Harnesslink Launches a Blogosphere

Our friends at Harnesslink.com are at it again. They care about racing there, that's for sure, and they are launching a new site to get bloggers energized. From a press release today:

New Media Hopes to Breath Life Into Old Sporting Establishment

Harnesslink has developed a blogging platform appropriately named Harness Racing Blog (http://www.harnessracingblog.com) which allows anybody to voice there opinions by creating a blog. A blog is simply an online diary which enables any person to communicate online.

Harnesslink hopes its new initiative will empower supporters and help to spread new ideas in the slow-paced industry.

Once commanding crowds of thousands, in recent years many racetracks have experienced deteriorating visitor numbers, betting and general enthusiasm.

Problems are prolific; competition from other spheres is one major hurdle. Internet poker has pilfered many customers, and marketing successes in comparatively new sports like Nascar have taken their toll.

Harnesslink editor Matt Smith, a New Zealander, is perplexed.

“If people can sit all day and watch cars go round a track, surely someone can come up with a way to make harness racing more appealing to the general public.”

One early adopter is Kimberly Rinker, herself a journalist and winner of the prestigious 2007 Hervey Award which honours the best of harness racing journalism. On her blog, Rinker says she aims to present viewpoints and notations from a variety of guest journalists from the North American harness racing community.

Smith hopes many will follow in Rinker’s initiative.

“There are an amazing number of intelligent and passionate fans out there who feel something needs to change, but who feel silenced by those in control. We want to give them a voice,” he said.

I was like most of you, I sat silent as I watched this industry sink faster than my betting bankroll in a snowstorm. I don't know if I am doing much here, but I let my feelings be known. It's a start. Harnesslink is allowing everyone to become involved in a quick, easy way. Those of us in the business realize it is a tightly knit one; this just tightens it even more.

If you are at all interested in getting a blog going, pop over to harnessracingblog.com and light er up!

Note: Kentucky has passed casino legislation, but racetracks are not guaranteed a license.

Imagine if the racing community went to the table during this legislation and said "we are going to have the World Harness Championships at the Red Mile and sink a pile of money into making Lexington a tourist destination for thousands." I bet they would have been welcomed with open arms.

Nah, that would be a dumb idea, wouldn't it. After all, everyone said it could not be done ;)