Here's a link for photographers, videographers and radio reporters alike. It's one of my all-time favorite companies for photo, audio and video equipment. And they have a great selection of used goods. I have been using them since the early years of my career as a photographer, dating back to the early-90s. Back then, B&H Photo distributed a regularly-published newsletter crafted from stapled paper. I purchased tens of thousands of dollars of equipment from that publication throughout the years. This link was inspired by Twitter friend JustinBrown17, specifically his reply to my post regarding photojournalist camera equipment and my prized Domke Camera Bag for working the newspaper scene. The photo used for this post was ripped from his Twitter page. Direct any photo credit therein. The kid's got motocross game. Just needs to begin branding his Twitter page. Check it.

It's been a while since I've been in the swing of things and catching up on a whole lotta races. Don't get me wrong. I love racing. Get me the aroma of race fuel and some sort of camera (preferably a pro still or video camera), and I'm there. We had the opportunity to scout out the layout of the land and develop a strategy we're engaged at this weekend at the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series season opener in Las Vegas. It was a one day deal. We slammed some photos in as well as managed to post some updates upon various social media channels.

I am hereby breaking into the business of making news of someone else's hard work. I toss a quick quip and a sensational array of edgy words. It's artistry and engaging. I don't dictate onto the masses. I embrace them. I call it news aggregation. It's nothing more than a modified blog of slightly more important subject matter. Yet it's news. I am a news aggregator. It's word of mouth marketing. I merely regurgitate what I refer to as news and do unto it like a cow chews cud. The normal method of consumption is chew, swallow, stomach and dump. So goes the old ways of the news world. The newspaper is virtually dead. Now, we mouth off a bit, chew it, swallow it, and combine the final two stages into one, regurgitating facts and opinion amid social media outlets and thereby commence into the abyss of new age reporting until the fad fades into emptiness.

Recently the DIRT FORGE Blog performed a migration from a Wordpress blog on a sub-domain to a JoomlaWorks K2 blog wrapped within the Joomla CMS framework installed upon the root domain. While Wordpress remains one of easiest all-around web development platforms, especially for websites that require the capabilities of a blog or content management system (CMS), it has its limitations, particularly for projects that require or may require a relatively high level of integration with more mission specific software applications, such as e-commerce, photo gallery, file download repository and forum software. This is where the Joomla CMS framework excels.

When it comes to technology and even social media, the Off-Road Industry (OFFROAD NATION) remains in a stooper, in part due to the archaic-minded mavens at the helm and likewise due to the snake oil salesmen who have delivered these the industry a sour taste of used car salesmanship. This remains true from aftermarket parts manufacturers to race promoters. I have my array of email accounts and keyword search tools that scan the web and more specifically the more prominent aspects of social media, scanning for anything pertaining to marketing, social media, public relations and e-commerce. Many of these search queries are focused intensely upon the overall #OFFROAD industry but delve into the #POWERSPORTS, #AUTOMOTIVE, #ACTIONSPORTS, #4X4 and related realms. Though, the update that arrived just moments ago was from one of my underground insiders, who forwarded me the content from an RDC thread, which opens as follows:

Having begun my career in media, primarily as a photojournalist, working for a variety of Southern California newspapers throughout the mid '90s, I have weeded through the multitude of available camera bags throughout the years to arrive at one name. The Domke camera bag is indispensable for virtually any photographer, especially those working as photojournalists and commercial photographers.

One of the trick features of the standard Domke Balistic and Classic Camera Bags are that they conform to the contour of your hips, keeping your camera bag clutched to your every move and all photography gear within quick and easy reach. Moreover, these camera bags are built tough with canvas and ballistic nylon options that resist the elements of weather. The fact these camera bags are loosely fitting, they are also uniquely adept at absorbing shock blows from rigorous newspaper assignments, which can often take you from one extreme to another.

I generated my first Twitter account back in 2007. Shortly thereafter, I performed a few contextual posts to Twitter (Tweets) and audio posts to Utterz (now called Utterli).  This included posts generated from remote location at local races such as Mojave Desert Racing (MDR) and Mojave Offroad Racing Enthusiasts (MORE) but also SCORE Primm 300 and SCORE Baja 1000 races. During that time, all formidable websites offering coverage for these races, specifically the Baja 1000, were weak efforts. The only exception would be the Race-Dezert.com Weatherman Race Radio Live Audio Feed. But even that is rather limited in its redeeming value, which is an entirely different conversation. It wasn’t until mid-2008 that I began consistently using a Twitter account. My spike in Twitter activity was do in part to public relations guru Jim Graham (@RonJon), who is also a self-proclaimed pretty boy Class 11 VW racer, whose race addiction is delivered via @DesertDingo. There were other things that truly interested about Twitter, but it’s just as easy to blame it on Graham. Should you follow him, you might find his ever-changing array of avatars entertaining and even perplexing. While my fervor is for off-road racing, my primary interest in engaging Twitter was from the e-commerce perspective, since I have realized that e-commerce is indeed the driving force for financial sustenance behind the off-road industry.