Who says it isn’t any fun to be a blogger? I’ve been at this long enough that I recall getting frustrated every time someone would ask, “What’s a blog?” That’s water under the bridge. Now the question is, “Who’s got the best blog?”

Many of you know that Skinny Moose Media runs a network for bloggers. With a focus on hunting, fishing, trapping, outdoor recreation, environment, etc., Skinny Moose will provide those interested in becoming and/or sharing their writing adventures a free platform on which to get that done. However, Skinny Moose blog network isn’t just your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill free blogging platform.

Aside from having the opportunity to link up with the largest outdoor oriented blogging network on the Web, bloggers will receive a customized website, tech support and many other amenities no other network offers. The more successful your blog becomes, the more the benefits pile up.

Dan “Moose” McLaughlin, owner and administrator of his Skinny Moose Media blog, “Moose Droppings“, has been with Skinny Moose Media since very early on in its inception. Dan has been earmarked by RAM Trucks to test out a brand spanking new RAM Outdoorsman model of truck for two weeks.

Dan had some concerns about how he might use the truck but was reassured by RAM Trucks that they want him to use the truck as he would any other truck. McLaughlin is headed east from his home in North Carolina and will be hooking up with an outfitting and guide company. That might provide some tests for the RAM.

Needless to say, Dan is thrilled to have been selected by the RAM Truck promotional company. In response to this opportunity, McLaughlin says, “There is no doubt my association with Skinny Moose has given me the creditability to get this opportunity.”

There is no doubt that Skinny Moose helped launch “Moose” and his web site and while Skinny Moose provides writers with many opportunities, it is the dedicated, hard work of the individual that renders this kind of attention and success.

Skinny Moose Media CEO Steven Remington heaped praise and recognition on McLaughlin’s work saying, “At Skinny Moose our goal has always been to provide a cutting edge, support driven platform for writers like Dan to excel and reach their writing goals but it is ultimately the effort of the individual that reaps the rewards.”

As part of Dan’s test drive, he and RAM Trucks are running a contest. Prizes include $100 gas gift card, gift cards to Gander Mountain and Ram Truck Gift Packs. Visit his site for rules and how to become eligible.

Now the fun begins and it can for readers too. Participant in “Moose’s” contest and keep track of where he goes and what he does with this RAM Truck. And if you think this is pretty cool, consider your blogging opportunities with Skinny Moose Media.

As many of you know, I began blogging over five years ago with posts totaling well over 8,000. I own and actively post on no fewer than seven blogs on a daily basis. Where has the time gone. I began blogging because I liked to write and I had a lot to say. The rest is history as they say.

I also happen to blog for Skinny Moose Media, which I am half owner of. For those familiar with Skinny Moose Media, you might think our entire focus is on hunting, fishing and outdoor activities. While those genres have certainly been much of the meat and potatoes of the Network, Skinny Moose does want to expand out and include many other fields of expertise – politics, sports, cooking, religion, health, movies, music, etc.

This is your chance to get active in what you enjoy being a part of. Share yourself with others. Tell them what you know or what your opinions are. It’s easy really and can be loads of fun. It can also open up doors of opportunity you might never dream of. What makes blogging interesting is you get out of it what you put into it. Become an authority in you field or just have fun. It’s up to you.

Simply put, here’s how it works. Skinny Moose Media will provide you a website. We’ll assist you with technical help and even assist you in naming your blog, as well as create a banner to place at the top if you wish. All of this and more at no expense to you. As a matter of fact, we’ll give you a chance to put a couple dollars in your pocket if that’s something that might interest you.

We’re not just another free bloggers’ site. You don’t register and are left out on your own wondering what to do next. We keep it personal and care about what you do. Our customer service is unprecedented.

If you would like to learn more about blogging for Skinny Moose Media, click this link and soon you can be on your way. You may aspire to be a Pulitzer Prize winner or maybe just to share thoughts, photos and ideas with friends, family or business associates. Some of our bloggers have realized wonderful opportunities as their horizons expand.

You can achieve what you wish as a writer/blogger/citizen journalist. We’ll provide you with the platform, you achieve your dreams. Click this link to learn more and to begin a journey into the blogosphere.

Tom Remington

August 18, 2009 – Skinny Moose Media launched its weekly newsletter ‘The Skinny’ on Tuesday as a new medium to inform the public in regards to industry news, new products, and special deals. With a handful of informed bloggers, Skinny Moose Media will be turning to their writers for help. “Our writers are always posting about the latest news and the newsletter will not only keep people informed but will assist in promoting our individual bloggers in the Network,” Steve Remington, President of the media company, said.

The newsletter has a strong concentration in the outdoor and recreational industry, especially hunting, fishing, shooting, and conservative politics but the Network is expanding their Internet presence every day. Signing up is simple. Browse to skinnymoose.com and fill in your name and email address in the form.

Tom Remington

I am going to attempt to live-blog this tele-townhall meeting. If you are following along, you will have to refresh your browser occasionally to get the updates as I add them.

I am waiting for the phone call.

If I get to ask a question, my planned question will be: “Sonia Sotomayor has demonstrated that she doesn’t believe the Second Amendment applies to the states or cities within those states. Shouldn’t every American be asking, if she believes this then she probably doesn’t think the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and even the Declaration of Independence pertain to the states either?

I’m logging on now.

*We are discussing Sonia Sotomayor and whether she is the best qualified for this job.

*Jim Demint is going to make a statement about the process of selecting a Supreme Court Justice nominee

*It appears I will get to ask my question.

*Sen. Demint says Sotomayor is evasive in answering direct questions. She wouldn’t answer questions about hate crimes, abortion. Demint says Sotomayor told him that she had never thought about whether children had rights.

* Ed Meese said that if Congress has made laws contrary to the Constitution they need to be overturned, AMEN!

*A caller wants to know why oaths of office are taken so lightly today?
Meese says more emphasis needs to be put on oaths with a reminder to those taking them what they mean.

*Another caller eludes to the fact that Sotomayor may not even be a credible candidate.
Seems that Sotomayor is saying she hasn’t read briefs or it’s a put off.

Public can get involved in process by contacting their Congressmen, Senators, etc.

*Judicial Temperament? Sotomayor only judge in Second Circuit to receive negative comments from her peers. Great question and great enlightenment.

*Caller wants to know if Sotomayor hasn’t thought about rights of children, does she understand the Constitution?

*Demint thinks Sotomayor has opened a can of worms about the Second Amendment

*Demint says the people need to speak up and say “enough is enough”! We need to get back to operating within the Constitution.
Meese – Our country is in greater danger today from within.

*Demint has left. We are now asking questions of Ed Meese

Over 250 questions, I guess I must have been too far down the cue to get my question asked.

Well organized tele-townhall. Better than some I have participated in.

My thoughts on this townhall is the information we got from the caller who enlightened us about Sotomayor’s negative comments from her peers at the Second Court of Appeals. The only judge to receive negative comments. That says something about the person.

Moose Droppings has the complete story!

Tom Remington

Mark your calendars! June 18th, 2009 will be the annual drawing for the Maine Moose Lottery. This year 3,015 permits will be drawn and as is usually the case thousands of applicants keep their fingers crossed in hopes of being one of the lucky ones.

This year’s event will be held at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and as last year, Skinny Moose Media, in conjunction with U.S. Hunting Today and Maine Hunting Today, will live-stream the video and audio of the event.

Tom Remington, Vice President of Skinny Moose Media, LLC, author of the Black Bear Blog and Managing Editor of U.S. Hunting Today and Maine Hunting Today, will be on hand at the show to conduct interviews and do the filming of the event. He will have his long time friend and Chief Photographer for Skinny Moose Media, Milt Inman with him to assist and grab tons of candid shots throughout the day and evening.

Drawing of names will commence at 6 p.m. It is hoped that things will be set up and video streaming by 4 p.m. that same day. Once the drawing begins, there are no planned interruptions to the streaming.

Last year’s event was held at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine and there were over 6,000 who logged onto to the Black Bear Blog to watch and listen to names being drawn.

Obviously if you can find your way clear to make the trip to Fort Kent and the University of Maine, it will prove to be a great time. It is the intention of Skinny Moose Media to provide a service to the hunters in Maine and beyond who can’t be there in person but would like to watch.

On the day of the Maine Moose Lottery drawing, those wishing to view the event can log onto the Black Bear Blog. Immediately on the home page will be a link to follow that will take you directly to the video player and live streaming.

If all goes as planned, the “live chat” function of the video player will be open for hunters to interact among themselves or to ask Tom questions, providing he isn’t too busy. You will not need to register to use the chat function or to view the audio.

For those interested, Skinny Moose Media still has some advertising space available on the video player page for that event. This proves to be one of the most highly visible pages during this event. If you are interested, please contact Skinny Moose Media.

This year’s broadcast is being sponsored by the Allagash Sporting Camps in Allagash, Maine.

Tom Remington

As most of you know, I am half owner with my son of Skinny Moose Media, LLC. Our business is a multi-faceted Internet media business. Most of you know me from my blogging. I’d like to take this opportunity to extend an invitation to anyone who might be interested in joining our Skinny Moose Media Forums and discuss just about any topic that might be of interest to you.

As you know most of what I write here is political but focused mostly on hunting, fishing, trapping, the environment, Endangered Species Act, etc. Most of you enjoy reading that but have other interests as well.

The Skinny Moose Forums are open to anyone for a limited time, so act now. We are prompting all our bloggers within the Skinny Moose Media Network to join in discussions as well as post up current information and links to their own articles. This should provide a more interactive medium for readers to find information and also participate in discussions of current events as well as posting your own.

It is the intent of Skinny Moose Media, LLC. to make the forums available to anyone interested. However, we will only have registration open at specified intervals in order to drastically reduce the spam that comes from our world of losers who don’t have a life.

If registration is closed, please contact me via this blog and I’ll make arrangement. Please take the time to sign up and invite your friends as well. Once registration is closed, I’ll put up a notice when registration will open again.

To register and get started, click this link.

Note: The forums are being constructed. We have plenty of forums topics and will expand as demand is calling for it. You are welcomed to suggest a forum category.

Tom Remington

I’ve been messing around with our new Skinny Moose Television. From this media, I will bring you live broadcasts of “Open Air With Tom Remington”. With this new format, I can stream video 24/7. I’ve put together about 12 short videos for you entertainment. Here’s the link to watch.

If you have video that you have rights to or is in the public domain that you think I could add to the lineup, send me a link. I can get video from YouTube or anywhere I can get a URL for it.

I hope you enjoy this.

*Update* You can now just click on the player to the right and watch it. The link provided above give a larger screen or you can click on a tab on the player for full screen format.

Tom Remington

Marshall, Desert Rat, had the opportunity to interview rocker Ted Nugent the other day. Check it out!

Tom Remington

While I was busy interviewing and pounding away on my laptop keyboard trying to improve audio quality and keep the streaming going to over a thousand viewers, Milt Inman and his son Gregg Inman were just as busy behind the scenes. Milt was taking pictures, keeping people from in front of the camera lens, etc., while Gregg passed out decals, helped with set-up and technology difficulties and made some in-roads with fellow media experts.

All of the photos shown below are those of Milt Inman, Chief Photographer for Skinny Moose Media.

A sampling of some of the crowd of an estimated 600 in attendance at the 2008 Maine Moose Lottery drawing hosted by the Kittery Trading Post.

We were given a great spot to set up. Our operation stood out among all the media present for the event. As you can see, we had our own table right up front next to the main table where Emcee Regis Tremblay, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, was and guest readers announced the names of around 3,000 lucky recipients of a Maine moose permit. That is Milt with his back to you standing in front of me banging away on the laptop.

I would also like to point out that during the event we had over 6,000 page views on the Skinny Moose Media site where viewers could go and watch. I also had the same video viewer loaded on to several other sites of which I don’t have all the statistics for. At one time we had over 400 viewers on at once. With over 6,000 page views that results in several hundred and into the thousands of individual viewers who tuned in to see what was going on.

In the picture from left to right are: Chris Cobbett of Northwoods Adventures TV, I’m in the middle holding the microphone, Nate Fenderson of Northwoods Adventures TV and in the front middle is Nate Fenderson’s son, who was hoping against all hope that his name would be drawn. He was disappointed as were thousands of others.

Nate and Chris can be found traveling North America on hunting trips and filming it to be played on their cable channel’s show, Northwoods Adventures TV. Both Nate and Chris have a blog site with Skinny Moose Media. They had their own booth set up outside the tent and I got them to rush over and do an interview just before the drawing of names began.

Gregg Inman is on your right. When not running for me, Gregg had a chance to chat with another media member from WCXU Radio up in “The County” – Aroostook County in Northern Maine for those who may not know. I apologize that I do not have the name of the guy sitting with Gregg. It seems they enjoyed each other’s company as I saw them laughing quite a bit at comments made between the two of them.

I also had a chance to interview Michael J. Witte. Michael is a member of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council. The Advisory Council works as a liaison between IFW and the citizens across the state. One thing they are very active in is landowner relationships.

It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. We hope that we can cover next year’s drawing which will be held in Fort Kent, “The County”!

Tom Remington