Motorcycle Travellers' Stories

Info and Blog Request

NOTE: If you already have a website or blog elsewhere, you have no need for an HU blog, but we'll be happy to link to it! See here to find out how.

There are TWO ways of entering YOUR travel story!

1. Ride Tales Forum on the HUBB

There is a forum on the HUBB, Ride Tales, where you can enter your story. It's quick and easy, and great for short trips, or one shot stories of your latest adventure.

You have limited space on the HUBB for photos, but you can store your photos on Picasa, or one of hundreds of other photo storage websites, and link to them in your posts so they show. The very nice part is that if you are used to Bulletin Boards, it's easy to enter your story! What you can't do is a lot of what blog software can do - see the next section for details. To enter your story on the Ride Tales Forum, just log into the HUBB, or register if you haven't already, and you're ready to go in minutes. Other HUBB users can also comment on your story!

2. Blog

Blogs are ideal for longer trips, weeks, months or years, and around the world, or the next continent. There is loads of space for photos, although you can also have them on external websites such as Picasa.

We have set up the Movable Type blogging ("web log" or "web page with regular entries") software to enable motorcycle travellers around the world to enter their stories easily. For an example of a blog/travel story produced with this software, see Ken and Carol Duval's story.

You can enter your story from any Internet cafe using only the browser. Scan pictures using the available scanner and software in the cafe, or just upload them form your digital camera, then upload them to your page, or to a photo sharing site. Readers can sign up for notifications when you post a new entry, so they don't have to go to the site to check if there is an update.

What do we ask of you?

First and most important - we ask that you actually use the blog to post your story! It is a bit of work, so if you're not prepared to actually do it, please don't ask - it takes time for us to set you up, and uses valuable server space!

Please be careful of the space you use - we don't charge you, but it does cost us! Please keep photos to 500 pixels wide maximum, and 15-50kb in size maximum. More details in the Users Manual here.

You agree that you will not use this site to post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise violative of any law. You agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or by this site.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your entry, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Horizons Unlimited and our agents, Movable Type (the makers of the blogging software) and their agents, with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your entry.

Want to learn more?

Are you the sort of person who likes to read the manual before starting a project? Check out the Movable Type User Manual to see what's involved.

What if I only have one trip story?

If you have only a single trip story, and it's from a current or recent trip, it may be new and interesting to someone on the far side of the globe, or your neighbour down the road might be interested in doing the same ride next week! Just post your story on the Ride Reports Forum on the HUBB.

As always, thanks for your continuing support. If you want to help support the website and defray our significant costs, please visit here.

Grant and Susan

* = required fields.
The title should be your name, first and last, (yourlastname) (and your partner(s) name), e.g. "Grant and Susan Johnson"
Title:	*
Your new blog web address will be at http://www.horizonsunlimited. com/tstories/yourlastname/ by default - you can change yourlastname if you wish - and I agree - but keep it short and simple, with no spaces so people can remember it!)
first choice (if not /yourlastname):
second choice (if not /yourlastname):
The Description is the subheading for your page, under your name on every page - RTW 2008-2010, etc.:
Description:	*
Copyright in whose name?	*
Email address (to be used in the copyright and to receive comments):	*
Date (Month / Year) you started your trip:	*
Date (Month / Year) you finished your trip, or planned finish date if any:
Do you want to allow people to sign up on the page to receive a notification of new entries?	Yes No
Important - Please tell us how you want to use the blog, frequency of entries, and a little about your trip and yourself.
Your first name:	*
Your last name:	*
Your Home City:	*
Your State/Province:	*
Your Country:	*
Your email:	*
I have read and agree to Horizons Unlimited's terms and conditions for use of this blog	Yes No *
Submit greyed out? You MUST check Yes to Terms and Conditions. Yes, Again.

NOTE: Please make sure your email address is correct - and is still VALID. Hotmail and Yahoo addresses expire! If your email bounces, you will be ignored since I can't get hold of you!

You should get a confirmation email immediately. If you don't receive this email, there is a problem with your email address!

We normally set up blogs within a few days of your request, after we have confirmed the details with you.