I've just added Judd's Harvest Blog (from Judd's Hill in the Napa Valley) to our list of winery blogs. The problem with a harvest blog, of course, is that it doesn't sound very fresh for 2/3rds of the year. And, as you might expect, Judd's blog hasn't been updated since October, even though I'm quite sure that there are interesting things going on at Judd's Hill right now.
I'm not trying to be critical here - blogging isn't easy (well, at least not for most people - I'm in awe of the way Tom Wark turns out a stream of polished postings over at FERMENTATION). Even though I average a post every 2-3 days, there are some times when I go a week or more without posting (like last week, with a speaking engagement coming up, or even now, as we start a direct mail effort).
Some general hints to keep the blog posts flowing:
- Keep a list of things you'd like to blog about (so when the mood [or scheduled time] strikes, you're ready to go).
- Approach each post with the attitude, "I'm just going to write a paragraph.." (so that it doesn't become a daunting task). It's funny how you almost always end up writing more.
- If you can, set a regular time to blog (30 minutes once a week, preferably with a glass of wine, is a good habit).
- If you are comfortable with digital picture-taking, an interesting picture with a good descriptive paragraph makes a great post (again, make it easy on yourself).
- If your blogging system is painful to use, consider a change. It's really got to be dead-easy. After all, there are wines to be made!
Remember, the goal of winery blogging isn't exhaustive information (it's not a term paper). It's a little "here's something interesting" to build interest in your wines and winery. A regular series of honest and interesting posts, however brief, is generally better than going quiet for long periods. And the secret to that is to make it as easy as possible for yourself.
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