Thursday, December 03, 2009

Group Dynamics

As 2009 winds down, there is so much to consider. It's easy enough to let the holiday madness swallow me up, but more often than not I find my thoughts turning to...dogs of course! I have to admit that being immersed in dog culture - the blogs, the people, the dogs themselves - is completely addictive. I simply can't get enough.

That said, many of you have heard me espouse the virtues of  Facebook more than once. I'm a big fan. I love visiting blogs and catching snippets of what is happening with our friends. But there is only so much one can make room for in a blog post, and it's impossible to find time to track down hundreds of bloggers individually to have meaningful conversations that go beyond what we are able to convey in comments. In other words, it's not easy getting to know all of these fantastic people that we visit hundreds of times each year. That sucks.





Of course, many of you have been on Facebook for some time or have found it in the last year. It's been so much fun to see some of our blogging friends joining and getting completely hooked. In some cases, it would seem that blogging has actually taken a back seat to Facebook interaction. There are so many dogs and dog lovers that you can lose yourself for days just taking it all in. It's tremendous fun. What impresses me most is the sense of community. It is not uncommon to see dog lovers unite for the sake of causes, and to see such acts of kindness on a daily basis is inspiring beyond description.






I'll stop flogging this and get to the point. As much as I love blogging, there is no substitute for interacting with the great people behind the blogs. It has been a privilege getting to know so many of you this year, and in an effort to facilitate more (and better) interaction between us, I have developed a new Dog Bloggers group here. If you are on Facebook and are not comfortable connecting your personal profile to those of us you do not know, this group will allow for dynamic interaction while letting you decide what level of privacy you wish to maintain. In other words, you don't have to connect to my profile.

Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief. I'm well aware of the fact that I'm considered by many to be a nut job. : p

In addition to social interaction, the new groups plus platform is great. It is adware free, virus free, and feature rich. There is a calendar for group members to add events to - anything you like. Fundraisers, reunions, dog birthdays...you name it. There is a poll generator, so we can tap in to group opinions for important issues. Files can be uploaded. Find a great dog related resource in a PDF? Just upload it! The same goes for links, pictures and videos. There is a discussion forum and the ability to PM other members as well.






So why join? Well, for starters, seventy or so of us have done so in the past two days alone. My expectation is that this group will be robust and relevant. In addition to being able to communicate on an entirely different level, there is another giant benefit: exposure. I invite you to "pimp your blog" so to speak. In other words, the art of shameless self promotion is appreciated. That's what the wall is for. If you have a post that you are dying to share, or happen across something you think the rest of us should see, this is the perfect place to shout about it. Another benefit: the group is now listed in the Facebook directory, so more Facebook members will find it as they search for dog groups.

There are millions of dog lovers on Facebook, and many of them are dog blog readers. This is a great place for them to discover you. Join us as we usher in 2010 with a few new tricks up our proverbial sleeves. I'll do my best to promote the group, create an exciting environment, help you with blogging questions, and get you more readers. The rest is in your paws.

Photobucket

34 comments:

  1. What an excellent idea and I wish you great success! My human, K, is not on Facebook. I think she is one of the few humans on Earth that just has no interest in it. Plus, she barely has time to help me blog (hence, the sporadic posts at my blog) so I highly doubt she would have time to Facebook. But I will keep pawing her about it. Who knows! Anyway, good luck!

    Suka

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, she pimps me whenever she khan!

    My pantyloons must sell -

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for creating the group - already fun to be there (though this work week has limited my FB time!).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh no, not us. We are still moving ever so slowly into the 21st century. Momma is finally getting blackberry and she says that is enough new technology for a while.

    Slobbers,
    Mango

    ReplyDelete
  5. TQ, I will visit as I do have an account for the princess. I still don't know why I joined FB when I'm hardly there and have little interest to visit.

    chikisses
    coco

    ReplyDelete
  6. Woof! Will Definitely check it out and JOIN! Thanks for creating the group. YES! My family and I are overwhelmed with all the social networking and blogging ... but at the same time it is FUN and great way to meet other dogs and dog lovers. Appreciate very much the privacy level concern. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

    ReplyDelete
  7. Another addiction??? Where will I find the time???

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought it was a brilliant idea when I first saw it on Facebook and I am surprised nobody thought of it before! You did good!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good luck on your new venture! The Duchess is on facebook and really does not care for it. So, hopefully you will still come visit us sometimes in bloggie land!

    Kisses,

    Emma Rose

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thaks for letting us know about the page! I've already joined, and I'm looking forward to it!!

    Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  11. It was a great idea. Good luck and thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Best of Luck with your new venue. I am not on Facebook or Twitter. Not allowed to leave my BlogYard. I guess my mom and Mango's are pretty much alike on this issue. Why fix what ain't broken is what mom says.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just joined up, my wacky pals!!! You never back away from the cutting edge of an idea - one of the things that makes you great! "Like."
    xo Sammie

    ReplyDelete
  14. Excellent! Once again, NB, you da man ... er, make that top dog.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nutjob? Heck yeah you're a nutjob! You'd have never kept my attention if you hadn'ta been!

    Great idea, LWD. I am SO there!
    Chester ;0=)

    ReplyDelete
  16. This was SUCH a great idea, Nigel! I'm a neophyte at both FB and blogging, and I'm learning a lot from following bloggers like you.

    This resource has also introduced me to a number of other excellent blogs out there. Who knew there were so many dog blogs?!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I did. ;)

    Thanks for joining!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm on my way Dude...thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a great idea! I have been dragging my feet to put up a "dory~bilbo profile", but you just gave me a great reason!! Here we go....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Very cool! Old Girl has joined up with the group but hasn't had time to explore yet. Looking forward to being involved with this!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I hope this doesn't mean you're giving up the LWD blog....

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great Idea and ARRROOOO as Rory would cry. If he ran a blog, we'd be there for sure! Best wishes to all of those wonderful bloggers there.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I hope this doesnt mean you wont be sending your Nigel antics to us anymore. I dont think I can live without them!
    woofs and licks to u Nigel

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh no, please do not misunderstand - this is purely supplemental, and is not intended to replace anything! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I joined!

    http://sweetsadiethecorgi.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  26. WHooHoo!! You Totally ROCK!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Methinks I should join. You are so great at bringing people together!

    ReplyDelete
  28. thats a great idea. i'll be joining it now! =) thanks for doing all these, for the dog lovers and for the dogs themselves.

    love, snowie and family

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm in! But I'm not much for pimping. Will you settle for lurking?

    ReplyDelete
  30. As much as I love new technology, I'm still a Facebook holdout. Hard enough keeping a blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. It sounds like a wonderful idea but we also are not on Facebook and Mom is having a very hard time convincing herself to go there. We hope we can still see you in blogger land when you can.

    Happy weekend, the OP Pack

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm really enjoying getting to know you people. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. I'm still resisting FB, blogging is enough for me. Sounds a good idea though.

    ReplyDelete
  34. What a fantastic idea Neil! :) :) My blog may not be dog-specific, but as you well know, I'm a big dog lover and love all my bloggy and FB doggy friends!

    I'm on my way to join up.

    ReplyDelete