This post comes to us from Alana Taylor, a social media marketing consultant for Halo. She is currently living in the East Village and double-majoring in Journalism and History at New York University. She also writes for Mashable.com and PBS.org. Alana will post here on occasion to teach us all how to use social media to help pets!

Whether you have just one tiny Jack Russell Terrier named Frankie who licks your ears in the morning or a dozen Dachsunds you love to let loose in your backyard, you are a pet owner. And chances are that you are also an animal lover who cares deeply about making sure that pets (not just yours) are properly fed and taken care of.

But spreading the word about holistic pet care isn’t always easy. Life can get busy and jam-packed. So read on for some tips on how just a few minutes spent online can make a big difference.

Join a Facebook Group/Fan Page

Chances are that if you don’t already have a Facebook profile, you’re on the verge of getting one. Perhaps you love connecting with friends on the site or maybe you don’t see the point of having your information online. But one thing is for sure: you love your pets.

Facebook can be a great place to meet other caring pet owners. Do a group search for terms you care about most, like “holistic pet food,” “pet foundations,” or even “I love dogs.” Then, pick from the fan pages and groups that interest you and join. Start out by checking the HaloPets, Bideawee, Humane Society, and Best Friends Animal Society fan pages!

(Keep an eye out for how many members each group has. It’s better to be a part of a group that has lots of members rather than just two.)

Now it’s your chance to really shine. Be active! Have a question? An interesting tip or link to share? Want to upload a video about the ingredients in pet food? Then do it! And keep checking back to see what other members have to say about your comments. Soon you’ll be connecting and networking with other people on the web who share your same interests.

Most importantly, you’ll be spreading awareness about the issues that matter to you without having to spend too much time or money.

Write a Blog Post

A great way to reach out online and get people thinking is by writing a blog post on your blog. It doesn’t matter if you don’t usually write about animals, make a special post and state why you think it’s so important to highlight pet care.

If you really want to get people to stop and read your post, make sure to write a catchy title or create a “top ten list.” Don’t just tell people but show them why it’s important to care about pets or why certain issues are significant in improving the lives of animals around the world. You can check the Halo Pets blog for ideas or get inspiration from other blogs like For The Love Of Dog Blog, Pet Lover’s Blog, Dolittler, and Dog Lover.

Not a writer? That’s fine! Put together a link round-up from across the web. Point people to other great sites, like charities or foundations, and blog posts that you think are most interesting. Post pictures and videos that are inspirational, eye-opening and motivating. Check out SlobberSpace for photo-blogging inspiration, or KC Dog Blog for ideas on how to round-up links!

Make sure to share your blog post with all your friends, submit it to viral sites like Digg and StumbleUpon (which you can and should do often with pet-related article you like), and post the link to your social network profiles.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Guest Blogger, Pet Facts, Pet Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.