Hi,
I will be starting a blog in the next two or three months and have a great deal to learn about the technical aspects. That is because I don’t want to use a ready-made template.
But leaving this aside, are there things you like to see/don’t like to see on blogs (if you ever visit them, of course)?
Any suggestions?
The blog will revolve principally around Bordeaux, and be totally uncommercial.
Best regards,
Alex R.
Write about topics you’re interested in, those are the best articles and then people will follow your passion.
I like pictures, the visual aspect adds depth and interest for me.
Writing and reading about wine is inherently boring unless there is direct interest in the sub-topic at hand. Humor is the only common denominator.
I don’t know much about much these days but I do enjoy reading an interesting blog. Here is all I can add:
don’t act like a know-it-all.
don’t act like a blow hard
don’t judge others blogs
don’t come off as a snob
don’t cliff jump with the herd (be bold and keep true to yourself)
don’t make it a science project
do self-efface every opportunity
do form your own opinions
do stick to them
do keep it airy and light-hearted
do read many blogs and formulate what you like and don’t like
do speak with those in the know and double check your info when it comes to you writing of the others livelihoods. (remember it’s no joke for them)
do have fun
cheers!
Back up your site regularly. At least weekly or more depending on what type of blog and how often you’ll update it. Even small websites will get hacked, spammed, etc. You don’t want to lose most of your stuff because you didn’t back it up.
Keep it simple. The worst sites use too much flash, load slow, and are hard to navigate. If one can’t easily find the links to take them to an article or something else, then they will leave your site never to come back.
Make it easy to read on a phone.
1.) Update content regularly
2.) Have a feature that sends an email when content is added
3.) Include bottle shots
4.) Write about new / lesser known producers
Content wise Wineterriors is on of my favorite wine related sites:
As a reformed blobber, I offer this: Thinking of writing a wine blog? Not so fast, kid! - worth noting - pdwr | purely domestic wine report
A lot of good things already said, but here’s my advise–don’t let it become work. The second you stop enjoying what you’re doing, take a break. When you go back, if it happens again–stop. Your enjoyment and passion of wine is more important than us having something for entertain.
Ask wineries for free bottles of wine.
Think long and hard about whether you would be giving away choice information for free - the giving of which would only serve to enrich all of the money-grubbing thieves in the 3-tier system who would be free-loading off of your hard work.
Don’t ever give away valuable commercial information for free.
Particularly not to those blood-sucking leeches.
The best way is to be critical of the blood-sucking leeches when they deserve it. Just be prepared for the flak that can come with it (I’ve been ripped once or twice).
Yeah, and don’t forget the free wine LOL
Do write about Burgundy.
Don’t write about Bordeaux.
Be honest with yourself and your readers. Don’t talk down to them. Always assume that someone reading your blog knows more about wine than you do. Pictures, when well taken, are wonderful.
Focus on proper grammar and correct spelling, seriously. Punctuation is horrifically underrated.
As others have said, stick to your guns. Be controversial if the topic demands it. Do not go along with the masses, ever, unless deep down it’s what you believe in.
You will limit your audience if you just write about Bdx, which may be your goal. Why not blog about French wines?
Don’t.
Rick,
The whole point of the blog is to focus on Bordeaux. That’s because A) There are already too many “generalist” ones out there trying to encompass wines from all over the world B) Bordeaux is the most important AOC wine from France along from Champagne in terms of reputation and commerce and C) There are really very few sites or blogs out there concentrating on just Bordeaux.
If the audience is limited, so be it. That’s fine by me. Not all books are bestsellers, but that doesn’t stop people from writing them! In short, I don’t want to be all things to all people, just to give a view of Bordeaux from somone who’s based there and, especially, to speak about something other than the great growths.
Jeremy,
I have spent a week a year in Burgundy for the past 7 or 8 years, but am aware that I’m just scratching the surface. There’s a lot less interest in Burgundy because the wines are so hard to find. That having been said, I’m sure there is a wonderful opportunity for a Burgundy-based person to produce a great blog: one that would go way, way past wines as disembodied products with points - one that would situate the wines in their context, talk about the people that make them, discuss restaurants and local events - in short, give a “you are there” feel.
That’s what I hope to do in Bordeaux. And not to make a single kopek. Just because it pleases me. And, yes, also because I have a big ego 
.
All the best,
Alex R.
Are you nuts?
Bordeaux is the #1 wine region in the world, and second place [probably Champagne] isn’t even close.
99.99999% of the world’s wine drinkers have never even heard of Chambolle-Musigny or Wehlen or Vouvray or Neive or Cote-Rotie.
My point above is that if it turns out that you have an “outstanding” palate [where “outstanding” means that you can identify new wines which will sell like hotcakes at retail], and if you’re busting your little posterior to get out and discover all of the great new motivated industrious innovative young winemaking talent in Bordeaux, and if word gets out about your “outstanding” palate, then within a few hours of the posting of each new article at your website, touting Mr Fine Young New Talent of the month, there will be a small army of blood-sucking leeches showing up at Mr Fine Young New Talent’s winery, with ironclad exclusivity contracts in hand, flattering and wheedling and cajoling Mr Fine Young New Talent into pricking his finger and signing away his soul in blood.
And laughing all the way to the bank because you went out and busted your litte posterior and identified 100,000s and 1,000,000s of dollars of new product lines for them for FREE.
Point being that if anyone is going to profit off of your work, then it might as well be YOU.
Nathyn,
I have a good palate, but would never claim to be a whizz or a guru.
Furthermore, with regard to en primeur tastings, it is so easy to make a mistake - or for the wine to be unrepresentative of the actual final blend!
I am extremely wary of points. Much harm has been done by them. However I do kind of like the Clive Coates system with very broad hierarchies: good, very good, excellent, outstanding.
I don’t think you can avoid quality appreciations…
You made an interesting point. People could capaitalize on things I have discovered and make money off that knowledge.
But, heck, I don’t think that would bother me!
You see, even if people paid to read the blog, there would still be that element of exploitation…
I stopped off and bought 6 bottles of 2010 L’Aura de Cambon, AOC Margaux this afternoon. They make 3,000 bottles in a plot wedged beween Ch. Brane Cantenac and Ch. Margaux. Now that’s the kind of wine I want to talk about.
I sat next to somone from Ch. Siran at lunch. I’d love to do a vertical tasting and report on that.
In two weeks, I’ll be visiting Chx. Turcaud and Sainte-Marie in the Entre-Deux-Mers who make lovely whites.
Those are the sorts of places I’d like to highlight.
Best regards,
Alex R.
I keep hearing of these blood-sucking leeches. Someone sounds angry so angry me thinks a blood-sucking leech has expoited them.
It sounds like the op has a good track to start along.