Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

By Ray Paulick
In the 10 months since Dan Silver was named director of communications and media relations for the New York Racing Association, NYRA.com has become an innovator and leader in racing’s digital world. Part of the association’s  marketing department since January 2008, Silver and NYRA marketing director Neema Ghaza have become the sport’s dynamic duo when it comes to internet marketing, entertainment and promotions. The innovations they and their associates have developed at NYRA.com and on YouTube are setting the standard for the rest of the industry. If you haven’t checked out NYRA.com lately, you should.

Silver graduated from the first class of master’s degree students at the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program in December 2007 (he also holds a master’s in journalism from Medill at Northwestern University and a B.A. from Haverford College). He had previous horse industry experience working for the Jockey Club, Reynolds Bell Thoroughbred Services and Philadelphia Park.

The Paulick Report spoke with Silver about how NYRA.com has evolved during his relatively short tenure there:

NYRA has clearly made a decision to use its NYRA.com website, along with Youtube, to inform, educate, and entertain racing fans and horsemen. How did your strategy evolve?
It’s very important to mention right away that all of the initiatives we have introduced wouldn’t be possible without support from the top, in our case NYRA president & CEO Charles Hayward and NYRA COO Hal Handel. They let me and Neema Ghazi, NYRA’s director of marketing, have pretty much free reign in exploring new ways to use the internet to benefit our fans. With the knowledge that they’re behind what we’re doing, it makes it much easier to launch new initiatives.

In terms of the strategy and how it evolved, I think it’s just trying to use our resources to the best of our abilities in reaching out to current and prospective racing fans. The internet is not just the future of marketing, it is the present, and it affords many opportunities to market your product and educate fans at a very low cost, certainly costing less than conventional methods of advertising like television spots, radio spots, and newspaper ads.

On The Lead, our monthly email newsletter, was the jumping-off point for our internet outreach initiatives. We launched it in April 2008, and now, two years later we are up to almost 100,000 subscribers.

The first group of video series that we launched were the jockey and trainer profiles and the Trips & Traps handicapping show. For the jockey and trainer profiles, we have always thought fans would have interest in that. If you go to a Yankees game, between innings there is always something on the video board, maybe a profile of Derek Jeter, and fans love that stuff. It seemed like a no-brainer to do similar things with the stars of our sport and put them on Youtube and the NYRA site. Trips & Traps was a brainchild of Andy Serling, who I can’t say enough about. He wanted to give fans something they don’t ordinarily get, and the type of in-depth trip analysis provided on Trips & Traps is unmatched in my opinion.

From those first three series it just ballooned to what it is now, and it will continue to expand.

How much investment has been made in the effort from a budget and personnel standpoint?
The great thing about expanding your presence on the internet is that it is very low cost. It costs nothing to create a Facebook page, Twitter pages, a Flickr page, racing blogs, etc. For shows like Trips & Traps we are just using existing studio space at a time that it isn’t normally used, so there is minimal extra cost there.

We are extremely fortunate at NYRA to not only have the support of top management but also to have some incredibly talented and passionate employees that work on all of these various internet initiatives. A lot of people see all of the different things that we have developed and assume we have consultants that handle everything. That couldn’t be further from the truth. These initiatives are all created and maintained by NYRA personnel.

Are you developing products for different audiences? Some things seem to be designed for casual fans and others for regular horseplayers and horsemen?
Absolutely, we try to have something for every type of racegoing constituency out there. Trips & Traps and the Andy Serling Twitter page are items that even the most advanced of bettors should be able to benefit from. The jockey and trainer interviews are for fans that want to learn more about the stars of the sport. The Backstretch Buzz and NYRA Spotlight videos are great educational tools for fans to learn about what goes on behind the scenes to allow a Thoroughbred track to operate. The NYRA Facebook page, Twitter pages, and NY Racing Insider Blog allow fans to stay up to date with all of the latest NYRA news, and also are great vehicles to try and attract new fans. The New York Watch website allows fans to identify the up-and-coming stars of racing.

For horsemen, we recently launched an email service, with help from Equibase, that allows owners to receive email notifications when their horses are entered to race. To illustrate the point that our top management is not only on board, but also enthusiastic about using the internet to reach out to people, the idea behind this service came from NYRA chairman Steven Duncker.

One initiative that horsemen, bettors, and most fans of the sport have enjoyed is the photo finish archive on the website. We post all of our photo finishes, win, place, and show, on NYRA.com shortly after the conclusion of each race.

What’s proven to be the most useful or successful addition to the web site?
The Friday Night Live Web Chats have been extremely well received by fans. Our terrific web designer, Nick Aquilino, put together a great live chat webpage that’s as professional as you will find anywhere. Andy Serling often does these chats, and gets in-depth handicapping the weekend cards, but we also have had chat guests like NYRA COO Hal Handel, trainer Gary Contessa, and jockey Richard Migliore. All of the chats are available in an archived format on the chat page, and I think you’d be surprised at how candid many of the answers are from our guests. The toughest thing about the chats are that we usually have 300 questions asked and the guest can only get to 60 or so during the hour- or two-hour chat period. But I am a really big fan of these chats and would urge any racing fans to check them out. Friday nights at 8:00 p.m.

Has anything surprised you? Something you thought would be popular that hasn’t or something that has been better received than expected?
While not surprising, the Andy Serling Twitter page has been a tremendous success. We launched it at the start of Saratoga meet last year and he is up to almost 1,800 followers. The great thing about this is that once someone starts following you on Twitter, they are usually there for good. So someone may not even be thinking about betting one day, receive a Tweet that Andy just gave out a $20 winner, and all of a sudden that person is thinking about NYRA and betting one of our races based on Andy’s advice. It’s an absolute no brainer. I think Twitter is more useful for things like that than an informational news page.

A recent initiative that has immediately taken off is the free text alert service. We introduced this about a month ago, and nearly 1,000 people have already signed up. Whenever there is a Pick 6 carryover or a weather related cancellation, we send text messages out to those folks that have signed up. This is a great way to spread the word to interested parties about carryovers without bombarding them with information.

Is it fair to say there isn’t a great deal of overlap in the demographics of typical web users and those of veteran racing fans?
I’m not sure that is a completely fair thing to say. By and large, yes, some of the younger generation are more apt to be utilizing Facebook and Twitter, for example, than some folks that are in an older demographic. That being said, I have been approached by some people that have been wagering on and attending the races for quite some time that do follow and appreciate what we are doing online. So I would say that one of the advantages of web-based initiatives is that they allow us to more easily reach a younger and more tech savvy demographic, but at the same time that certainly doesn’t exclude an older demographic from taking advantage of our internet platforms.

Is this viewed as an investment in racing’s future or something that you are getting tangible benefits from now?
I view it as both. Hopefully the new fans that discover some of our internet and video initiatives will continue to follow racing for a long time. I also am pretty sure that we are getting tangible benefits from it now. For example, people who follow Andy Serling on Twitter, probably wagered more on the Saratoga meet than they would have otherwise. And I don’t consider tangible results only in terms of wagering. The Friday Night Live Chats, the NYRA Spotlight videos, and similar initiatives are providing information and education to those that want to learn more about racing. If someone watches our Spotlight video on stewards, decides they want to pursue a job in racing, and goes on to help the industry, it’s a win for racing.

How do you quantify or benchmark the results? Is it having an impact on handle?
I think it’s very difficult to try and quantify the effects these initiatives have on handle. There are so many factors that effect handle, like field size, weather, the overall economy, that it is very hard to try and identify the effect that one specific factor has on handle. For me, when I get emails from industry leaders asking to use our NYRA Spotlight videos as teaching tools, or from racing fans thrilled they have a chance to chat with Richard Migliore, it means that they are having a positive effect on people.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned through this process?
I think whenever you launch something new, it is imperative to consider what segment of your fan base you are launching it for, and then proceed with how best to connect with that group. You have to be careful not to take the approach of throwing everything at the wall and hoping some of it sticks. We carefully consider each new initiative that we launch, and will continue to do that.

As a closing thought, I’d also like to commend you, Ray, for what you have done with the Paulick Report website. It’s a great resource for racing fans to catch up on all of the latest racing news and also get to read some excellent original articles and viewpoints.

Copyright © 2010, The Paulick Report

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PRESS RELEASE

foaltrack.com, a website which enables fans and industry participants to follow the development of young Thoroughbreds and sales horses, has incorporated Equibase Virtual Stable® notifications to further assist users in tracking named juvenile horses, it was announced today by Drew Rayman, founder of foaltrack.

“As yearlings turn two, get named, start breezing, racing and winning, foaltrack members will know immediately with free workout, entry and result notifications provided by Equibase Virtual Stable,” said Rayman.

A unique homepage is created for every horse entered on foaltrack. Many of the entries include photos of the horses, enabling an overview of a stallion’s progeny and the progress of each horse through the conclusion of its racing career. Through foaltrack’s relationship with The Blood-Horse, each horse’s page includes TrueNicks nicking information and links to the Stallion Register.

“It’s like Facebook for horses,” added Rayman. “foaltrack has consolidated multiple sources of free data (race results, entries, workouts, nicking, pedigree) onto a single platform, where buyers, breeders, owners and thousands of racing fans experience the thrill of the sales and track their favorite horses. This is a huge achievement for our industry.”

Launched in August 2009, foaltrack.com has become a leading website for tracking young Thoroughbreds and sales horses. Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland participated in the foaltrack.com launch, adding over 10,000 foals of 2008 to the foaltrack database during the 2009 yearling sales season. foaltrack’s partnerships with forums, blogs, social sites and industry organizations has already attracted over 5,000 participants, giving foaltrack a reach well beyond 50,000 Thoroughbred buyers, breeders, owners, stallion farms and fans. 

Equibase Company is a partnership between The Jockey Club and Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America. Its website, equibase.com, features a comprehensive menu of free entries, results and race charts as well as premium handicapping products from past performances to selections for handicappers of every skill level. The site is also home to Virtual Stable®, which provides e-mail notification of entry, result and workout information for horses that fans want to follow. Virtual Stable also offers seasonal “race series” notifications, a once-daily report of activity for contenders for the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

A little kindness can go a long way. The following is a true story about someone well known in the horse industry who did nothing more than take a few minutes out of his busy day at a Kentucky sale some years ago to offer encouragement to a single mother down on her luck, someone who didn’t see the opportunities and fulfillment that a life well lived can bring.

The names and some of the details have been changed, but this true story serves as a reminder that the spirit of giving doesn’t have to be limited to the holiday season. The following email, from a former employee to the individual, retells the story of the young lady whose life changed for the better as a result of a random act of kindness.

Dear —–,
 
Quite a few years ago, a girl named Mary helped me at the farm–mostly part-time—and also worked some at the horse sales for us. She had young kids at home and was a single mom.

You met her several times, though you may not remember her; she was extremely bright, very articulate, but always lacked self confidence.  She did not have a college education, but I remember her to be a voracious reader, with great curiosity about the world, and a desire to learn about everything. 

The last sale she worked for me was at Keeneland about seven years ago.  I vividly remember you chatting with her, and I can recall in some detail how you complimented her and encouraged her to further her education even though she thought she was too old (she must have been in her early 30s then).  I guess I remember it so well because she brought it up several times while we were at the sale; it meant so much to her that somebody like you, whom she respected greatly, took the time to talk with her and encourage her.
 
Mary and I lost touch shortly after that … honestly, it was difficult to watch her continue to make bad choices.  Last I saw her, she was still a single mother of three kids, and had given up on pretty much all of her dreams and hopes.  She lived with a guy who clearly did not appreciate any influence from friends who suggested there might be a better world for her out there, and convinced her she was "too dumb" to do anything else than live in a trailer with him … it was very sad. But something stuck with her.
 
Just yesterday, I found her on Facebook, and sent her a message to which she promptly and happily replied.  Today, she is working on getting her college degree, is single, and recently bought her own house.  Here is a paragraph from her email to me…I just had to share this with you:
 
 
“I am a preschool teacher at a development center in Anytown, USA. I don’t have my degree yet, but I am pursuing it as I work. They are using my job time in place of some classes and I should graduate within the next year!

“At the last sale I worked for you, the owner of that really nice filly we sold took the time to talk with me, and said he thought I had a degree and that I might make a great teacher someday. I took that to heart and have been getting myself straightened out. He seemed very surprised that I hadn’t gone to college, and I guess that told me I had more potential than I was using.

“I enjoy my job, the parents and children are the reason I do it. I love the unconditional love that the children have. The parents are so appreciative that I care about their kids and take care of them to the best of my ability. I live for the ‘aha’ moment when they understand something I am trying to teach them. I feel like you know what I mean because the owners and horses you care for have the relationship with you.”

We are making plans to get together over the holidays!

…  and with that, we at the Paulick Report wish everyone a joyous holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or simply look forward to the New Year ahead. May it be filled with peace, joy and gratitude for all that we have. – Brad Cummings and Ray Paulick

Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report

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Liberation Farm celebrates the many horsemen and horsewomen who strive each day to make things better for horses and those who work with them.  To learn more about Liberation Farm, click here.

By Bradford Cummings
Every day, it becomes increasingly clear our future as an industry will be wrapped up in our ability to adapt to the Internet Age. For most institutions, this transition is a seamless one. But for a sport where the centerpiece carries such an emotional connection to the consumer, the Thoroughbred industry’s sales and auction component has struggled to make a meaningful impact online. Perhaps with the advent of foaltrack, the end of that disconnect may be near.
 
Drew Rayman, a horse owner and graphic designer, is the energetic and passionate creator of the new social networking site. Simply, he explains foaltrack by saying “facebook is for people, foaltrack is for horse people”.
 
The concept is pretty straightforward. If you have ever wanted to follow a horse from sales ring to the Kentucky Derby, foaltrack is perfect for you. Beginning just a few weeks ago, every horse up for auction at Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Select sale is on the website with basic information like sire, dam and stallion farm. You can also easily access their TrueNicks information and their 5-Cross Pedigree from brisnet.com. Additionally, each horse has at least one photo, many supplied by Drew and his extremely small crew.
 
With a very simple interface, you can search for horses by sire, dam, year of birth, stallion farm, breeder and sale as well as a keyword search box. This ability to quickly search a database allows foaltrack to grow without becoming cumbersome and makes the experience easy for even the most computer illiterate.
 
But the potential magic actually lies in foaltrack’s social networking element. Just like facebook, you are able to create a database of friends. Unlike facebook, these friends are extra hairy and have four legs. By opening an account and developing a network of horse friends, you are able to track the lifetime career of any horse put on the market. Wonder if Sheikh Mohammed’s recent $2.8 million colt will be more Green Monkey than Big Brown? Foaltrack will allow you to follow his career from his first race to retirement. Want to find the next Mine That Bird? He’ll be in the database somewhere.
 
Rayman’s reason for creating foaltrack is simple. He loves the sale process and wants to give others the opportunity to get involved. “There’s nothing like that sales environment,” said Rayman. “I want to give a peek behind the curtain.”
 
“I fell in love with going to the sales and taking notes. But it’s nearly impossible to track horses before they are named.” Rayman believes he has solved this problem.
 
But there are other very useful functions for foaltrack says Rayman. “This works like an application for breeders and consignors. Buyers are getting more demanding now.” He contends that his site can become a place for breeders and buyers to come together before the sale to build buzz and study potential prospects for sale day. It is here where Rayman hopes to make his money for a project that right now is completely self-funded. By selling ads to stallion farms and sales companies, he hopes to be able to offset the day-to-day costs and eventually turn foaltrack into a thriving business.
 
In the meantime, there are some limitations to this site. With such a small staff, it is nearly impossible for them to capture shots of every horse at a sale. Furthermore, Rayman is limiting himself to select sales so not every horse up for sale will be offered on foaltrack. He hopes that over time breeders will fill in the gaps and choose to upload their own photos to supplement his efforts.
 
And of course, the more people on the site, the more exciting the experience will be. This will come with time but already Rayman is attracting strong participation, especially for a site that has been around for such a short amount of time.
 
“It’s only been a week or two, and with exclusive forums integration, we have about a 30-50k reach, we had thousands of visitors during the Fasig-Tipton sale, hundreds of people joined (you don’t have to join to use the site),” said Rayman. “When the breeding sheds open later in the year, we should have significant influence for many breeders making their mating decisions. We thought 2010 would be the real “kick-in” period, but the market is ahead of us, reacting very well already.”
 
For the good of our industry, we hope to see foaltrack thrive. It’s always good news when innovation comes to the forefront of Thoroughbred racing. Especially when as Rayman says that innovation is “social, fast and free”.