The Winery Web Site Report

New Winery Blog: Wyandotte Winery

Owned by Robin and Valerie Coolidge, Wyandotte Winery is located in Columbus, OH.  It has an interesting history, dating back to the construction of the original winery by Amish builders in 1977.

Less than two weeks old, the Wyandotte Winery blog has a great deal less history behind it.  And one never knows how these brand-new winery blogs are going to work out, since many are started "because we oughta."  As Robin wrote,

Well, Valerie recently attended a conference on wine marketing, and during the conference she learned that many of you enjoy reading blogs.

True enough, but a winery should never start a blog without a pretty strong committment to regularly writing interesting stuff.  I think that's one reason that there are so few winery blogs to begin with, many of which are rarely updated.  With all the things that a small winery has to do, blogging gets forgotten, unless the writer has a real passion for writing (and writes interesting stuff).

Still, I wish Robin and Valerie the best, as a good winery blog benefits both the winery and the wine industry in general.

My suggestions for the 63rd addition to The List?  Spend an hour to plan a regular update schedule (at least once a week), and map out ideas for your next 10 posts.  Take some (interesting, well-framed) pictures and build posts around them.  Add a link back to your winery's home page.  Link to your blog from your winery Web site.  Most of all, give people a reason to read your blog (write interesting stuff)!

Sorry, Don, but this is *not* a blog.

Update: They fixed it!  The navigation link now reads "Press", which is totally accurate.  Thanks, Don (and Tyson Caly, who made the change the very next day).

Go to www.donandsons.com and click on the navigation link at the top entitled "Blog".

It takes you here.

Sorry, Don, but that is *not* a blog

In fact, it's not even an RSS feed for your press releases, which is a good idea for any winery (neither Bloglines.com or IE 7 detects a feed on that page).  And on top of that, the link marked "Subscribe to DS&S Press Releases" doesn't work (because it uses the not-widely-supported feed: protocol).  Come on, guys!

(Note: the real feed for the DS&S Press Releases page is at http://www.donandsons.com/pressreleases/feed/, which IE 7 and bloglines both accept.)

The Other Mike Duffy

For the record:  I am not the Mike Duffy who owns Optima Wine Cellars (although that sounds like a pretty good life, too).

I'm not the Mike Duffy on Canadian television, either.  Or the Mike Duffy who works for Time Magazine.

Just the Mike Duffy who writes The Winery Web Site Report.

Does your winery have 1,000 true fans?

Part of my job here is to let winery folks know about interesting-but-relevant thoughts from non-winery folks.  Kevin Kelly's article, 1,000 True Fans, is one of those.

One thousand is a feasible number. You could count to 1,000. If you added one fan a day, it would take only three years. True Fanship is doable. Pleasing a True Fan is pleasurable, and invigorating. It rewards the artist to remain true, to focus on the unique aspects of their work, the qualities that True Fans appreciate.

Worth reading.

(via Seth Godin)

Lazy Sunday: You'll be happy to know...

that none of the 30 worst Web sites of 2007 belonged a winery.  Here are The Worst Web Sites of 2007, courtesy of Web Pages That Suck:

• 1 through 10 (the worst)
• 11 through 20 (first runners up)
• 21 through 30 (second runners up)

Please don't look - some of these are truly abysmal, and I don't want anyone tainted by the experience!

Two Years of Winery Blogging

I wanted to call attention to this terrific post from Jason Haas on the Tablas Creek Vineyard blog, summing up lessons learned from two years of winery blogging.

Although I started this blog about two years ago, it's really only in the past year that I've felt I've found my voice.  ... I'm sure that blogging came more naturally to some other people than it did to me.  I'm not a writer by trade, so I'm learning as I go along.  ...Now that the Tablas Creek blog is two years old, I find myself starting to get asked, more and more, how to do it.  There isn't any one answer.  But, it occurs to me that it might be helpful for others considering a similar undertaking to put down some of my conclusions about what makes a blog work.

He goes on to list 7 things to do if you want your blog to work.

The Tablas Creek blog is not as widely known as some winery blogs, which is why I point it out to you (and again, encourage you to learn how to use a blog reader like Bloglines.com or Google Reader or IE7 to keep up with all the great winery bloggers out there).

Today's Question: Has blogging by others impacted your winery?

I was reading this post by Josh over at pinotblogger, and it leads me to ask this question:

Has your winery (e.g. sales of your wine) been positively or negatively impacted by others (e.g. a wine blogger) writing about your wine?

Inquiring minds want to know, so please leave a comment!

The Value / Cost of a Winery Blog

Rich Brooks of Flyte New Media has a great post on the pros and cons of having a business blog.

There's a value vs. cost equation that only you can answer. Will the time and effort you put into blogging be returned in business gained? Can the time you spend on blogging be better spent elsewhere? How can you measure success with blogging?

Cost: time, stress, and money.  Value: demonstrates expertise, raises search engine visibility, generates leads, leads the media to your door.

I really think blogging is a great way to stay in touch with people who are interested in your winery, but it takes effort, and probably appeals most to people who are closet writers to begin with.  If only that pesky wine would sell itself!

John Jantsch is more succinct: Blog, dammit!

While you're at it, check out Rich's post on Your 2008 Web Marketing Plan.

Mary Baker, Wine Detective

This great series of posts on the Nigerian wine scam by Mary "Kinsey Milhone" Baker over at Dover Canyon is a must-read for anyone with a winery.  Fascinating stuff (and I'm eagerly awaiting the final installment).

Intro, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V.

Mary has done a great public service to smaller wineries that may be drawn into this type of scam.  Thank you, Mary.

Please pass her post along to others.

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all my readers for a happy and successful 2008!

If you have any questions about what you should be doing with your winery Web site this year, drop me a line (mike at winerywebsitereport dot com) or leave a comment.  I'm in the mood to hand out free advice (which is, of course, worth what you pay for it).