Topics

We’re open to original, unpublished articles or opinion posts on almost anything pertaining to various horse-related topics. We are also interested in posts that explore the ‘big issues’ that specifically impact our local horse community here in central Oregon and therefore would be of interest to our readers. We are also looking for contributors who attend local horse events and are interested in sharing information about those events with others. Feel free to suggest other topics you feel might be relevant and of interest to our readers.

Tone

Most blog posts engage readers by using a conversational, almost informal, tone rather than an academic one. This tone tends to encourage readers to participate in the conversation by adding their comments. Posts that tie a personal experience or story into the bigger picture are often well received. Your personal perspective is ideal.

Technical stuff:

Not tech-savvy? Not to worry! We’ll take care of the formatting and posting – you take care of the writing. Here are a few tips that will help make your post more readable for an online audience. (Website login available for those who wish to post directly to the site)

• Sub Headings
  Subheadings are great for breaking up your posts, and help make them easier to read.
• Images
  You must have permission to use an image, or at least use one where there is no copyright issue. Proper attribution is required.
• Blog Length
  Typically, blog posts can be of any length as long as they convey the message. Keep in mind that posts that are too long can be daunting for readers. We suggest limiting your posts to between 500 to 1000 words (Online audiences tend to have limited attention spans!)
• Frequency of submissions
  Once a week – Once a month – One a year – You can submit articles to us as often as you want. However in order to maintain a good variety of topics and encourage a diversity of perspectives on our site, we may limit the frequency of publication.
• Editing
  We may edit posts submitted to Central Oregon Trail Horse by our contributors and guest bloggers. We’re not going to rewrite your article, but may suggest grammatical changes, minor edits, title changes, image changes, and other changes. We may return your article with recommendations to help readers better understand the content. We reserve the right to refuse publication of articles or posts that are irrelevant to our area of focus or include inappropriate content.  All posts are held for moderation by an administrator.
• Each post will also include the following disclaimer: “The content above is provided for general information only. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the CentralOregonTrailCourse.com or Central Oregon Trail Horse”
• In-Blog Links
  We ask that you limit links to 2 or 3 within each blog post/article.  We will allow links in your blog articles if they are relevant to the topic you’re writing about. We do ask that you link to any of your sources in order to give proper attribution. Linking to your blog or website is okay ONLY if relevant to the topic. Excessive linking is prohibited.
• Byline / Signature
  We want to help promote you as the author of your article and your business/organization if it supports the development of our readers and community. Each author will be provided the opportunity to include a by-line in your article as well as a brief bio. This may not be used as ad space.
  We’re looking for you to let people know who you are and what you do. We allow up to 2 links, but they may not promote products or services. You can link to your website/project’s website if you wish.

Please contact sandy@CentralOregonTrailCourse.com if you are interested.