enter is when your publication wins or places; your staff is rewarded with the recognition of their efforts. Don't think you will never win. Your publication has every chance to win, but you have to enter.

Spread the News about AHP

If you value your AHP membership and think others should join our association then spread the word through your FaceBook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts to let your friends, fans and followers know about AHP. Encourage them to LIKE American Horse Publications.

By Bill Shelton, Left Field Creative

Notes submitted by Erin Ryder, Kentucky Equine Research

5 Ways to Win Customers

1. Be timely
2. Speak in terms of consumer benefits. Skip the specs; tell them what's in it for them.
3. Craft your message well. Don't mail it in.
4. Partner up. Add value to increase sales.
5. Be one with your audience (Pedigree example). Create sense of community, emphasize understanding.

Tips for Talking With Horse People:

1. Get to the point. Don't mince words. No BS. Back it up.
2. Provide REAL information. Cut the fluff.
3. Be respectful and know your stuff.
4. Make life easier.
5. Help them find "deals"
6. Make it fun.
7. Share a horse story.

Improving Circulation

12 ways to attract, energize, and keep readers.

1. Break out of your comfort zone. Make yourself uncomfortable.
2. Look in the mirror - is your brand outdated? Your look should be current.
3. What works in other media?
4. Create experiences - use your writers and staff to develop events. You are a celebrity to your readers. They want "scoop" and inside info. They'll invest in you if you take the time to invest in them.
5. Turn over rocks - investigate. Find the good story.
6. Stir the pot. Don't be afraid to be controversial. The worst thing we can be is safe. Hate and love are the closest emotions on the planet, because you have to CARE to have either one.
7. Recognize your readers in print. Faces in the Crowd - section in Sports Illustrated recognizing top amateur athletes from around the country. (Will also lead to great stories.)
8. Go BIG on promotions. Make it bigger than life. People think they can't win, give something GOOD to help them overcome doubt and get them involved.
9. Develop affinity programs with attainable goals. Let them be a participant.
10. Encourage reader content. Use judiciously. Crowd sourcing can be crap. Check your sources three times. But find a guest content person to write a story; have a contest. Seek a specialist. Will give a perspective from the field that your readers genuinely want.
11. Send (and sign) birthday cards. It's personal recognition.
12. Develop a "Horse Tales" segment. People love to write stories about their horses. Set up a place on your site for people to submit stories. Give them a theme to work off. Great source of human interest stories.

10 Tips on How Not to Act Old

1. Don't text with your index fingers.
2. Bruce is "the boss." (and the boss is always old!)
3. Don't use the term "dial." Phones don't have dials anymore.
4. Lose the watch. Look on your phone.
5. Don't ask for directions. Look on your phone.
6. Don't say "awesome," "dude," or "yo."
7. Never count out exact change or write a check in public.
8. Giant pumpkins are a giant no-no. Huge vegetables are from the land of old.
9. No Andy Rooney rants.
10. Don't fear the F-word. It's a noun, verb, and adjective.

Three Things to Learn from the Royal Wedding:

1. "Soft stuff" sells better than the "hard stuff." We want good to win.
2. Brilliant brand management can dominate all media channels. With the right product, you can take it anywhere.
3. Events can be a double-edged sword. Beware negative spin doctors.

Check out the updated version of Social Media Revolution: http://tinyurl.com/3ta2fe5

7 Business Proverbs

1. Be nice to everyone on the way up, because you'll see them again on the way down.
2. Don't present a problem without offering a solution.
3. People appreciate when you ask for help. People want to help, but you have to ask.
4. If you're late to a meeting, bring doughnuts. Be the party.
5. OMG, when you're at work, write like a professional. LOL. WTH? Srsly.
6. Always say "please" and "thank you." Be appreciative.
7. Don't be afraid to dance to the beat of your own accordion player.

Help! My Website Visitor Traffic Has Increased!

By Rob Yoegel

Posted 8/26/2011, PubExec.com

As most of you know (or should now) any good website analytics package will automatically remove traffic that does not come from an actual person. READ MORE