In Nova Scotia - RFBA Members Harold & Wendy Nesbitt of Tour Guide Nova Scotia have announced their new App for IPhone.
You can download it for $4.99 in the Apple store. I have the press release in the Busted Knuckle for your reading enjoyment on Thursday morning so be sure to watch your in box.
In fact this coming paper is to me, a thing of beauty...I hope you enjoy it thoroughly....
If you haven't already done so, please white list my email addresses: bdbetty@gmail.com and bdbetty@beltdrivebetty.com - you white list someone by putting them in your contacts list or email phone book, this way you will never miss your news letter or the Busted Knuckle Chronicles newspaper if you subscribe.
Also in the "I got a gadget for you section"...Ulitmate Motorcycling has come out with an app for that... their magazine is available for down load for around $10 for the year.
Belt Drive Betty .com works well on Blackberry and Android and our new site, set to launch early January will be Ipad ready as well.
While I have qualified for grants to help me hire a web tech for the specific purpose of taking the paper to the next level, I have not found anyone yet who is interested and more importantly has the skills - YET. We'll get there. It would be faster and easier if I had a partner or win the lottery. Soon, one day really soon.
We have two ways for you to win tickets for two to the Toronto International Super Show January 7-8-9 2011...
The first way you can win tickets is by helping spread the word about Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles weekly newspaper.
The first person to have 5 friends register our web site (get them to put in the "How did you hear about us box" - Your Name)
Then for those who do not feel comfortable asking their friends to register on our site we are going to host a little trivia contest...so get ready!
The first person, every day for 3 a day period (beginning on Thursday) who can correctly answer the daily question will move to the final level of competition...
I will post the question right here in my blog...
On the final day, we will ask three questions and the that answers the most questions correctly will win the tickets. If there is a tie - we do have tie breaker questions at the ready!
Remember we will begin the Trivia Contest on Thursday morning....
There is not a whole ton in the news feeds today....
Bikes in the Fast Lane has a great article on choosing a bike to fit you.
Hot Bikes Baggers mag has the 2011 Victory Touring Lineup featured
In Ontario a member of the North Wall Riders Association popped the question at the airport after his tour in Afghanistan
I hope you have a spectacular day and remember....
Drive Safely...and if you are attending Christmas parties - PLEASE - PLAN your ride ahead of time.
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Monday, December 06, 2010
Counting the blessings....
I am one busy woman - working on average 16 hours a day - and I know I am not alone in putting in those kinds of hours - most small business people do.
The pay sucks but the fringe benefits - wow are they ever fantastic!
You see I have always been the kind of person who believes in the term "Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain" The thing hubby and I disagree on is how long is short term...
Short term to any small business person means - or to me anyway - a 5-10 year plan.
Being a rider in Northern Alberta we also define short term pain as WINTER or as I call it PMS - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.
When I asked two weeks ago if anything I do meant anything to anyone that reads this blog or uses our newspaper - it was to try and explain to my husband that - YES - Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles is becoming important to the riding community.
My husband who is a technophobe doesn't understand why I put in the hours I do or where I find my rewards - after yesterday I think that might have changed just a little.
There are two main ratings that a web site can garner that advertisers view as valuable outside of your traffic stats from your web server (we have 38,000 visitors using our site regularly now and 81% of you are Canadian.)
Google Rank, which is about HOW much traffic goes to your site and Alexa which is all about how people who have the Alexa tool bar interact with your site. Our Google Rank is a three - not great - about middle of the road - I need to work on back links to bring that ranking up - but I am more interested in how people use the site.... and that's where Alexa ranking comes in to play. Alexa ranks over 1 Million web sites daily.
Once a day I check how our web site and newspaper is received by you the riders.
I compare www.beltdrivebetty.com to 50 of the best web sites in the world that pertain to motorcycles (I do this while working the news feeds) and where do we fit in to the mix and I thought we were doing OK.
And now that I know about Alexa and how important their information is to advertisers - once a month I compare us to all of the rest of the motorcycle sites in the world.
(As I am making our 2011 Media Kits right now this is super valuable information to know and share.)
In the Motorcycle category on Alexa there are 2,198 web sites that are ranked.
Our humble little site is run by Alig8r Web Design, Sally - our calendar girl and Gator our Data entry assistant and of course myself - None of us, except Suzie are experts, we have no deep corporate pockets ....and yet...
Well - here is how we stack up:
Out of 2198 Motorcycle Related web sites that Alexa Ranks in the world our site is number 45! Our World wide ranking is 239, 295 best web site in the world which puts us close to being in the top 25% of ALL web sites in the ranking matrix.
Out of 73 Motorcycle Publication Web Sites that are rated by Alexa we are ranked 16th in the world
And in Canada we are ranked as the NUMBER ONE Motorcycle Publication Web Site and the 4,905 best web site in Canada!
That top ranking of our publication's web site are amongst the many blessings and rewards for the job we do!
From the Alexa Site:
Beltdrivebetty.com is ranked #239,295 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings, and it has been online since 2004. We estimate that 81% of this site's visitors are in Canada, where it has attained a traffic rank of 4,970. Beltdrivebetty.com's visitors view 28.0 unique pages each day on average. The site has a bounce rate of roughly 18% (i.e., 18% of visits consist of only one pageview).
Some of the other rewards are the people I interact with, helping others find the help or assistance they need, helping riding clubs to promote themselves, the friendships and business relationships that have come about and the purging of those that I thought had integrity and passion and did not!
And lastly - for me - the learning...man I have learned so much and continue to do so every day!
As I work at finding balance in my life, I give thanks for those who have believed in this venture - this community and preserving and celebrating our way of life.
You humble me...I feel so honored to have this "New" career - this new lease on life...
Over coming a handicap, finding a place to fit in, a job that fulfills me...
It's not always easy but it is always satisfying and rewarding.
So thank you to all of you who read our humble little publication, who interact and share with us, who share their stories and their communities with us...we are growing a national and international community - one rider, one business one event at a time!
I hope you will stick with us and see where this ride takes us!
I am giving away two tickets to the Toronto International Super Show in January to the first person who gets 5 of their friends to register on www.beltdrivebetty.com
Our Photo Contest Winner - Timothy Gordon from Ontario should have his Christmas cash soon for his winning photo which graces the home page of www.beltdrivebetty.com
Our 2011 version of the Beat the PMS Blues on line Show 'n' Shine is coming soon so dig out your pictures and get ready! Our Presenting Sponsor is Doran 360 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems - Read all about them here: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/index.php/latest-health-and-tech/336-contacts/7927-doran-360-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems
We also have event tickets, hotel stays and gift certificates from across the nation as prizes too!
I am stoked and excited cause there is NOTHING better in the winter when you can't ride than oogling and ogling other people's rides and planning future tweaks to your own!
As always I welcome your feed back and input - please join our discussion here in this blog, or on my personal Face Book page (Belt Drive Betty) or our Fan Page (Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles) or in the Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com - you need to register to post....
In the news over the weekend and into this morning:
In the UK they have discovered that when it comes to reselling motorcycles people are rolling the odometers back...and that there is some fraud happening..
Also in the UK a Harley shop is closing it's doors...
In Canada - Deeley Harley-Davidson has announced lower prices on their 2011 models
In Kamloops BC the Motorcycle Ride for Dad and Deeley Harley-Davidson gave away a motorcycle on the weekend
In the USA they discovered an unsettling thing about identity thieves that every consumer needs to know
And of course there are tons of new motorcycle reviews, Christmas ideas and product reviews including luggage and helmets and there are some great DVD and Book reviews.
I hope you have a FABULOUS day, a STELLAR week and remember
Drive Safely...and if you are attending Christmas parties - PLEASE - PLAN your ride ahead of time.
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
The pay sucks but the fringe benefits - wow are they ever fantastic!
You see I have always been the kind of person who believes in the term "Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain" The thing hubby and I disagree on is how long is short term...
Short term to any small business person means - or to me anyway - a 5-10 year plan.
Being a rider in Northern Alberta we also define short term pain as WINTER or as I call it PMS - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.
When I asked two weeks ago if anything I do meant anything to anyone that reads this blog or uses our newspaper - it was to try and explain to my husband that - YES - Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles is becoming important to the riding community.
My husband who is a technophobe doesn't understand why I put in the hours I do or where I find my rewards - after yesterday I think that might have changed just a little.
There are two main ratings that a web site can garner that advertisers view as valuable outside of your traffic stats from your web server (we have 38,000 visitors using our site regularly now and 81% of you are Canadian.)
Google Rank, which is about HOW much traffic goes to your site and Alexa which is all about how people who have the Alexa tool bar interact with your site. Our Google Rank is a three - not great - about middle of the road - I need to work on back links to bring that ranking up - but I am more interested in how people use the site.... and that's where Alexa ranking comes in to play. Alexa ranks over 1 Million web sites daily.
Once a day I check how our web site and newspaper is received by you the riders.
I compare www.beltdrivebetty.com to 50 of the best web sites in the world that pertain to motorcycles (I do this while working the news feeds) and where do we fit in to the mix and I thought we were doing OK.
And now that I know about Alexa and how important their information is to advertisers - once a month I compare us to all of the rest of the motorcycle sites in the world.
(As I am making our 2011 Media Kits right now this is super valuable information to know and share.)
In the Motorcycle category on Alexa there are 2,198 web sites that are ranked.
Our humble little site is run by Alig8r Web Design, Sally - our calendar girl and Gator our Data entry assistant and of course myself - None of us, except Suzie are experts, we have no deep corporate pockets ....and yet...
Well - here is how we stack up:
Out of 2198 Motorcycle Related web sites that Alexa Ranks in the world our site is number 45! Our World wide ranking is 239, 295 best web site in the world which puts us close to being in the top 25% of ALL web sites in the ranking matrix.
Out of 73 Motorcycle Publication Web Sites that are rated by Alexa we are ranked 16th in the world
And in Canada we are ranked as the NUMBER ONE Motorcycle Publication Web Site and the 4,905 best web site in Canada!
That top ranking of our publication's web site are amongst the many blessings and rewards for the job we do!
From the Alexa Site:
Beltdrivebetty.com is ranked #239,295 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings, and it has been online since 2004. We estimate that 81% of this site's visitors are in Canada, where it has attained a traffic rank of 4,970. Beltdrivebetty.com's visitors view 28.0 unique pages each day on average. The site has a bounce rate of roughly 18% (i.e., 18% of visits consist of only one pageview).
Some of the other rewards are the people I interact with, helping others find the help or assistance they need, helping riding clubs to promote themselves, the friendships and business relationships that have come about and the purging of those that I thought had integrity and passion and did not!
And lastly - for me - the learning...man I have learned so much and continue to do so every day!
As I work at finding balance in my life, I give thanks for those who have believed in this venture - this community and preserving and celebrating our way of life.
You humble me...I feel so honored to have this "New" career - this new lease on life...
Over coming a handicap, finding a place to fit in, a job that fulfills me...
It's not always easy but it is always satisfying and rewarding.
So thank you to all of you who read our humble little publication, who interact and share with us, who share their stories and their communities with us...we are growing a national and international community - one rider, one business one event at a time!
I hope you will stick with us and see where this ride takes us!
I am giving away two tickets to the Toronto International Super Show in January to the first person who gets 5 of their friends to register on www.beltdrivebetty.com
Our Photo Contest Winner - Timothy Gordon from Ontario should have his Christmas cash soon for his winning photo which graces the home page of www.beltdrivebetty.com
Our 2011 version of the Beat the PMS Blues on line Show 'n' Shine is coming soon so dig out your pictures and get ready! Our Presenting Sponsor is Doran 360 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems - Read all about them here: http://www.beltdrivebetty.com/index.php/latest-health-and-tech/336-contacts/7927-doran-360-tire-pressure-monitoring-systems
We also have event tickets, hotel stays and gift certificates from across the nation as prizes too!
I am stoked and excited cause there is NOTHING better in the winter when you can't ride than oogling and ogling other people's rides and planning future tweaks to your own!
As always I welcome your feed back and input - please join our discussion here in this blog, or on my personal Face Book page (Belt Drive Betty) or our Fan Page (Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles) or in the Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com - you need to register to post....
In the news over the weekend and into this morning:
In the UK they have discovered that when it comes to reselling motorcycles people are rolling the odometers back...and that there is some fraud happening..
Also in the UK a Harley shop is closing it's doors...
In Canada - Deeley Harley-Davidson has announced lower prices on their 2011 models
In Kamloops BC the Motorcycle Ride for Dad and Deeley Harley-Davidson gave away a motorcycle on the weekend
In the USA they discovered an unsettling thing about identity thieves that every consumer needs to know
And of course there are tons of new motorcycle reviews, Christmas ideas and product reviews including luggage and helmets and there are some great DVD and Book reviews.
I hope you have a FABULOUS day, a STELLAR week and remember
Drive Safely...and if you are attending Christmas parties - PLEASE - PLAN your ride ahead of time.
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Friday, December 03, 2010
2.3 Billion Dollars of Financial help given to Harley-Davidson? EXCUSE ME?
Well folks - I gotta tell yah that I am more disillusioned than ever by this tax stimulus and bail out in the US and Harley-Davidson's role in it all.
Remember a while back I wrote about their the news stories that told about the threats and strong arm tactics? Remember how they told the people of the City of Milwaukee, the State of Wisconsin that you know what folks - you employees are either gonna take this MASSIVE pay & Benefits cut or we are leaving the state...(and yes...there were other states and cities that got ultimatums too)
This is the same company that hosted the Bikes over Baghdad for the US troops and gives away bikes to the troops... which to be honest - is looking more and more to me to be another of their famous marketing ploys backed with little honesty or sincerity...or maybe I am just getting really cynical in my old age. (Just for the record - I do ride an H-D - and I do drive a Chrysler - to support the north American economy)
Now we find out through a variety of sources - Canada dot Com, Hell for Leather etc - I linked to the Motorcycle News dot Com article....
The US Federal Government loaned Harley-Davidson 2.3 BILLION Dollars
In this day and age when little business people like me can't get a loan to grow our businesses and people are loosing their homes because of the greed and avarice in the banking sector - when Multi National Corporations like Harley are telling employees - suck it up - YOU HAVE NO CHOICE...something is really wrong with this picture folks...
When you see the little guy paying the price at every turn...it is kind of hard to be in love with capitalism. Our social safety nets and laws are not protecting the right people if you ask me (And that goes for both sides of the border).
Why should the little guy - the tax payer - bail H-D out for it's stupid/ill advised and or DUMB ASSED, GREED DRIVEN Mistakes in lending money (so they could buy a motorcycle) to people they had no right to be lending to in the first place? Sub Prime Debt I think it is called?
Like I said, maybe it's just senility kicking in but something about this whole financial crisis/stimulus thing REALLY, REALLY stinks.
Being a Canadian I know that our stimulus package deal is not helping the way people thought it would - it only seems to be helping the rich get richer and if you watched the news yesterday the PM is trying to defend what he did in spending all that money.
And from where I am sitting- it appears to be even worse elsewhere. Money & Politics...Greed and Avarice - the fat keep getting fatter and we, the tax paying fools of the world keep letting the "Smart" people do this to us. Yes - me thinks it is time for change.
And that would be my two cents worth for the day.
As always - I would welcome your feed back on this topic...
The discussions take place in our Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com on my personal FB page and on our Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles Fan Page and right here in my blog!
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Remember a while back I wrote about their the news stories that told about the threats and strong arm tactics? Remember how they told the people of the City of Milwaukee, the State of Wisconsin that you know what folks - you employees are either gonna take this MASSIVE pay & Benefits cut or we are leaving the state...(and yes...there were other states and cities that got ultimatums too)
This is the same company that hosted the Bikes over Baghdad for the US troops and gives away bikes to the troops... which to be honest - is looking more and more to me to be another of their famous marketing ploys backed with little honesty or sincerity...or maybe I am just getting really cynical in my old age. (Just for the record - I do ride an H-D - and I do drive a Chrysler - to support the north American economy)
Now we find out through a variety of sources - Canada dot Com, Hell for Leather etc - I linked to the Motorcycle News dot Com article....
The US Federal Government loaned Harley-Davidson 2.3 BILLION Dollars
In this day and age when little business people like me can't get a loan to grow our businesses and people are loosing their homes because of the greed and avarice in the banking sector - when Multi National Corporations like Harley are telling employees - suck it up - YOU HAVE NO CHOICE...something is really wrong with this picture folks...
When you see the little guy paying the price at every turn...it is kind of hard to be in love with capitalism. Our social safety nets and laws are not protecting the right people if you ask me (And that goes for both sides of the border).
Why should the little guy - the tax payer - bail H-D out for it's stupid/ill advised and or DUMB ASSED, GREED DRIVEN Mistakes in lending money (so they could buy a motorcycle) to people they had no right to be lending to in the first place? Sub Prime Debt I think it is called?
Like I said, maybe it's just senility kicking in but something about this whole financial crisis/stimulus thing REALLY, REALLY stinks.
Being a Canadian I know that our stimulus package deal is not helping the way people thought it would - it only seems to be helping the rich get richer and if you watched the news yesterday the PM is trying to defend what he did in spending all that money.
And from where I am sitting- it appears to be even worse elsewhere. Money & Politics...Greed and Avarice - the fat keep getting fatter and we, the tax paying fools of the world keep letting the "Smart" people do this to us. Yes - me thinks it is time for change.
And that would be my two cents worth for the day.
As always - I would welcome your feed back on this topic...
The discussions take place in our Forums on www.beltdrivebetty.com on my personal FB page and on our Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles Fan Page and right here in my blog!
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Sometimes you have to ask "What was the point to that!"
Before I get started today - Congrats to Timothy the Long Rider and Boo Boo for winning our Photo Contest. We will be contacting him to see if he wants hotel rooms or Christmas Cash!
Jeff LeGrand submitted a link to a YouTube video that had me asking what in the HE Double Hockey Sticks was the point....
The video doesn't want to embed properly so here is the link to the video on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPheV77JcU
OK - now I realize this HAS to be a guy thing but really, truly what in the heck were they thinking when the built that thing? The TRON - be a cool name for a "transformer" toy I suppose.
I was amazed and dumbfounded at how the thing can't turn, there are no pegs for the riders feet...
yah - another piece of nonfunctional rolling art...what in the heck was the point?
According to some of the web sites that are pitching this thing:
To celebrate the upcoming release of the major motion picture TRON: Legacy from Disney, Parker Brothers Choppers decided to build ten ridiculously exclusive light cycles. Thankfully, each of the bikes are perfectly legal, which means you can drive it around to show off to all of your friends. The bikes are constructed from steel frames, and feature a fiberglass bodywork. Inside, you’ll find a Suzuki TLR-1000 V-twin engine (www.slashgear.com http://www.slashgear.com/parker-brothers-choppers-creates-10-tron-legacy-light-cycles-only-4-left-video-01117097/)
You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME - this thing, street legal?
Sorry - maybe it's just a girl thing but...I see a huge, UGLY "machine" that should be a park bench in a futuristic theme park - or one that should have stayed on TV as part of fiction and props - not a motorcycle that should be on the street. In my humble opinion this bike gets a 0 out of 5 kernels of popcorn.
The next think in the YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME FILE...
One of the SCARIEST things to hit your wallet or purse - credit card information theft with out ever using a computer or touching YOU...
Watch this video:
Here is the Link: http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/d2ba125f-64a3-4c49-8c15-0d86d38c8f18/News/Stealing-Credit-Card-Numbers-On-Beale-Tonight-At-10
Now if that doesn't scare the bejeebers out of you ....
I became a member of Pre Paid legal to protect my business. I also got their Identity Theft Product called Identity Shield - ( https://www.prepaidlegal.com/Multisite/Multisite?site=idt&assoc=charbonneau7)
I am sure glad that I have that - especially after watching the video - holy crap batman - I am not in love with all this technology....it is scary how easy thieves can rip you off...
I would love to hear what your thoughts are on TRON the "Motorcycle" and this new form of theft.
Join the discussion over in our forums at: www.beltdrivebetty.com - of Face Book on our Fan Page or my personal page OR right here in my blog...
Now on to the other news of the day:
Harley's expanding in Brazil adds more money to their shares.
In Ontario a young racer finished BIG!
Also in Ontario they are giving away a Harley...
A few more bike reviews
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Jeff LeGrand submitted a link to a YouTube video that had me asking what in the HE Double Hockey Sticks was the point....
The video doesn't want to embed properly so here is the link to the video on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivPheV77JcU
OK - now I realize this HAS to be a guy thing but really, truly what in the heck were they thinking when the built that thing? The TRON - be a cool name for a "transformer" toy I suppose.
I was amazed and dumbfounded at how the thing can't turn, there are no pegs for the riders feet...
yah - another piece of nonfunctional rolling art...what in the heck was the point?
According to some of the web sites that are pitching this thing:
To celebrate the upcoming release of the major motion picture TRON: Legacy from Disney, Parker Brothers Choppers decided to build ten ridiculously exclusive light cycles. Thankfully, each of the bikes are perfectly legal, which means you can drive it around to show off to all of your friends. The bikes are constructed from steel frames, and feature a fiberglass bodywork. Inside, you’ll find a Suzuki TLR-1000 V-twin engine (www.slashgear.com http://www.slashgear.com/parker-brothers-choppers-creates-10-tron-legacy-light-cycles-only-4-left-video-01117097/)
You have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME - this thing, street legal?
Sorry - maybe it's just a girl thing but...I see a huge, UGLY "machine" that should be a park bench in a futuristic theme park - or one that should have stayed on TV as part of fiction and props - not a motorcycle that should be on the street. In my humble opinion this bike gets a 0 out of 5 kernels of popcorn.
The next think in the YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME FILE...
One of the SCARIEST things to hit your wallet or purse - credit card information theft with out ever using a computer or touching YOU...
Watch this video:
Here is the Link: http://www.wreg.com/videobeta/d2ba125f-64a3-4c49-8c15-0d86d38c8f18/News/Stealing-Credit-Card-Numbers-On-Beale-Tonight-At-10
Now if that doesn't scare the bejeebers out of you ....
I became a member of Pre Paid legal to protect my business. I also got their Identity Theft Product called Identity Shield - ( https://www.prepaidlegal.com/Multisite/Multisite?site=idt&assoc=charbonneau7)
I am sure glad that I have that - especially after watching the video - holy crap batman - I am not in love with all this technology....it is scary how easy thieves can rip you off...
I would love to hear what your thoughts are on TRON the "Motorcycle" and this new form of theft.
Join the discussion over in our forums at: www.beltdrivebetty.com - of Face Book on our Fan Page or my personal page OR right here in my blog...
Now on to the other news of the day:
Harley's expanding in Brazil adds more money to their shares.
In Ontario a young racer finished BIG!
Also in Ontario they are giving away a Harley...
A few more bike reviews
- 2011 KTM 990 Adventure R Bike Test
- Typhon 1190 from Pegasus Race Team and Gruner Engineering
- New Aprilia Tuono V4R reaction
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
David VS Goliath, the little guy VS the big guy.
David VS Goliath, the little guy VS the big guy.
It is an age old "fight"...today the David is your little leather shop, repair shop or some other small owner operator type of business vs that of the multi-national corporation.
With the economy being what it is and the little guy not having the buying power of the big box store many people are shopping with the big box store or on line where they feel the prices are better.
I know we all need to make our dollar stretch as far as possible so what can you as a customer tell the little business owner that you need from them? What can you tell them about your needs as a consumer?
And for the business owner...
Is there anything that your little business can do in this economy to compete?
Is there anything that you, the little guy can offer that the big box stores can not?
With a global economy HOW do you set yourself apart?
I recently had a conversation with a business man who realized after he had invested thousands and thousands of dollars into a product line that he loved, that the product was too expensive for the market place no matter how finely crafted it is.
Facing financial disaster because of a unwise choice is a reality of the small business person.
Sadly, too many people are getting into business for themselves and are underfunded, over priced and not at all prepared for the reality of being in business. They haven't done their research. There are a ton of courses one can take that will help you on assessing the market place...check out your local community futures office.
One of the tools I have found helpful for planning and managing my business is Pre Paid Legal- they have some new resources for the small business owner - everything from HR forms to business planing tools and resources. The portal "GoSmallBiz" has an incredible wealth of tools at your finger tips! (The Identity Theft product is great too.)
I have become a Pre Paid Legal member and have learned how to protect myself in business and do so through Pre Paid Legal. It's affordable and EFFECTIVE and every small business can benefit from being a member! I now have a lawyer on "staff" to give me guidance and go over contracts as well as having access to things like contracts and confidentiality agreements etc at my disposal to use.
Visit Wayne Wald's site - Wayne is an RFBA Member Business Owner and has all of the training on Pre Paid Legal, Identity Theft Protection and the Go Small Biz programs that I do not. He can coach and guide you as the the best avenues for you to protect and grow your business using the Pre Paid Legal Service.
Then of course there are the myriad of Government tools and reosources for learning and planning when in business. In Canada this is your portal to a wealth of knowledge: http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/
Being a little guy in a big pond can be scary, being well informed as to the challenges, pitfalls and risks can make it less scary and far more rewarding...
And to all of the non business owners who have stuck it out reading this blog today...please consider shopping with the little guy - especially those who sponsor our community events, remember - without them we have no events!
Like everyday I welcome your feedback and input on this topic - by sharing our experiences with others - well you just never know who will benefit!
In the News today:
IN BC - The Hell's Angels loose their bid to regain their clubhouse
- The suspect involved in the crash that saw two island riders killed appears in court in February.
- An appeal to see gangsterism charges pursued against two members of the Hells Angels
In Ontario two veterans are honored: one of them a motorcycle group founder.
In New Brunswick a family is alarmed that motorcycles are not being safety checked after their loved one was killed by a motorcyclist who lost control of his bike.
In Industry News:
In the UK they are using a simulator to guide them regarding motorcycle safety
Because of the Carol Nash Show there are a lot of motorcycle reviews to read up on, check out the Lifestyles section: Motorcycle Reviews and News.
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
It is an age old "fight"...today the David is your little leather shop, repair shop or some other small owner operator type of business vs that of the multi-national corporation.
With the economy being what it is and the little guy not having the buying power of the big box store many people are shopping with the big box store or on line where they feel the prices are better.
I know we all need to make our dollar stretch as far as possible so what can you as a customer tell the little business owner that you need from them? What can you tell them about your needs as a consumer?
And for the business owner...
Is there anything that your little business can do in this economy to compete?
Is there anything that you, the little guy can offer that the big box stores can not?
With a global economy HOW do you set yourself apart?
I recently had a conversation with a business man who realized after he had invested thousands and thousands of dollars into a product line that he loved, that the product was too expensive for the market place no matter how finely crafted it is.
Facing financial disaster because of a unwise choice is a reality of the small business person.
Sadly, too many people are getting into business for themselves and are underfunded, over priced and not at all prepared for the reality of being in business. They haven't done their research. There are a ton of courses one can take that will help you on assessing the market place...check out your local community futures office.
One of the tools I have found helpful for planning and managing my business is Pre Paid Legal- they have some new resources for the small business owner - everything from HR forms to business planing tools and resources. The portal "GoSmallBiz" has an incredible wealth of tools at your finger tips! (The Identity Theft product is great too.)
I have become a Pre Paid Legal member and have learned how to protect myself in business and do so through Pre Paid Legal. It's affordable and EFFECTIVE and every small business can benefit from being a member! I now have a lawyer on "staff" to give me guidance and go over contracts as well as having access to things like contracts and confidentiality agreements etc at my disposal to use.
Visit Wayne Wald's site - Wayne is an RFBA Member Business Owner and has all of the training on Pre Paid Legal, Identity Theft Protection and the Go Small Biz programs that I do not. He can coach and guide you as the the best avenues for you to protect and grow your business using the Pre Paid Legal Service.
Then of course there are the myriad of Government tools and reosources for learning and planning when in business. In Canada this is your portal to a wealth of knowledge: http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/
Being a little guy in a big pond can be scary, being well informed as to the challenges, pitfalls and risks can make it less scary and far more rewarding...
And to all of the non business owners who have stuck it out reading this blog today...please consider shopping with the little guy - especially those who sponsor our community events, remember - without them we have no events!
Like everyday I welcome your feedback and input on this topic - by sharing our experiences with others - well you just never know who will benefit!
In the News today:
IN BC - The Hell's Angels loose their bid to regain their clubhouse
- The suspect involved in the crash that saw two island riders killed appears in court in February.
- An appeal to see gangsterism charges pursued against two members of the Hells Angels
In Ontario two veterans are honored: one of them a motorcycle group founder.
In New Brunswick a family is alarmed that motorcycles are not being safety checked after their loved one was killed by a motorcyclist who lost control of his bike.
In Industry News:
In the UK they are using a simulator to guide them regarding motorcycle safety
Because of the Carol Nash Show there are a lot of motorcycle reviews to read up on, check out the Lifestyles section: Motorcycle Reviews and News.
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Marketing your motorcycle event, your group or your business
For those of you who don't know me or are just beginning to follow what I have to say...(it still amazes me that anyone cares what I think...LMAO)
I am a non professional. I have never gone to school to learn marketing or journalism, I have no college degree except the ones for modeling and modeling instructor from John Casablancas Model Management from many, many moons ago.
8 years ago, I saw a real lacking in our community - there were zilch for true communications tools...today that has changed with the advent of Face Book and Twitter.
While no seasoned vet, I have learned a lot about the publishing and marketing industries - in some ways I think our team and business would be bigger had I gone to school to learn the advertising and marketing world and yet....I think I have been brought the right people at the right time to teach me the right things!
There are some things about marketing that I have learned from seminars I have taken, books I have read, on line courses and of course my most abundant and well educated teacher - the school of hard knocks. There rest - well , I love my community and as a rider, I think I understand what at least some people are looking for by way of information and tools.
It has taken me 7 and a half years of being in business before one kind soul from the Alberta Lonewolves told me about how I could attract top brand name advertisers to our web site.
I did what he counseled - I was listed on Friday and had my first inquiry yesterday!
It is another avenue with which to grow the web site and newspaper's presence and allow us to market your groups, riding clubs, causes, events and businesses to a broader audience.
We all know that in order to be a success out there we have to market be we business, event or riding club - in order to grow you have to market. BUT - we compete with thousands and thousands of bits of information going out to people all of the time. Just think of all of the information you have to absorb everyday. How many times have you forgotten a meeting, appointment, birthday or event? How many times have you forgotten a coupon or a sale you wanted to attend? If you and I have ANY common ground as humans your answer will be at least sometimes....it has happened to us all.
I have a lot of little business partners that are pushed against the wall time wise and can't find the time to work ON their businesses - one of the services I would like to be able to offer in the future is a data entry service that can help them take care of their on line marketing. OMG Face Book and Twitter - to do them well take a lot of time.
For myself - I spend three hours of my day writing things like this blog, hunting the news feeds for the days top stories...it's nuts - rewarding but nuts!
So - in order to help people be they volunteers or riding club members with little time or small business people with little time, Ali and I have worked hard to find tools and components for our web site that can help you market YOUR business, event or riding clubs faster and more efficient than before! When you log in on our web site - go to your profile page and edit and up date your info and photo...you can manage your friendships
and on the right hand side of the page under your profile picture is a tool box that allows you to quickly manage or track what you have done on our web site and see what results you are getting.
If for example you want to submit a classified ad - you go right to the tab for classifieds and submit your ad right there...no hunting - no wasting time - just make sure your pictures for the ad are web sized...and you'll have no problem - our twitter feed will pick that ad up and share it to our Twitter followers and my Face Book Pages - so you now have the potential for my network of some 11K riders (Plus the 35,000 riders who use our site that are not members) seeing your ad. Who ever is on line at the time coupled with their level of interest in what you are offering has some potential for serious impact. You can also see how many hits the ad has had and if you aren't getting the feedback or response you desire - maybe you need to rethink your wording? Now you have some tools to make decisions by!
There are a ton of time saving tools in that tool box...
Then there are the event calendars - shareable to over 80 social networks, by email, to Face Book and Twitter and shareable to 5 other styles of calendars OUR events calendars are one of the most effective ways to get your events message out there!
We can make you an event admin for your riding club or business so that your events go live the minute you submit them OR we can just let Sally - (our version of a Calendar girl) check your event over and ensure that no information is missing etc...once she has checked it over and made it live you get an email that tells you it's live and now you can go ahead and start promoting!
Make sure you add your poster, registration forms, pictures etc - because everything attached to the event goes to the person you are emailing or IM'ing and if you have the physical land location or the postal code and street address - there's even a Google map for people to find the location by.
Either way - once the event is live you can share it to everyone in your net work and so can the riders who use the calendars - we have on average 38,000 riders using our web site for news and information...if you add your network and my network and every other riders network - you see what happens? Now we have an information highway!!!!
If you are a member of our Rider FriendlyTM Business Association we can help you advertise and market for as little as $130.00 a year plus taxes! That's right for as little as 36 cents a day you small business people can be marketing your business to riders.
Email me at : bdbetty @ gmail.com (remove the spaces to send your email to me) and I can send you the low down!
All riders who are a member of the BDB Club benefit because as a member of the RFBA (Rider FriendlyTM Business Association) you offer them a special, a discount or a special service...we all win...Because when you work with us - the riders get free information and tools that serve them in their day to day lives be it riding season or not.
If you are a riding club we have many FREE and cooperative marketing opportunities to share with you.
I hope you will join us either as a member of our site and hopefully as a subscriber to our newspaper, as a business partner and advertiser or as a riding club...sharing our community stories, helping our small businesses and events by giving them a targeted and affordable - time saving and pleasurable way of marketing (it's like we are talking to friends and family cause at the end of the day - that's exactly what we are doing - sharing with friends and family.)
Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles are working hard to give the riding community in Canada and those curious about Canada as a riding destination some fabulous tools...join us as we share and grow!
As always I welcome your feedback and input on this topic and every other thing we discuss - it is through sharing that our community will become the united and strong!
There's not a ton in the news feeds today but what is there is pretty choice!
Check it out at www.beltdrivebetty.com
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
I am a non professional. I have never gone to school to learn marketing or journalism, I have no college degree except the ones for modeling and modeling instructor from John Casablancas Model Management from many, many moons ago.
8 years ago, I saw a real lacking in our community - there were zilch for true communications tools...today that has changed with the advent of Face Book and Twitter.
While no seasoned vet, I have learned a lot about the publishing and marketing industries - in some ways I think our team and business would be bigger had I gone to school to learn the advertising and marketing world and yet....I think I have been brought the right people at the right time to teach me the right things!
There are some things about marketing that I have learned from seminars I have taken, books I have read, on line courses and of course my most abundant and well educated teacher - the school of hard knocks. There rest - well , I love my community and as a rider, I think I understand what at least some people are looking for by way of information and tools.
It has taken me 7 and a half years of being in business before one kind soul from the Alberta Lonewolves told me about how I could attract top brand name advertisers to our web site.
I did what he counseled - I was listed on Friday and had my first inquiry yesterday!
It is another avenue with which to grow the web site and newspaper's presence and allow us to market your groups, riding clubs, causes, events and businesses to a broader audience.
We all know that in order to be a success out there we have to market be we business, event or riding club - in order to grow you have to market. BUT - we compete with thousands and thousands of bits of information going out to people all of the time. Just think of all of the information you have to absorb everyday. How many times have you forgotten a meeting, appointment, birthday or event? How many times have you forgotten a coupon or a sale you wanted to attend? If you and I have ANY common ground as humans your answer will be at least sometimes....it has happened to us all.
I have a lot of little business partners that are pushed against the wall time wise and can't find the time to work ON their businesses - one of the services I would like to be able to offer in the future is a data entry service that can help them take care of their on line marketing. OMG Face Book and Twitter - to do them well take a lot of time.
For myself - I spend three hours of my day writing things like this blog, hunting the news feeds for the days top stories...it's nuts - rewarding but nuts!
So - in order to help people be they volunteers or riding club members with little time or small business people with little time, Ali and I have worked hard to find tools and components for our web site that can help you market YOUR business, event or riding clubs faster and more efficient than before! When you log in on our web site - go to your profile page and edit and up date your info and photo...you can manage your friendships
and on the right hand side of the page under your profile picture is a tool box that allows you to quickly manage or track what you have done on our web site and see what results you are getting.
If for example you want to submit a classified ad - you go right to the tab for classifieds and submit your ad right there...no hunting - no wasting time - just make sure your pictures for the ad are web sized...and you'll have no problem - our twitter feed will pick that ad up and share it to our Twitter followers and my Face Book Pages - so you now have the potential for my network of some 11K riders (Plus the 35,000 riders who use our site that are not members) seeing your ad. Who ever is on line at the time coupled with their level of interest in what you are offering has some potential for serious impact. You can also see how many hits the ad has had and if you aren't getting the feedback or response you desire - maybe you need to rethink your wording? Now you have some tools to make decisions by!
There are a ton of time saving tools in that tool box...
Then there are the event calendars - shareable to over 80 social networks, by email, to Face Book and Twitter and shareable to 5 other styles of calendars OUR events calendars are one of the most effective ways to get your events message out there!
We can make you an event admin for your riding club or business so that your events go live the minute you submit them OR we can just let Sally - (our version of a Calendar girl) check your event over and ensure that no information is missing etc...once she has checked it over and made it live you get an email that tells you it's live and now you can go ahead and start promoting!
Make sure you add your poster, registration forms, pictures etc - because everything attached to the event goes to the person you are emailing or IM'ing and if you have the physical land location or the postal code and street address - there's even a Google map for people to find the location by.
Either way - once the event is live you can share it to everyone in your net work and so can the riders who use the calendars - we have on average 38,000 riders using our web site for news and information...if you add your network and my network and every other riders network - you see what happens? Now we have an information highway!!!!
If you are a member of our Rider FriendlyTM Business Association we can help you advertise and market for as little as $130.00 a year plus taxes! That's right for as little as 36 cents a day you small business people can be marketing your business to riders.
Email me at : bdbetty @ gmail.com (remove the spaces to send your email to me) and I can send you the low down!
All riders who are a member of the BDB Club benefit because as a member of the RFBA (Rider FriendlyTM Business Association) you offer them a special, a discount or a special service...we all win...Because when you work with us - the riders get free information and tools that serve them in their day to day lives be it riding season or not.
If you are a riding club we have many FREE and cooperative marketing opportunities to share with you.
I hope you will join us either as a member of our site and hopefully as a subscriber to our newspaper, as a business partner and advertiser or as a riding club...sharing our community stories, helping our small businesses and events by giving them a targeted and affordable - time saving and pleasurable way of marketing (it's like we are talking to friends and family cause at the end of the day - that's exactly what we are doing - sharing with friends and family.)
Belt Drive Betty & The Busted Knuckle Chronicles are working hard to give the riding community in Canada and those curious about Canada as a riding destination some fabulous tools...join us as we share and grow!
As always I welcome your feedback and input on this topic and every other thing we discuss - it is through sharing that our community will become the united and strong!
There's not a ton in the news feeds today but what is there is pretty choice!
Check it out at www.beltdrivebetty.com
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Concept of working together
The riding community is a community that was built on the premise of working together, of being family.
Families do not always agree. But as a general rule, when the chips are down, family pulls together. It used to be, that although this community is filled the A type personalities we tended to be able to put our differences of opinion aside when the chips were truly down for one of our own - or when a specific cause forced us to unite.
Our community has exploded in size and for a time we lost a sense of community, the pendulum appears to be swinging though - like it does with every big trend, and we are settling in to a bit more of a sense of family again. You can sense the shift, people are trying to find a way to connect in a broader way...
On so many fronts the riding community, now more than ever needs to start pulling together. There are so many outside forces working on us and in many ways we have been like the North American Indian Community was so long ago - a community of great pride, incredible depth and talent and a seeming inability to work together for the common good.
Be it looking out for our rights, supporting the rider owned and Rider Friendly TM Businesses of our communities or supporting the events that support our causes, our communities and bring us together - we riders truly need to find a way to put down our differences or our protectionistic ways - our "independence" if you will and we need to learn how to support each other.
Our economy is only a minute part of the overall economy. The economy of the riding community is being impacted exactly like many other micro economies.
Our little business people are hurting and when I say our little businesses I mean everyone from the leather goods shop that donates a half a dozen vests to support a cause (TJ & The Bear Biker Wear in Spruce Grove is but one of many that come to mind) or the pub that donates it's staff, uses it's resources and connections (going to suppliers for donations - Electric Rodeo, Ceili's, Bo'Diddly's, Rock City and how many hundreds of others can I think of?) to ensure that a cause get's all of the proceeds from a BBQ...or the trucking company that donates a stage (usually a trailer) so that an event has a place for a band and an EMCEE...
We are all quick to ask for the donation, after all our cause is important and affects the community...but how often do we really thank these people and I don't mean just in the newspaper but by walking into their shops and buying something we need or using their trucking company to haul something for our own business?
If you don't support them, why would they want to support your event, charity or riding club?
When sales are good, these people generously give to all kinds of groups and events - when sales are less than good they tend to give to those who support them - makes sense doesn't it?
When a community shops within, promotes with in, it becomes strong and healthy.
When a community communicates and makes sure it's members are WELL informed, when it's members are active and vibrant and engaged in the matters of the community - the community becomes strong and powerful.
If you doubt what I say, look at the Sikh community in this country - they are a powerful minority - they work together, shop with the people in their community and promote those people who help them.
The whole premise of the Busted Knuckle Chronicles was to give the riding community a place to share it's stories, to celebrate it's volunteers, it's success, it's failures, it's hopes and it's dreams. It is meant for all who ride, no matter what you ride. And it's NATIONAL and LOCAL all at the same time!
Belt Drive Betty dot Com was meant to be a clearinghouse, a place you could come to find anything and everything about riding in Canada or things that impact us as riders - kind of our own gathering place like an internet cafe....you come, visit, read the news, find out about the events, plan your holidays and find the tools and resources you need to make your riding season the best it can be and hook up with friends and meet new ones.
We are linked to over 400 Canadian Riding Clubs...there's bound to be someone of like mind for you to connect to!
If you love the motorcycle - if you have that bike hole in your heart - then you are a member of this community. We invite you to tell the stories of you community - after all, that is what a community newspaper and a community web site does...it gives you a place to share those stories...
If your community is not represented - or your interests are not represented - what are you waiting for? Share, talk to us - what you have to say will probably be of interest to at least 25% of the community. (Supposedly that is the statistic - that one in 4 will be interested in what you have to say) Submit your stuff to the web site or email it to me for the newspaper...but share it...PLEASE!
My dream - my vision when I started this thing almost 8 years ago, was to see this community start talking to each other, sharing their stories, creating a sense of community, belonging and family unity.
Our FREE tools and resources for BDB Club Members include:
It's been a long hard road filled with all kinds of learning curves and pit falls but folks we are here!
When you see the 2011 Phone Book you will truly understand what I mean...
I feel like a proud momma when I look at it. This vision that has danced in my head of a CAA style set of services for our community - it's here, and it's real and now all it needs is YOU!
Your free membership on our site (www.beltdrivebetty.com) gives you access to all of those FREE resources - and if you decide you like the tools and would like to support us then get a subscription to our newspaper - it's only $17.50 a year plus tax! Or buy a license plate or sign, but most of all - USE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARDS - OFTEN and support those who support our community - from coast to coast to coast!
As always, I welcome your feedback - input and the discussions!
Join us in our forums or on Face Book - or right here in our blog!
The news feeds are fairly quiet so far today, RIP Leslie Nielson - your humor lit up the hearts of many....
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
Families do not always agree. But as a general rule, when the chips are down, family pulls together. It used to be, that although this community is filled the A type personalities we tended to be able to put our differences of opinion aside when the chips were truly down for one of our own - or when a specific cause forced us to unite.
Our community has exploded in size and for a time we lost a sense of community, the pendulum appears to be swinging though - like it does with every big trend, and we are settling in to a bit more of a sense of family again. You can sense the shift, people are trying to find a way to connect in a broader way...
On so many fronts the riding community, now more than ever needs to start pulling together. There are so many outside forces working on us and in many ways we have been like the North American Indian Community was so long ago - a community of great pride, incredible depth and talent and a seeming inability to work together for the common good.
Be it looking out for our rights, supporting the rider owned and Rider Friendly TM Businesses of our communities or supporting the events that support our causes, our communities and bring us together - we riders truly need to find a way to put down our differences or our protectionistic ways - our "independence" if you will and we need to learn how to support each other.
Our economy is only a minute part of the overall economy. The economy of the riding community is being impacted exactly like many other micro economies.
Our little business people are hurting and when I say our little businesses I mean everyone from the leather goods shop that donates a half a dozen vests to support a cause (TJ & The Bear Biker Wear in Spruce Grove is but one of many that come to mind) or the pub that donates it's staff, uses it's resources and connections (going to suppliers for donations - Electric Rodeo, Ceili's, Bo'Diddly's, Rock City and how many hundreds of others can I think of?) to ensure that a cause get's all of the proceeds from a BBQ...or the trucking company that donates a stage (usually a trailer) so that an event has a place for a band and an EMCEE...
We are all quick to ask for the donation, after all our cause is important and affects the community...but how often do we really thank these people and I don't mean just in the newspaper but by walking into their shops and buying something we need or using their trucking company to haul something for our own business?
If you don't support them, why would they want to support your event, charity or riding club?
When sales are good, these people generously give to all kinds of groups and events - when sales are less than good they tend to give to those who support them - makes sense doesn't it?
When a community shops within, promotes with in, it becomes strong and healthy.
When a community communicates and makes sure it's members are WELL informed, when it's members are active and vibrant and engaged in the matters of the community - the community becomes strong and powerful.
If you doubt what I say, look at the Sikh community in this country - they are a powerful minority - they work together, shop with the people in their community and promote those people who help them.
The whole premise of the Busted Knuckle Chronicles was to give the riding community a place to share it's stories, to celebrate it's volunteers, it's success, it's failures, it's hopes and it's dreams. It is meant for all who ride, no matter what you ride. And it's NATIONAL and LOCAL all at the same time!
Belt Drive Betty dot Com was meant to be a clearinghouse, a place you could come to find anything and everything about riding in Canada or things that impact us as riders - kind of our own gathering place like an internet cafe....you come, visit, read the news, find out about the events, plan your holidays and find the tools and resources you need to make your riding season the best it can be and hook up with friends and meet new ones.
We are linked to over 400 Canadian Riding Clubs...there's bound to be someone of like mind for you to connect to!
If you love the motorcycle - if you have that bike hole in your heart - then you are a member of this community. We invite you to tell the stories of you community - after all, that is what a community newspaper and a community web site does...it gives you a place to share those stories...
If your community is not represented - or your interests are not represented - what are you waiting for? Share, talk to us - what you have to say will probably be of interest to at least 25% of the community. (Supposedly that is the statistic - that one in 4 will be interested in what you have to say) Submit your stuff to the web site or email it to me for the newspaper...but share it...PLEASE!
My dream - my vision when I started this thing almost 8 years ago, was to see this community start talking to each other, sharing their stories, creating a sense of community, belonging and family unity.
Our FREE tools and resources for BDB Club Members include:
- The Rider Friendly TM Business Association - is a consortia of some 275 businesses (and growing) that WANT your support because they support the community - they offer discounts, specials and or special services to BDB Club members; IE: MotoRescue has teamed up with us to provide membership in their road side assistance program for $39.95 per year plus taxes - we need a minimum of 50 people signing up at a time to qualify for that rate...compare that to what the retail rate is! (www.motorescue.ca)
- The Canadian Riders Support Network that we inherited from Peter of the SCRC
- The Never Ride Alone Program from Intercon Messaging
- Our NATIONAL Motorcycle Events Calendars that are broken out by province and shareable to over 80 social networks and 5 other styles of calendars and host an average of 900 CANADIAN events information!
- Forums, contests, photo galleries, groups and other social networking tools
- Free Classified Ads and more!
It's been a long hard road filled with all kinds of learning curves and pit falls but folks we are here!
When you see the 2011 Phone Book you will truly understand what I mean...
I feel like a proud momma when I look at it. This vision that has danced in my head of a CAA style set of services for our community - it's here, and it's real and now all it needs is YOU!
Your free membership on our site (www.beltdrivebetty.com) gives you access to all of those FREE resources - and if you decide you like the tools and would like to support us then get a subscription to our newspaper - it's only $17.50 a year plus tax! Or buy a license plate or sign, but most of all - USE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARDS - OFTEN and support those who support our community - from coast to coast to coast!
As always, I welcome your feedback - input and the discussions!
Join us in our forums or on Face Book - or right here in our blog!
The news feeds are fairly quiet so far today, RIP Leslie Nielson - your humor lit up the hearts of many....
Please drive safely...
Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider
www.beltdrivebetty.com
www.bustedknucklechronicles.com
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