State of the Wine Blogosphere Address
News that the wine blogosphere is growing is probably not surprising to anyone reading this post. But compared to the rest of the internet, it’s moving at a snails pace. On the surface, this may seem like bad thing, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The internet is known for exponential growth, and change that happens just as fast. This fosters a dog eat dog environment where a start-up can go from an idea, to multi-million dollar “flavor of the month,” to nothing in a matter of months.
To a large degree, technological breakthroughs are responsible for these inevitable changes. If an internet company is not constantly aware of the technological ebb and flow, they are sure to be left in the dust.
In an interview by the Press Democrat, Pro wine blogger Tom Wark explained how the number of wine blogs increased ten fold from 2004 to today. This may seem like a large jump to many, but in internet terms, this is far from exponential.
Exponential growth is what many start-ups dream of when they take ideas from concept to reality. But there is a price that comes along with this kind of growth, and thats long-term viability.
The wine-blogoshpere is growing, but at a slow, constant pace. Wark mentions that “At this stage there are probably 10 wine blogs that generate income from advertising.” What? In three years of growth, only ten wine blogs are making money?
Although this may seem like a dreary statistic for most wine bloggers, it’s actually a very good sign. It means that the wine blogosphere is here to stay. Slow growth is a strong indicator of long-term viability.
Eventually, the wine blogosphere will hit critical mass and many will make “a fine living by sitting in their pajamas in front of their computer, sipping wine and tapping out blog posts about the latest Russian River Valley pinot noir.”
With this in mind, its important for up and coming wine bloggers to keep putting out great content and building a community around their blog. It may not happen over night, but that’s a good sign that WINE BLOGS ARE HERE TO STAY.
Comments & Reviews
January 22, 2007 | drdebs
Hi, Ben. Great story. Of course, some of us aren't in it to make money--not that there's anything wrong with folks that are!--so just thinking of success in terms of revenue is not necessarily the best way to go. What I would love is to see a statistics count. How many readers do you get a week? Per month? If we added all those up I'm guessing it would rival any wine publication.
January 22, 2007 | Ryan Fujiu
Dr. Debs, Ben is studying for his sommelier exam, so i was responsible for this one. While I was not trying to say that revenue is the sole force driving the wine blogoshpere, it is an indicator of the progress and reach. I'm sure that the sum total people reading wine blogs would surpass almost every wine publication, but when, if ever, will the individual wine blog pass major publication in terms of reach and influence. Is it possible? If so, who is it going to be? Alder, Wark, Asimov, the other probloggers? I think its inevitable, but the question is when.
January 22, 2007 | drdebs
Good luck to Ben on the exam. Yeesh. That's a tough one, isn't it? Sorry to not see who had written the post.
Oh, I know you didn't suggest $ was the only reason, I just wanted to add that I do think that our collective reach is much greater than any individual blogger is ever going to achieve. The reason? Each one of us essentially writes a column--not a magazine. And let's face it--WS and WA have multiple contributors. Most blogs are individual or small groups. Even the most avid blog publishers don't produce enough in a month to compete with WS or WA.
BUT on a weekly basis there is an awful lot of good stuff produced. I confess I don't wait for the mailman when WS is due to arrive anymore--I'm getting much better and more useful info daily on the web from folks like you!
January 23, 2007 | Ben Bicais
Thanks Dr. Debs, the exam went well :) The blind tastings are always a challenge, but fun! Blogs certainly face content generation constraints compared to traditional publications, but this may change as more people join online communities and contribute themselves. Although it may not be as "professional," I think this type democratized information holds great appeal to many wine lovers.
January 24, 2007 | Farley
Dr.Debs,
I think you hit the nail on the head. We're an instant- gratification society, and blogs put put possible answers just fingertips and seconds away....
And Ben, you're right, too. This way people can chime in, whether in agreement or on the contrary. Again-instantly, without mailing a letter to the editor to be published(maybe) in another month.
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