For most mineral owners, their first encounter with the oil and gas industry comes from a Landman seeking to lease the mineral rights. Generally, the attitude and initial lease offer sets the tone for the relationship between Landman and mineral owner. We think it’s important for mineral owners to share their experiences from the landmen they’ve encountered to promote those who do a fine job and to warn mineral owners of those who tend to be abrasive, predatory and who might lack pertinent knowledge of the industry. Please join our FREE community forum and post your experiences about the landmen you’ve encountered and read up on other members’ experiences. The more we know as mineral owners, the better prepared we’ll be to make important decisions about leasing our assets. To join our community visit www.MineralPlace.com and click on the “Forum” tab to participate in the conversation.

The economic crisis we're facing in the U.S. has seeped into the oil and gas industry. Lease offers are dwindling as well as the lease bonus dollars being offered for the few that are out there. The cause? Even though oil and gas companies are thriving amidst the new technology which allows them to drill in unconventional shale plays, these operators use credit rather than cash to conduct drilling operations. As many are realizing, it's difficult to purchase anything on credit due to our current eonomic situation. Oil and gas companies are facing the same predicament and must trim their exploration efforts until it's feasible to borrow again. In addition oil and natural gas prices have softened making it less profitable to operate.

Last week Agelio Networks attended the American Association of Mineral Owners Conference in Houston. We were amazed at the hard work the city had put into repairing its town post hurricane Ike and enjoyed the most friendly service from local Houstonians.

Bruce Vincent, president, secretary and director of Swift Energy Company, gave a concise and eye-opening presentation of the great myths that exist in the oil and gas industry. I thought I'd share these with you all.

Myth: We're running out of oil.

Myth: We don't need more drilling.

Myth: Granting more access for more drilling won't help our high gas prices today.

Myth: We can't afford to drill without hurting our environment.

Myth: New taxes on the industry will help.

We heard from several speakers from all areas of the industry, yet one singular message reflected each of their presentations --education, education, EDUCATION! At Agelio Networks, we coldn't agree more. Here's a link to help increase your knowledge of the oil and gas industry www.energytomorrow.org.

We just wrapped up the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) National Convention in Little Rock, Arkansas. We were excited to see some familiar faces and meet new NARO members from all different parts of the U.S.

We’d like to thank everyone for supporting our product, MineralFile. We’ve listened to many stories from attendees who are in need of an accurate, reliable, cost-effective and easy to use management system for keeping track of their assets and are so relieved to have found a product that meets their needs.

Check out our new Web site www.mineralplace.com. Mineral owners from across the U.S. can chat about their concerns, questions and general knowledge about mineral ownership. Join today!

We’ve been tracking the many community sites available on the Web designed to help mineral owners make smart decisions about their mineral rights. We noticed some of these communities are limited to certain geographic areas and topics. We‘ve created a site for mineral owners across the U.S. Here members from any part of the country having any level of knowledge about the world of mineral ownership can discuss their issues and share news, information and questions.

At www.mineralplace.com we encourage you to contribute content such as photos, videos, events and forum topics. We believe the more involved you are as a mineral owner, the better prepared you’ll be to handle your mineral asset management like a pro. If you are an experienced mineral owner or industry professional please help others by answering their questions that are posted on the forums.

Come join us--you may even learn a thing or two! www.mineralplace.com