Wine Conversations

When it comes to wine blogs, I tend to be biased toward those that make me think, make me self evaluate and which offer something different.

Wine Conversations hit those marks for me. Robert MacIntosh, the man behind the blog, describes his motivation this way: "Having experienced the peripatetic lifestyle I am now keen to promote community where I can, be it in wine, or locally around my home."

His posts have of late been evaluative of the wine blogging and wine social networking communities. What's interesting is that in his latest post he hits on the notion of Blogging Fatigue, something that I tend to see hit newcomers somewhere around their sixth month of blogging.

Robert focuses on that original feeling the new wine bloggers get...the one that makes them think they'll really get into this. Then a community of sorts arises around their blogs and they find themselves commenting and working the social networks and finding less and less time to blog.

I hadn't thought about this side of the equation. What I tend to see much more often is the optimistic blogger who, likely because the readership or community hasn't developed, drops the project except for occasional posts.

Robert, however, seems concerned that the various wine social networks start getting their members to do the real work of wine enthusiasts: "buy, drink, rate and write about their wines". This seems to Robert more important than the networking...the work of keeping up if you will.

Robert's own blog seems to be on a weekly posting schedule at this point. If he bumped that up to twice a week his already thoughtful writings would be twice as good. I'll be satisfied with once a week, however. Robert has that kind of mind that tends toward exploration rather than reportage and that results in his readers being forced to think rather than be informed.

I wonder if he is getting burned out. I hope not. I hope he keeps exploring the ideas that sit between wine, community and culture. There aren't that many blogs that do this.

Comments

[Alfonso]

good for him!
it's a bit of a slog, putting out something thoughtful, on a regular basis. Thanks for highlighting one of those who didnt get discouraged.

cheers,

[Terry Hughes]

...or even putting out something moronic on a regular basis. Believe me, I know, I know.

[Robert McIntosh]

What an honour. Thank you! I appreciate the support, and to know that someone like you takes the time to read my thoughts.

I don't think I am getting burned out (yet) and I shall renew my efforts to blog regularly and keep you thinking.

Thanks to you and the other wine bloggers for making this space so exciting right now.