"Ride into History" with AHP in 2012

---

 

"Ride into History," submitted by Lua Southard of Equine Resources International, was the winning name for the 2012 AHP Williamsburg Seminar scheduled for May 31-June 2, 2012 at the Woodlands Hotel & Suites, Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Four other suggested names were finalists: Horses and Heritage, Huzzah For Horses, History & Horses and Colonial History & Horses.

AHP members were invited to send in suggestions for names for the Williamsburg seminar. Those names were sent to the AHP Board to narrow the list down to five finalists. A survey was sent to AHP members to select their favorite and "Ride into History" was the top vote-getter. "Horses and Heritage" and "Huzzah for Horses" tied for second. "Huzzah" in Colonial times meant hurrah, therefore huzzah to Lua and thanks to the other AHP members who sent in name suggestions: Tracy Schumer, High Minded Horseman; Bonnie Davis; Carol Trimmer, NRHA Reiner; Johnny Robb; Anne Sweet, Washington Thoroughbred; Kim Brown, Kentucky Equine Research; Chris Brune; Christine Hamilton, The American Quarter Horse Journal; Cheryl Erpelding, Riding's Publications; and Sarvy Emo, The Tack House.

The annual AHP seminar is a not-to-miss industry specific event for those who are involved in the equine publishing world. While the opportunity to learn is paramount, the chance to network and share knowledge is even more valuable. Whether you are a publisher, journalist, photographer, digital media, PR professional, company or even a college or high school student, you should consider attending this worthwhile event in 2012.

During the three-day event you'll have a chance to learn about the business side of the equine publishing industry and sharpen your writing, editing and marketing skills. You'll also be witness to some of the nation's most talented equine writers, photographers and designers at a variety of awards presentations and have a chance to rub elbows with the people who win those awards. Plans are also underway to offer two optional tours on Thursday.

More information about the AHP "Ride into History" Seminar will be released to members and online as available. 

AHP Mourns Loss

Market Your Brand via the AHP Newsgroup

The AHP Newsgroup is a great way to market your brand, whether it is a publication, business or service. The benefit is available to members only and releases must contain information specifically about an AHP member. Members may submit up to two press releases per month to ahorsepubs@aol.com.

While the guidelines for submitting releases are the same for all; not all releases are created equal. Members often develop their own formats, use different software and operating systems, (we all know that Mac and PCs don't always play well together) and sometimes include images, attached files, color, and logos. While every effort is made to distribute your release as it was received, there are certain variables that need to be adjusted before distributing to the AHP e-list. All AHP Newsgroup releases are posted to the AHP website using a template created to match the site design.

Here are several useful guidelines for submitting releases to the AHP Newsgroup.

• IDENTIFY YOURSELF - Make sure your subject line identifies the AHP member.
• KEEP IT SIMPLE - Releases sent as an attached Word file work best as the formatting is usually preserved, however not always. Spacing, superscript and font styles may not always display correctly. You might want to include the release in the body of the e-mail message as well.
• BLACK AND WHITE PLEASE - The only type that will appear in color are blue hyperlinks. All other colored type will be changed to black and that can take time to revise.
• NO-NO's - Releases sent using software such as Constant Contact or as a PDF look pretty, but can't be converted easily. We usually have to contact you to resend.
• TEXT ONLY - Photos, images, and logos will not be included, however you may mention their availability and use links for downloading.
• THE 5 W'S - By definition a press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the media (in our case the equine media). The purpose of a press release is to give journalists and readers information that is useful, accurate and interesting. The body of the press release is very basic; who, what, where, when and why.

By using the above guidelines, your news release can be distributed in a timely manner and avoid the need to contact you for a revision. While it is not necessary, if you wish to follow the format used on the AHP website for the Newsgroup, here is a sample:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date and Location (optional)

Contact Information (Flush left)

Name

Title

Company

Phone

E-mail

Title (Initial Caps, Bold, Centered): Here is Our Release for the AHP Newsgroup

Subhead: This is pretty exciting news to share

Body Copy (Flush left, no indents, single spacing, one space between paragraphs)

The AHP Newsgroup is a great service to all as it provides news to not only the membership but also the equine community via re-publishing and sharing online. If you have any questions about submitting a press release to the AHP Newsgroup, contact Chris at ahorsepubs@aol.com.

Beginning Feb. 1, 2012, all membership dues will increase by 10%. Members can renew for 2012 at the current rates until Jan. 31, 2012. After that date, dues will be at the new rates.  

Former digital publication/website members should take note that these categories have been restructured to a digital media membership with dues based on average unique visitors. Digital Media members are 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. 

Renewal notices have been mailed to all members. If you have not received your dues notice or have questions about your membership, please contact Chris at ahorsepubs@aol.com.  

6 Ways Small Businesses Can Win With Facebook

By Jim Belosic

October 20, 2011

Are you seeking a bigger Facebook presence, but have a small budget? You may see your small business efforts on Facebook like David compared to the Goliath presence big businesses enjoy.

There's a lot that small businesses can learn from the way big businesses approach Facebook, but the separation between your little company and international corporations isn't as vast as it may sometimes appear. In this article, I'll show you six ways you can model your efforts after the successful campaigns run by big businesses, and some ways you can even get a leg up on the big guys.

READ MORE

Like reading these posts from Social Media Examiner? Then sign up at http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/subscribe/  to get original Social Media Examiner content sent straight to your email inbox for free. As a subscriber, you will also have an opportunity to download free tutorial videos and e-books such as:

* Free eBook: How to Get Leads With LinkedIn

* Free Video: Step-by-Step Guide to Google Analytics

* Free eBook: How to Master Facebook Marketing in 10 Days

* Free eBook (NEW): Using Facebook for Leads & Traffic

Carl Landau, Grand Poobah at Niche Media, Shares His Ultimate Ad Sales Training Movie, "The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful."

Carl breaks down the "greatest call" and the "worst call" ever into 12 scenes on everything from researching your prospect to the close. It's incredibly funny and poignant all at the same time.

The Niche Magazine Conference is scheduled for February 27-28 in Nashville. This is the ONE EVENT for your entire revenue-generating team. For more information, http://www.nicheconference.com/

WATCH VIDEO (18 mins.)