Please leave examples in the comments, but better yet explain why those examples are important. Alternately please tell us what has yet to change.

The Web Should be Something Different

“The web should be something different”. This is a quote that I heard last week while listening to one of my favorite tech podcasts. The panel was talking about the Ze Frank phenomenon and how he was successful by being different. He knew that traditional media and traditional forms of communication need to be reinvented and redefined as we move towards the future. Web 2.0 is about giving people the power to express themselves in ways that have never been seen before. With this surge of power and technology, we’ve seen an avalanche of citizen journalists taking to the blog-o-sphere to report sometimes with good results and sometimes bad. In my opinion, the majority of these “journalists” are still mimicking the old print media that they at the same time shun as outdated and old. They mock the old guard, while at the same time, running columns that hearken to the editorial pages of newspapers and magazines - a supposedly dying breed.

This is what I see in the wine blog-o-sphere, and while the exceptions are growing, there are still too many websites and blogs that have more in common with wine industry rags than with the new world of which they published in. The web is moving past the old idea of one page - one person, a place for each individual to erect their own personal billboard. Today, the web is interactive and powerful, helping to create a new pop culture phenomenon, while helping to destroy others. This is the new web, and the new web no longer needs to turn to print media for inspiration.

Thus, I turn back to wine and the idea of Wine 2.0. Is the wine industry moving to the future or are we trying to continually live in our old comfortable world of wine critic vs. winery - a struggle for the almighty “score”? What Robert Parker did back when he issued the first scores in his magazine, the Wine Advocate, changed the way we look at wine today. For this, I am very grateful to him. He is someone I respect highly and continue to be inspired by, but it seems that his idea of scoring wines is something we’re afraid to give up. I understand this, but I don’t agree with it. The web is supposed to be something different, so why does the online world of wine seem to be so much of the same? Wine reviews with various types of points awarded ““ up to 5 stars, 20 points, 100pts, etc. - what we’re doing is miming the print media that we want to leave behind. Our bodega profiles and regional reviews have so much in common with the traditional stories that it appears that we’re kowtowing to the “rags” like Wine Spectator for which we shun; while at the same time, we are trying our best to be objective and separate from the influence of advertising and free wine samples.

The recent Wine Blog Awards hosted over at Fermentation felt to me more like an award for the blog most like the traditional wine rags than one rewarding new ways of communicating. While I do respect and actually read many of the winners and nominees, I do so in trade for the magazines I once bought. The only difference is that now the dust settles upon my laptop screen and not the piles of mags on my bottom shelf.

I sit here today trying to figure out what I want to see, what this new world should be, but I know we’re not there yet. I personally still practice much of what annoys me. Looking at other niches found on the web I wonder when will there be a DIGG for wines, or a Myspace for wine lovers? When will the winery have to enter the web, as opposed to just playing in it to see what happens? When will the wineries stop sending wines to Parker and Spectator to rate, and instead, start sending them, for instance, out to a group of bloggers who could do live online virtual tastings with other people. People who can join in a dialogue with both the winemaker and like minds about the merits of the wine and the stories that revolve around it rather than discussing only the mythical point value we feel we must place. Conversations are occurring online in groups that are larger than the entire online community of wine geeks, yet we are still talking about wine as though you need an education to enjoy it.

For me, wine is more than a beverage, and I know I’m not the average consumer, but I do know this. I used to sell wine for a living. In my store, the people that made me money were the not the uber-geeks, but rather the everyday wine drinker - the ones who made wine part of the meal, as fundamental as the salt and pepper sitting in the middle of the table. These are the people that we need to find a way to communicate with. Scores scare people and tasting notes terrify them, but conversation is what they embrace. They are afraid that they won’t find the same flavors you do when tasting a wine, but when you talk to them outside of scores and jargon, they open up and share ideas you’ve never thought about. Elitism is what is causing our youth not to turn to wine as they come of age, elitism bred by the wine rags over the past decades.

Results may very, but I think if we can engage the individual who is not part of the wine “cult”, we might see a new renaissance in the relation of Web 2.0 and of Wine 2.0. Wine standards have become stagnant and solidified and it’s time that we create a new renaissance of perception and communication, so that future can once again be redefined.

I don’t know what this new world is going to look like, maybe nothing will change at all. Who really knows? All I do know is that we need to change the way we approach the web when it comes to wine. We need to make wine something for everyone, and we need to make it a part of the web in a way that anyone can approach. Whether we redefine the tasting note, or we change the way we write about it, I know that the conversation can only lead to new ideas and new ideas are what move us ahead.

I don’t really know what the answers are yet, but I’ll continue to ask the questions. I would ask all of you to respond with your ideas and thoughts too. I welcome the feedback.

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

Addendum - I do realize that there are plenty of services out there trying to do something different. The main problem I have is that they attract wine geeks like flies, rather than the wine drinking public. Wine Life Today has a few active members, which I’ll continue to contribute to, but I really don’t know if it will take off in any meaningful way. Winelog, Cork’d and Bottlelog all seem well and good, though I really don’t see anything happening. Finally Bulletin Boards (BB). We started one, and maybe one day someone will use it. If not, it will remain in the vast world of unvisited wine BB’s. eRobertparker is the biggest BB, but with the level of discourse going on in there, you must be a recent trust fund recipient in order to begin tasting at that level. Parker wanted to follow in Ralph Nader’s shoes, and what we have on his board is an elite group of people, who while knowledgeable, are also not the reality.

Please prove me wrong. Send me examples of how we are changing the discourse. Podcasting? Video casting? Are they different or just vocal versions of the same old things? Believe me, I know that I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to miming the rags, but I think we need to stop asking if “this new rating scheme I came up with” is really something different or just another incarnation of the same old ideas.

What initiated the creation of Backtype?

Initially, we wanted to create BackType so we could see what blogs people were reading and commenting on. Now we have much greater ambition for BackType, and we’re working on many new products and services.

How can a wine blogger effectively use Backtype?

We offer a collection of widgets and plugins related to comments that bloggers may be interested in. The most popular is the BackType Connect Wordpress plugin, which finds and displays comments related to your content from blogs, Twitter, Digg, and much more. Alternatively, you can use BackType Connect on our website to see where people are discussing your content. Soon we’ll be offering the same functionality for publishing platforms other than Wordpress.

What are the most common misconceptions of the search engine?

There are two common ones: 1) that we are or compete with third party comment systems, and 2) that we only track comments on blogs. Our Wordpress plugin runs on top of the native Wordpress comment system, so we don’t compete with popular third party comment systems like IntenseDebate or Disqus. Also, we track conversations from blogs, social networks, social news sites, and more.

For a budding new wine blogger, how would you suggest getting their feet wet?

If you’re just getting started, you probably don’t have many people commenting on your blog. A great way to promote more conversation is to use our Wordpress plugin. Also, I recommend signing up for BackType Alerts, which e-mails you whenever a search term you’re interested in is mentioned in a comment. I use it to follow comments made about “Krug Champagne.” It’s a great way to find conversations to participate in; if you write good comments, people will visit the URL you publish with your comment and you can start building you own readership.

I realized after a recent skype chat that this post might be a useful one for those of you testing the blogging waters. In the beginning, when you first start your blog, most people are so excited to get readers that they end up making some basic mistakes that if avoided, can make your entry into the blogging world a bit easier. The most basic, and more useful, rule of thumb is to make sure the comments you leave on other sites are doing you more good than harm.

Yesterday, I had a conversation via chat that touched on this exact point; hence, I decided to include it in its entirety with only a few minor changes: “New Blogger” has been substituted for this individual’s name, and a few grammatical chat errors were tidied up. Hope this helps someone else out there:

[2:57:33 PM] Ryan Opaz: Hey there New Blogger
[2:58:54 PM] Ryan Opaz: if you have a sec I see that your just getting started with blogging?
[3:00:11 PM] NewBlogger: Hi Ryan, yes I am.
[3:00:26 PM] NewBlogger: Just read your Iberia wines piece (on Catavino)
[3:01:10 PM] Ryan Opaz: Saw that, if your up to a quick lesson about blog comments I have a suggestion that might make your efforts in getting traffic to be bettter rewarded
[3:01:26 PM] NewBlogger: yes please!
[3:03:33 PM] Ryan Opaz: In your comment you left a link to your own blog, this act on many blogs will have you banned, or more likely your comment erased, even if it supports a point in the article. Instead since you already have your name linking to your site(in the comment header) the best way to mention a story you wrote is like this: “Last, week, month, etc…I wrote a piece on x,y,or z and mentioned this or that…..” We blog readers will automatically click your name if we want to read more…and you end up not getting in trouble with the authors of the blog.
[3:04:08 PM] Ryan Opaz: Commenting on blogs is the number one way to drive traffic, if you do it right!
[3:05:04 PM] Ryan Opaz: The only time you actually do include links in comments is when you need to support a point with an outside arguement…this is what we call “netiquette”
[3:06:59 PM] NewBlogger: ok, I see. So will you delte my comment. I can redo it
[3:07:10 PM] Ryan Opaz: I just removed the links!
[3:07:20 PM] NewBlogger: good.
[3:07:31 PM] Ryan Opaz: yours wasn’t bad or anything, I just don’t want others to follow suit
[3:07:49 PM] NewBlogger: Good point, thanks.
[3:08:25 PM] Ryan Opaz: That said…the best way to really get traffic is to ask follow up questions in the comments…then use: http://www.backtype.com/ to track followups
[3:09:07 PM] NewBlogger: Ok, to start a conversation and exchange of ideas…It really is work in progress! Good job I enjoy the process or it would seem a hard thing to do
[3:09:37 PM] Ryan Opaz: Think of the comments as today’s forums
[3:10:12 PM] NewBlogger: Ok. Gosh, it seems that the content is the least of it really!
[3:11:13 PM] Ryan Opaz: in some ways it is…the content is often the spark to start the conversation…other times not. But if you look at your comments, and others commments as a place to discuss, you really add value and build better community and trust in relation to your blog
[3:11:37 PM] Ryan Opaz: I thnk this chat needs to be come a post for http://catavino.net/services
[3:11:39 PM] Ryan Opaz:
[3:12:48 PM] New Blogger: Yes, it would be good. I am very new and just finding my way around is hard sometimes, but everyday I achieve something new. So, if I carry on with this progress it will work!
[3:14:03 PM] Ryan Opaz: definately…It took me 4.5 yrs to learn all this and I’m jsut now beginning to realize that I have a lot to learn yet!
[3:18:22 PM] NewBlogger: Oh! Yes, I realise that, good job I enjoy the writing etc. It is getting the audience that seems hard.
[3:18:46 PM] NewBlogger: Ok, comments that ask questions to get a reply and no link as it goes with my name?
[3:20:38 PM] Ryan Opaz: basically, Make sure to leave comments relevant to the post, and if relevant, ask a question or raise a point. As to the link, if you have a killer story on your own site that people should read, all you need to do is mention that you wrote “a Piece about (insert title)” and people will find it if they want to..
[3:21:25 PM] NewBlogger: ok. How do I get my web to show up on google et al?
[3:22:37 PM] Ryan Opaz: that takes time…lots of time! though you can submit it to google
[3:23:19 PM] Ryan Opaz: http://www.google.com/submityourcontent/index.html
[3:23:57 PM] Ryan Opaz: then again, the best way is to write regularly, comment on other blogs, and engage in the community
[3:25:17 PM] NewBlogger: Ok, it is all a job for the long haul isn’t it. Commenting on other blogs isn’t as much fun as writing my own! Still, I’ll set to…
[3:25:42 PM] Ryan Opaz: find better blogs to read!
[3:26:16 PM] NewBlogger: I am only just starting to find them, I like yours and mine of course..
[3:26:30 PM] Ryan Opaz: of course!
[3:27:22 PM] NewBlogger: Thank you for all this advice. I am grateful and it does help enormously. Thank you. Got to get the kids lunch now…
[3:28:32 PM] Ryan Opaz: cheers

“New Blogger” hopefully can now go out and make stronger connections in the blogging community, without worrying about looking like a spammer. Are there times to leave links in comments? Sure. But I find when starting out the rules above will serve you well until you understand better some of the nuance that happens in the comments section.

Cheers,

Ryan Opaz

PS: Leave me a comment with your commenting tips!

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To the point of crowd sourcing. What categories should there be and how should we define them? Use the comments below and this list as a starting point (taken from our categories for English wine blogs)

• Business - Marketing
• Business - Social Wine Sites
• Business - Wine News
• Food and Wine
• Music and Wine
• Art and Wine
• General Wine Blog
• Podcasts/Videocasts
• Regionally focused
• Wine Education
• Wine Rating Blogs
• Winery Blogs

What would you change/combine/shift? What standards or special considerations does each type of wine blog need to think about?

Cheers,

Ryan

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“Press” badges mean that producers and importers treat you differently - after all you must have the power to influence, to share your thoughts with potential buyers, to help or hinder their own marketing plans. It also often entitles you to some extra benefits; a Press Centre with press packs, facilities to make your visit more effective such as itineraries, desks to work at, and maybe even wifi. Not exactly free limos and free-flowing champagne, but privileges nonetheless.

Journalists who write for magazines, newsletters and newspapers have enjoyed this for a long time, but bloggers have not always had the same reception (although if you were lucky, they might not notice or check credentials).

So it was a pleasant surprise that, after a brief conversation with the lovely people at the PR company that looks after the communications for the London International Wine Fair (LIWF), I got an email saying that we (wine bloggers) were being encouraged to register as Press for the event happening next week - 12-14 May 2009.

I do believe that they want to see what effect the wine blogging community could have in picking up on news stories and sharing information. Their main worry concerning allowing access to bloggers is not to allow in consumers who would possibly abuse the “free” nature of the tasting, … and having seen what can happen to people at these events, I’m not surprised. However, I believe that they have a very inclusive view of what does make a blogger, so they are really trying to take the first steps to engage with the community.

If you are in the UK or can make it over, and you are interested in coming along, leave me a comment here and I can give you contact details. If you do come along, come to the ViniPortugal stand at B20 as they have generously arranged for the European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) to have a space to talk to anyone interested in the conference.

If you are not in the UK, why not get in touch with your local equivalent event and ask them if they are doing the same - you never know.

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On Sunday, June 14, from 11.00 to 19.00 in Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, Vinix will host an open unconference a day before the Terroir de Vino wine fair. Vinix is an aggregator of wine communities both online and offline, where professionals and enthusiasts can talk about wine, food and networking.

The aim of the unconference is to open the floor to anyone interested in participating in the conversation as it pertains to food, wine and networking. You don’t need to be a member of Vinix to participate. You only need to interested in contributing to the conversation. According to the website, there will be several sessions planned, so as to make it worth your while, but if conversations seem to lean in another direction, the unconference model will adapt to wherever the participants want to go.

The event is free, but anyone who is able and willing to help with the logistics and planning is more than welcome to offer their services. Additionally, anyone who is interested in running a session, or attending the dinner, should contact Vinix as soon as possible.
If you have additional questions or suggestions or just want to help out, please write to: unconference@vinix.it

General informations about Vinix Unplugged Unconference
Sara Maternini
E-mail: sara.maternini@terroirvino.it
Cell +39 339.1311630
Fax +39 06 233 220 684

General informations about Terroir Vino
Filippo Ronco
Web: www.terroirvino.it
E-mail: info@terroirvino.it
Cell +39 347 2119450 (Always On)
Fax +39 06 233 220 684

Tracy Rickman, a Consumer Research doctoral candidate at Auburn University is dedicating her dissertation to wine blogs as an information source. Today she comes to us with a very simple request, please fill out her survey on wine blogs to help her further her research. Her intentions are purely scientific, and participant information will, of course, be kept completely private.

Having taken the study myself, it took me no more than 10 minutes of my time. It’s fast, extensive and thought-provoking, if you take the time to consider each and every question. (Flickr photo by xmatt)

This survey is for everyone. Wine blog readers and wine bloggers alike are asked to participate. Clearly, the more diversity we get, the better. So please pass this on to everyone you know who values Wine Blogs.

Go here to take the survey and thanks to everyone who participates!! It means a lot to us! http://dbm.questionpro.com

Cheers,

Gabriella and Ryan Opaz

PS: Please tweet this, blog this, post to your facebook account, and bookmark on delicious!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been enthralled by Jeff Shaara’s book, “Rise to Rebellion”, giving words, feelings and much needed context to a war I vaguely understood in high school textbooks: The Revolutionary War.

Nearing the end of the book, Benjamin Franklin, physically worn from years of fighting an uphill intellectual battle over the freedom of the colonists  from English rule, sits wearily in his bed and reads the very first edition of “Common Sense“. Authored by Thomas Paine, the first edition of the pamphlet was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, as an inspiration for colonists reject British rule when many remained timid with indecision. As taken from the pamphlet:

There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of monarchy; it first excludes a man from the means of information, yet empowers him in cases where the highest judgment is required. The state of a king shuts him off from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know it thoroughly; wherefore the different parts, by unnaturally opposing and destroying each other; prove the whole character to be absurd and useless.

To me, Robert Parker embodies the monarchy within the wine world. For decades, we’ve turned to him for guidance, direction and support in helping us choose the highest quality wines. When we were hesitant in price, grape varietal, region or quality, we bowed to his whims, sacrificing our own personal tastes for those he deemed worthy with his almighty palate. He fed us with his reviews, fought off poor wines with the flick of his pen and stood tall in the wine industry as the  leader of the people.

But if the people disagreed, they had only two choices, send a letter to the editor by post with no guarantee it will be read, or simply avoid Parker’s reviews altogether. Neither were optimal. And like any good monarchy, information was kept limited and attention was only to those deemed “worthy”.

Time moved on, and the people created a tool where their voices were finally heard. They were given a soapbox to stand tall, to express their own personal tastes based on whatever criteria was important for them. Democracy changed places with monarchy, allowing the people, regardless of their race, color, creed, education, class, gender, age or credentials, to share their personal experiences with wine.

Wine blogging was born.

“Change is rarely acceptable unless it comes complete with an alternative that people can understand”- Benjamin Franklin from the “Rise to Rebellion”.

The monarchy grew frightened of losing its stronghold over the people. It knew of this wine blogging world, but instead of walking with the people to understand their needs and desires, it remained high on its throne, allowing ignorance to breed. Eventually, it lashed out with harsh criticisms and mistruths, claiming that none of these “wine blobbers” could topple the empire.

The empire has been thrown, and the people have chosen a new path.

But with any transition of power comes confusion, growing pains and questions. This is why the European Wine Bloggers Conference was born, a “congress” if you will, of like-minded people eager to create both order and innovation in the online wine world. A place to safely share their fears without ridicule, to support the process of discovery without suppression, to pave a new path where the voices of many are stronger than the few.

I am thankful for Parker’s reaction to the Wine Bloggers Conference. I am proud to support the consumors right to choose from the hundreds, if not thousands, of diverse voices on the internet - each unique in their language, culture, palate and perspective. And if I can further support not only the right for the consumer to choose from the myriad of voices speaking on wine, but to bolster their confidence in their own palate,  I will.

Freedom of information is an extension of freedom of speech where the medium of expression is the Internet.

Cheers,

Gabriella Opaz

If a journalist like Jason Blair plagiarizes, should we say that all journalists are plagiarizers? If a wine journalist takes money from a winery for consulting, do we say that all wine journalism is corrupt?

I think the answer is “no” to both.

So why do so people, many of which I once respected, say such silly things?

…and of course,and bloggers can’t continue to exist without wine-related advertising(we do and will continue to do so)…(read full thread here)

This comment comes from a man I very much respect(ed), and makes me sad to read. No research went into this comment, only emotion. No objectivity or fact-checking, just a snide remark. Robert Parker, please have a little more respect for other wine journalists and do some research before making such silly statements. I’m sure there are a few blogs, though I know of none myself, that take direct money from wineries, but this is not the trend. On the other hand, Decanter, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and others would all fail to exist without wine related advertising. Should they get lumped in with the “blobbers” as you call us?

Where have we lost our credibility? Was it the scandal with Wine Spectators awards last year where an individual started a blog (one post) to perpetrate his hoax? Or was there something else?

Seriously fellow wine bloggers, I want to know, what did we do? Or is it just that we exist? A percieved threat to the wine publishing industry?

In 1975, Robert Parker started his little wine journal to inform consumers on how to make better wine choices based on unbiased reviews. Today, this is not a problem anymore. If being unbiased is the crux of the issue, since being biased would lead to people wasting money on wines that are no good, then I want to find some consumers who were duped into buying bad wine by unscrupulous wine bloggers. Please tell me, who are the ones suffering? I, as a wine blogger, wish to apologize to them. Tell me wine public, where have you been led wrong? When was the last time your meal was corrupted by bad wine blogger information? Dinners tainted with shame as your guests looked at you with pity for your choice in Cabernet?

Thirty years ago, this was a real issue. There was no critic with an independent voice, and lots of bad, undrinkable wine. Today, we have some may say a glut of independent voices and no more emperors(or not for much longer), who recommend wine, that while often uninspiring, is often still drinkable. So maybe this is just a case of those with power feeling left out? Or having their power diminished? I don’t know.

As consumers, we now have a voice. Sometimes uneducated, sometimes biased, but we are the wine drinkers. We’re the ones  buying wine for dinner, in the grocery store, wine shop or online. Together, our voices are loud, though I hardly think that we’re the ones destroying the wine world. We’re not hurting anyone.

What do you think?

Ryan Opaz - Wine Blogger corrupted by his own taste