Hiya, Dogsters! As this year comes to a close, I thought it would be a grrroovy idea to focus on some of the editorial highlights in and around the Dogster empire in 2008! In addition to doing things like making extensive enhancements to our dog breed info pages and launching our all inclusive Dog and Cat Owner’s Manuals, we managed to roll out a or enhance a few other new projects as well. Check it out!
2008 really was the year of the blog for Dogster. Our For the Love of Dog Blog was handed over from Joy Ward to Horst and Lisa Hoefinger, who have continued, in Joy’s pawprints, to offer top-notch daily news, fun and tips to dog lovers all over the world. We look forward to seeing what kinds of bones Horst and Lisa dig up for us in 2009!
We also launched Snuzzy this year, our pet and animal humor site where “cute and fuzzy collide.” I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the success of this blog, and have enjoyed the feedback that I receive from our readers. So much of what makes Dogster and Catster successful has to do with the fact that our members and readers have great senses of humor and extreme fondness for all things cute, fuzzy and furry, so it was only logical that we launch the Snuzz. I look forward to continuing to find the snuzz and post it for you as the new year unfolds.
The Good Dog Blog was added to our blogosphere this year, a host of articles that addresses training and behavior issues and offers easy to follow suggestions and solutions. Make sure to check it out and add it your list of daily reading!
The Daily Dog Tip was also born in 2008, a blog that offers up short daily bits of handy info that should be of interest to dog owners and dog lovers alike. Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible, has been writing the tips for us since we launched the blog in September. Look for more helpful tips on a whole slew of topics in 2009… AND, you can also get the tips delivered to you via Twitter! Just follow Dogster by clicking here!
And speaking of Twitter, we’ve really been working hard to develop our Twitter presence, in order to make our followers aware of happenings, articles and fun stuff that dog lovers need to know about. We’ve got over 1,100 followers and more are coming every day! If you’re not following us yet, and wish to do so, or just want to find out what all of the fuss is about, jump on over to our Twitter homepage.
Our Vet Blog, written by veterinarian Dr. Eric Barchas, has grown to be one of the most comprehensive medical blogs for pet owners on the Internet. Whether responding to your questions or to current events in the pet medical community, Dr. Barchas provides helpful daily advice to pet owners all over the world.
In order to start an open dialogue regarding the pet health insurance industry, we partnered with Trupanion to start the Pet Insurance and Health Care Blog in December. This is a place where readers are free to share their experiences, pawsitive and negative, with pet health care–so that we can all learn more about how the industry works!
And quizzes? We got yer quizzes! The Dogster Breed Quiz made its debut in 2008, giving members and visitors the opportunity to see what breed of canine they would be if they were a dog! Find out what you’d be, or take it again and see if you’ve changed breeds since last time! Or, for those of you who have always been interested in finding out which celebrity your dog most closely matches, take our Celebrity Pet Quiz (also a 2008 addition) and find out!
And what good is a website with a bunch of different kinds of dogs if we can’t… stroll through all of them and try to guess their breeds! That’s right, December also saw the launch of the Dog Breed Photo Game, which has been a huge hit in just a short period of time. Haven’t played yet, or want to secure your name on the leader board? Give it a whirl now!
Still want more? 2008 had Dogster.com partnering with CBS’s hit reality show Greatest American Dog to create pages that gave fans of the show a chance to meet the contestants and join the fan club. Neat, huh?
Turns out I could go on furever and ever, but I’ll leave you with a little 2008 World’s Coolest Dog Show info and let you get back to hanging out on Dogster. For the second year in a row, over 3 MILLION votes were cast on over 20,000 entries, making the coolest pet photo contest on the Internet a success once again!
Whew. What a year.
But the most important announcement that we have to make this year is that we plan to ride this creative momentum well into the new year! So stay tuned–we’ve got lots more excitement coming your way in 2009 from Dogster HQ!
I’d like to finish by thanking all of our dedicated members, regular visitors and curious passers-by for helping us grow to be the #1 community for dog-lovers on the Internet. Many companies faced challenges in 2008, and Dogster, Inc., was no exception. But we want you to know that we’re keeping our tails up and our heads cocked as we push off into 2009, and aim to continue to provide you with the dog-friendly content that you’ve come to know and love. We always appreciate your feedback and look forward to continuing to hear from you in the coming year.
Whatever you’re looking for–your slippers, your newspaper, or your stick–you can count on us to fetch it and bring it to you.
Woofs and tail wags,
Anders Porter
Editorial & Content Manager
Dogster, Inc.
