AERC Trails Web

[Linda Cowles <lindac@gilroy.com>]

(-- Sorry for sending this HUGE email out twice - I had the wrong
"Subject" on it...)

Susan Brehm wrote:
> 
> I remember at the Trails committee meeting in Reno that you
> are working on a web site for the committee.  Well, that is
> if I haven't gotten the details all jumbled up!  How's it
> going?  Can I help you?

What is Susan referring to? The AERC Trails Web!

Doyle mentioned it in the latest edition of Endurance News - the Trails
Committee is sponsoring the development of a Trails Web to enable us to
have a significant impact on the future of the trails network our sport
depends on, and to promote various trails and trail activities.
Conceivably, it can gain us the support of non-endurance equestrian
trail riders, which would increase our trails lobbying strength.

THE AERC TRAILS WEB

Our objective is to work with the membership to evolve a popular trails
web environment that makes it easy for busy folks like us to 1) issue or
respond effectively to trail "call for action" requests, 2) to stay
informed on trails issues, and 3) facilitate the collection and
organization of data (events, names, addressees, links, resources,
processes) that can be used to help us be effective trail advocates.

The Trails Web will eventually provide tools and resources for those
wanting to go a step further, and take up the challenge of trying to get
a new trail dedicated, preserve a threatened existing trail, get funding
for research, acquire land for park or open space. We have a lot of
talent, energy and enthusiasm out here, we need to leverage it by making
trail advocacy and activism easier.

"WHY WOULD WE READ IT?"

The Trail Web needs it's element of fun to keep an audience, right? We
work hard in order to play hard! It will be easier for the AERC to stay
engaged with trail advocacy if the Trails Web has a high value to trail
users.

How to make a dry political web site fun and interesting?  How about
having a repository of travel information or links? Trail and ride
descriptions and stories? Stories about people who make a difference? We
could also promote or sponsor regional camp outs to explore new trails,
restore trails in disrepair, help ride managers mark trail. How about
staging trail oriented clinics or adventures for new riders and horses?
Distribute facts on features and challenges a ride or trail segment
presents? Regional trail information - for example, I've collected
ridecamp information on good winter training trails in the SF Bay area -
weather wise trail suggestions would be a neat resource! Many
possibilities.

We can track and record the progress of projects. For example, Steve
Shaw's Los Padres Trail from Santa Barbara to San Diego... what an
ambitious effort! We can learn from it, and potentially make subsequent
efforts easier by recording the problems they encounter, and how the
problems could have been avoided.

With a generic format, we can gather consistent information, refine and
correct it, and keep it available and up-to-date. Hopefully, if the
Trails Web is accessed for the fun stuff, people will take a few minutes
to participate as civic minded equestrians.

"HOW'S IT GOING?"

I'm working on this today! I'd hoped to be ready for review and feedback
by now, but other *very* high priority projects came up (food on the
table, hay in the barn), so it's behind schedule. I've got a draft
hierarchy, introduction, purpose and scope, and am sorting through the
ideas collected from various sources, and need to make my findings
legible. I have a few pages started, but won't start seriously
developing before I've got the requirements gathered and priorities
nailed down - that's where I need some assistance!

I think long term, then short term; prioritize wants, needs and
extras/low hanging fruit; chunk potential work into phases that
eventually lead up to a "dreams-can-true" long term proposal. The short
term and long term proposals are still in revision, but are close. I
need to quit posting to ridecamp and get to work!!! 

When the proposals are done, I'll need a group of y'all to tear into it
and provide thorough, constructive feedback and suggestions.

"YOU WANT HELP???!!"

Why don't I just do it, and get it over with? This isn't my web site,
it's ours... it needs to be popular or it won't be effective. I don't
want to take a guess at what will work... that isn't good enough.
Together, we can identify why we don't react to an organizers plea for
help, and develop ways of making it easy to do what's needed.

Eventually we'll be asking for everyone's feedback, but now I'd like to
form an email focus group to discuss, revise and prioritize proposed
content, and critique the pages as they evolve. If you're interested,
please respond to me privately at mailto:lindac@gilroy.com 

Think about what your assets to this group would be... we need skeptics,
inventors, web miesters, a blue-sky contingent, good moderators,
analytical thinkers, questioners, trails activists, people who feel
guilty because they don't have time to do more, party animals, marketing
skills.

This IS ride season, so there won't be a ton of lengthy discussion - I
don't think! - but we can have a subject header to help differentiate it
from other email - "RCT" or something. I'll start a Homestead web site
and post pages there, so they don't need to be emailed, but can be. I
can potentially start a bulletin board. If we opt for that, I'll look
into it. It would help track discussions.

I'm currently the sole implementor - but not the best available! Steph
is the best (!!), but I'm what you're stuck with currently, and will
pass everything by Steph and the web committee. This Trails Web site
will be a utility, at least initially, not a marketing extravaganza, so
my skills shouldn't be horribly challenged. If we have great web gurus
out there with time or energy to contribute, we can discuss splitting up
work and getting it done faster. My best role is that of a catalyst, an
initiator, but I like creating pages too!

BTW - I love Steph's new look for the AERC web pages - check it out!!!
Very Neat!

   http://www.aerc.org/

  -- Linda


-- 


  Linda Cowles   
  Lion Oaks Ranch  
  Gilroy CA



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