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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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