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The Irish Greyhound Skillnet is constantly reviewing its approach toward keeping its members informed. As a function of this role, we've started both blog and Twitter accounts. Many who read this will already be very familiar with both modes of social media, regularly availing of each for numerous reasons. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to become involved with either service, rest assured that they're easy, completely free and offer new levels of dynamic interaction amongst like-minded people.

What's a "blog"?

The term blog is simply a contraction of "weblog". Think of it as being a bit like an online diary of sorts, except that its geared toward reaching as many people as possible. Blogs are usually very public places. Although their upkeep usually stems from one or two people, many people can keep their own blogs and link to each others, thereby forming networks of people with similar interests. Today, blogs and replacing many fully-fledged websites. They're very easy to set up and maintain, are generally free, are versatile enough to include text, pictures, music and movies, and don't require any software (other than a web browser) or training. They're convenient, flexible and viewable on any computer in the world.

How will the Irish Greyhound Skillnet blog help me?

More than being a continuing record of one person's opinions or experiences, blogs offer a unique web presence that can be moulded to fit virtually any group philosophy or ongoing dialogue. It is our hope that members of the Irish Greyhound Skillnet will consider using our blog in a variety of useful ways. We shall be updated its entries regularly, often several times per week. It will allow our staff to communicate information regarding events and skillnet news, but also function as a general conduit through which we can respond directly to your needs or interests. Remember: the Greyhound Skillnet represents the sum total knowledge and experience of all its members. This includes owners, breeders, veterinary surgeons, track officials and staff, and experts from every facet of the greyhound racing industry. If you have a question, we can get you the answer.

Why not just have a discussion forum on www.greyhoundskillnet.com?

Some of you may remember the Skillnet experimenting with an online forum, very early in its inception. Member forums are wonderful places for people to share knowledge and make new contacts, within their chosen fields of interest. Regrettably, the Greyhound Skillnet forum had to be closed for three main reasons.

(1) The discussion forum rapidly became a "Dogs For Sale" forum.
(2) The discussion forum often turned into an argument forum. As this is a G-rated website, heated debate and the use of profanities required many posts to be removed.
(3) Any good online forums require continual moderation and monitoring. Our staff were spending more and more time keeping track of online topics and although user participation was high, time constraints made its upkeep very difficult.

We are considering the possibility of offering online discussion forums in the future, once again. Our previous experiences meant we learnt a great deal and several feasible models for more audience participation remain open to us. We'll keep you posted.

Visit our blog at: http://greyhoundskillnet.wordpress.com/

Why not bookmark the page whilst you're there? It's early days, however we remain optimistic that - if members choose to get behind the initiative - it will e transformed into an enjoyable and informative service, of interest to all within and external to the Irish Greyhound Skillnet. If you'd like to see any issue addressed or query answered, contact Grainne Lynch at grainne@greyhoundskillnet.com. Your messages can be submitted anonymously or alternatively, you can request to have your own letters or articles published in the blog. It's just another service that remains at your disposal; please do avail of it wisely.


		_______Visit our blog: http://greyhoundskillnet.wordpress.com/ The Irish Greyhound Skillnet is constantly reviewing its approach toward keeping its members informed. As a function of this role, we've started both blog and Twitter accounts. Many who read this will already be very familiar with both modes of social media, regularly availing of each for numerous reasons. For those who have not yet had the opportunity to become involved with either service, rest assured that they're easy, completely free and offer new levels of dynamic interaction amongst like-minded people. What's a "blog"? The term blog is simply a contraction of "weblog". Think of it as being a bit like an online diary of sorts, except that its geared toward reaching as many people as possible. Blogs are usually very public places. Although their upkeep usually stems from one or two people, many people can keep their own blogs and link to each others, thereby forming networks of people with similar interests. Today, blogs and replacing many fully-fledged websites. They're very easy to set up and maintain, are generally free, are versatile enough to include text, pictures, music and movies, and don't require any software (other than a web browser) or training. They're convenient, flexible and viewable on any computer in the world. How will the Irish Greyhound Skillnet blog help me? More than being a continuing record of one person's opinions or experiences, blogs offer a unique web presence that can be moulded to fit virtually any group philosophy or ongoing dialogue. It is our hope that members of the Irish Greyhound Skillnet will consider using our blog in a variety of useful ways. We shall be updated its entries regularly, often several times per week. It will allow our staff to communicate information regarding events and skillnet news, but also function as a general conduit through which we can respond directly to your needs or interests. Remember: the Greyhound Skillnet represents the sum total knowledge and experience of all its members. This includes owners, breeders, veterinary surgeons, track officials and staff, and experts from every facet of the greyhound racing industry. If you have a question, we can get you the answer. Why not just have a discussion forum on www.greyhoundskillnet.com? Some of you may remember the Skillnet experimenting with an online forum, very early in its inception. Member forums are wonderful places for people to share knowledge and make new contacts, within their chosen fields of interest. Regrettably, the Greyhound Skillnet forum had to be closed for three main reasons. (1) The discussion forum rapidly became a "Dogs For Sale" forum. (2) The discussion forum often turned into an argument forum. As this is a G-rated website, heated debate and the use of profanities required many posts to be removed. (3) Any good online forums require continual moderation and monitoring. Our staff were spending more and more time keeping track of online topics and although user participation was high, time constraints made its upkeep very difficult. We are considering the possibility of offering online discussion forums in the future, once again. Our previous experiences meant we learnt a great deal and several feasible models for more audience participation remain open to us. We'll keep you posted. Visit our blog at: http://greyhoundskillnet.wordpress.com/ Why not bookmark the page whilst you're there? It's early days, however we remain optimistic that - if members choose to get behind the initiative - it will e transformed into an enjoyable and informative service, of interest to all within and external to the Irish Greyhound Skillnet. If you'd like to see any issue addressed or query answered, contact Grainne Lynch at grainne@greyhoundskillnet.com. Your messages can be submitted anonymously or alternatively, you can request to have your own letters or articles published in the blog. It's just another service that remains at your disposal; please do avail of it wisely.