Poll - Be Heard at HTA/TRA Conference - Your Involvement Social Networking Sites

[ALostTexan]

Next week I am speaking on a panel discussion at the HTA/TRA Congress in Las Vegas. The topic is Web 2.0 and Social Networking Phenomena.

I feel that while Facebook and MySpace do play a roll in this for racing, message forums such as PaceAdvantage play an even bigger role.

I am running this poll to see where users, who are already dedicated enough to log onto a racing message board, stand on their usage of other social networking sites.

Please vote on this, for I think that the results, while no scientific, should be discussed at the meeting net week.

[ALostTexan]

Oh yeah, comments would be helpful, too, if you have anything about your experience on either Message Forums or the social networking sites....

[HUSKER55]

I have always had good luck with them. If you run into a problem someone has been there and done that. You can find out where mistakes were made and how to avoid them. You can also find out which avenues to research that match your style.

If you are taking a trip there is always someone to give you advise which is great.

[BUD]

West Point T Breds sent me an Email and wanted me to do a Face Something?---I don't know what it is and how it can help---If it can---Somebody of trust please explain it and away we go-------

But excuse the Abbr WTF is this

My space----Facebook?

OK Explain.. And how the industry and the bettor benefits? then you know me I will help out and do my share that I am able to--

[ALostTexan]

I have always had good luck with them. If you run into a problem someone has been there and done that. You can find out where mistakes were made and how to avoid them. You can also find out which avenues to research that match your style.

If you are taking a trip there is always someone to give you advise which is great.

So, is this in relation to discussions on Message Forums like PaceAdvantage?

[BombsAway Bob]

I have over 150 "Racing Friends" on My MySpace. It allows me to post widgets on "HANA-Blog", Steve Crist & Dan Illman's DRF Blogs, a "Countdown to Opening Day @ Saratoga" ticker, photos, & more. Folks have been bugging me to add a "FaceBook" account, but, with this Face? :blush:

[ALostTexan]

I have over 150 "Racing Friends" on My MySpace. It allows me to post widgets on "HANA-Blog", Steve Crist & Dan Illman's DRF Blogs, a "Countdown to Opening Day @ Saratoga" ticker, photos, & more. Folks have been bugging me to add a "FaceBook" account, but, with this Face? :blush:

Very cool. Glad you are finding these new types of technology useful.

I myself use Facebook, but only for personal stuff and try to keep racing stuff separate. I have a MySpace account, but don't really use it - just never could get into it like I do the Message Forums.

Thanks for your input.

[BUD]

I have over 150 "Racing Friends" on My MySpace. It allows me to post widgets on "HANA-Blog", Steve Crist & Dan Illman's DRF Blogs, a "Countdown to Opening Day @ Saratoga" ticker, photos, & more. Folks have been bugging me to add a "FaceBook" account, but, with this Face? :blush:

Wt...F is a widget-----Am I missing something? Bob aren't you on MySpace?

Serious Question...I would like to be involved---But Being the old me for so long I am adjusting at being the technocrat me off today.

Now I feel like I am missing a WHOLE new cool world of racing.... Gowd Im a idiot!!

[Dan H]

I voted No, never will.

I believe social networking among horse players remains a purely personal choice. Some folks network socially at Siro's. Some meet early in the Bing Crosby room at Del Mar. Some use the War Room at Pace Advantage. Some network alone and ask for divine handicapping guidance in church. And then there are those who reject all forms of social networking - we've all seen these guys at the track or OTB.

It all depends on what you're after (free picks, bragging space, e-friends).

I first networked at PA for the help and advice freely offered by so many experienced players. I now visit PA for the icy cold truth about horseracing and the curmudgeonly spirit. Even if you could capture the same content as PA on a Facbook or MySpace space, I doubt it would be enough. But I was wrong about the Internet (that had no purpose), Pet Rocks (that would never sell), and the Beatles (mop tops?).

Now, if you could post tomorrow's Sports Page today on Facebook, sign me up.

[MIplayer]

ALostTexan,

Forums like PA are much more useful for handicappers and racing enthusiasts than social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Sure, social networking can help recruit new fans and get the word out, but the interactivity on these sites is incomparable to forums and message boards. All these sites can do is keep fans connected with each other and various groups. These sites are just a way for people to meet up with friends, acquaintances and peers. Twitter might be a more useful platform because it allows users to interact in an efficient, albeit brief manner, but it is still incomparable to forums.

Just because PA trumps MySpace (in terms of what it can offer the racing public) doesn’t mean social networking sites should be ignored by the industry. Here’s my opinion: Racing screwed up big time when it ignored the importance of television back in the day. This gave other sports like football an edge. Right now, racing needs to embrace and further incorporate technology into every aspect of the sport. Racing has an edge right now because it is one of the few ways to gamble online legally in many states. This edge will disintegrate as soon as laws change and other forms of gambling become legal online as well. The future of horse racing is technology. The sooner the industry acts the better it will be for everyone.

[BombsAway Bob]

Wt...F is a widget-----Am I missing something? Bob aren't you on MySpace?
Serious Question...I would like to be involved---But Being the old me for so long I am adjusting at being the technocrat me off today.
Now I feel like I am missing a WHOLE new cool world of racing.... Gowd Im a idiot!!
Bud, I have no idea how it works or how they named it, but a "Widget" is a program that you insert into your webpage. I have them for HANA & the DRF Blogs of Dan & Steve. It's like a headline page for their columns, & when a person clicks on them, the column the headline promotes pops up on your computer. You don't have to surf from website to website to get the story.
My Myspace link is at the bottom of my posts here. just click on my myspace URL & you'll be sent to a magical place...:faint:

[miesque]

I may be in the minority, but I have less then no interest in being on Myspace (or Facebook) and I would never use an avenue such Myspace or Facebook to do any networking of any kind and I certainly would not use that venue for any horse racing info or contacts. About a week ago I got chided by an old friend from college who was trying to hunt me down before finally tracking me down at my office for not being on Facebook and that it was hard to find me as a result. I responded that she did in fact end up tracking me down hence illustrating that I did not need to be on Facebook since anyone who knows me has the requisite information to track me down since my name has not changed and I have been living in the same area as I have since college and I am not out looking for random people to talk to.

[Imriledup]

No interest in myspace or facebook or anything like that.

[rrbauer]

Will it imiprove my ROI?

[JustRalph]

This board hasn't been around since PA was in diapers for nothing................ :ThmbUp:

Hate the Facebooks of the world.........pages are too overbearing and cluttered.........too busy!

I just want to run into facebook and yell.....

"Get the Hell outta my yard" :ThmbUp:

[toussaud]

I build websites for a living (black17media.com) and I am actually in the process of creating a true horse racing social networking site. I've been working on the framework of the site for 2 months now in my spare time but I have not devised a name for the site yet, i'm open to suggestions :)

Becuase this is as good a place as any to ask, and I'd be stupid not to, what are some of the things if you were creating a social networking site from the ground up, and you could program it to do anything horse racing related, what would you do? updates of your favoriate horses on your horses, trainers and jockies on your launch page? I have some things that I am keeping secret that I think will be unique to anything that has been presented yet, but at th same time I don't have a monopoly on good ideas.

[Hajck Hillstrom]

...I guess if you snooze, you lose.

[PaceAdvantage]

The conference is this week...it may have started already...