Hello Everyone!
Firstly, a huge welcome to our newest Members.  The quality of blogs coming in from the likes of Tat, Califia, Noel, Troy, Gogo, Ren, Katie, Dao, Beryl, Bella, Nigel (and many others) is just superb!  Combined with those from our more established members (you know who you are), we’re really starting to grow and get noticed by some very interesting quarters (more on that in a moment).  Thank you to each and every one of you for making this site so special - we can only get bigger and better )

So, what’s been happening at The Bear Club and what else is in the pipeline?  Lots, you’ll be pleased to hear!

New Features
The home page had a slight make-over recently and it was very exciting to see the Clan Leaders being brought to life with a little animation.  It certainly helps their individual characteristics to shine through.  The page navigation thumbnails also make it easier to get to those previously tucked away little gems.  There are more exciting little features being added to the site over the coming weeks, so keep your big brown bear eyes peeled.

Improved Forum
Our Message Board, the place for the people behind The Bear Club teddy bears to communicate, also benefited from some new features.  It’s now possible to add your own profile photo and avatars, as well as send messages directly to other members.  There are also more topics to discuss and additional smileys to send, so please get posting and tell us what’s on your mind :-))

TBC on the Radio
Goldie, one of our teddy bear reporters, was thrilled to be invited in to Radio Taiwan International earlier this week as word began to spread around Taiwan of his travels and reports from the area, a short video clip of which can be seen Here.  Darren, from The Bear Club Team, was equally thrilled to be interviewed by the station and was asked about TBC and the travels and adventures of Goldie.  Click Here and go to Monday’s schedule to listen to the interview in full.  The ball is definately starting to roll – don’t worry Harry, you’ll be on the Richard & Judy show before you know it!

TBC in Print
Talking of media appearances, the July issue of Teddy Bear Scene magazine (on sale from 12th June) will see a full-page feature on The Bear Club, so make sure you rush out to buy a copy (if you’re not already a subscriber).  The article, written by Sophie Douglas, covers all things TBC, from it’s conception and history to a run-down of the site’s features.  The Bear Club was approached by the magazine when they became aware of the buzz we were creating in the teddy bear world.

Post News to your Facebook & MySpace Pages
You can now add a summary of the latest News & Events entry to your other social networking sites and share them with friends.  Just click on the ‘Share’ icon on the home page and a small paragraph summary and thumbnail image will be added to whichever site you choose.  Help us to spread the TBC word!

May’s Competition – My Town
I can’t wait to see more of your ‘My Town’ entries!  Those already posted have been fantastic.  It’s so good to see teddy bears out and about in their local towns, strutting their stuff in public and letting the world know that we’ve come alive!  If you haven’t done one yet, just take your teddy in to your local town, village or city and take a pic of him (or her) in front of a local landmark.  Many thanks to Freddie & Boris for sponsoring one of the prizes.  For more information on the competition Click Here.

Basindo Fights Back
Following the results of April’s Clan League Table, Basindo remains optimistic that he can attract more new members and claw his way up from the bottom of the table.  I spoke to him recently and although he was initially quite upset, he was encouraged by the loyalty and kind messages from his current supporters.  The next instalment of ‘Tales From a Forgotten Room: The Bear Club Story’, in which Basindo takes the leading role, will definately improve his popularity!

Are My Predictions for 2008 Coming True?
My alter-ego Mystic Fred made some very bold predictions for 2008 – have any of them come true for you so far?  Pisces – have you managed to stop giggling inanely yet?  Remember Scorpios, be very wary of that stranger on roller-skates on the 25th of this month, there’ll be something very shifty about them!  If you have no idea what I’m going on about, take a look at my Horoscopes Page.  I have some new predictions for a particular celebrity, which I’ll share with you very soon.

The Bear Club Takes Off
It’s always very difficult for a new website to get noticed, but thanks to the quality of blogs being posted and the hard work of our team behind the scenes, the number of people now visiting the site is increasing rapidly, with hundreds checking us out each day!  This will soon be thousands and then who knows…. maybe even tens of thousands…millions…billions…. trillions….. oh my….I need to calm down!

So folks, keep those blogs coming – you’re making a lot of people smile )

Take care.  Love Fred x