It is time for us to start planning the detailed content of the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference, to be held August 17-19 in Portland, Oregon. And the first step is to get input from the blogging community.
Take a look at our outline Agenda on this site. Many of the components are already set but we do need your input on these three sections:
Keynote Speakers: Who would you like to see speak at the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference? We have had a great lineup of past speakers including famous wine writers, bloggers-made-good, tech experts, and wine industry celebrities.
Breakout Sessions: Hour-long breakout sessions are the chance for you to hear from experts in the field, be it blogging, writing, technology, or wine. Do you have suggestions for breakout session topics and speakers?
Blogger Discussions: We will have one time period where we’ll break into three groups for community discussions about topics of interest to wine bloggers. Last year we discussed The Present and Future of Wine Blogging; Wine Blogging and the Wine Industry; and Reaching Outside the Wine World. If you could sit down and talk with your fellow wine bloggers, what would you like to discuss?
To provide suggestions, please either comment on this blog post or email conference organizer Allan Wright at allan@ZephyrAdventures.com. Please be specific as to the topic and whether you are recommending a keynote speaker, breakout session, or blogger discussion. Please also provide us with names and, if you are suggesting someone else to present, whether you know the person!
We will take suggestions over the next week and then conduct a public vote to determine which potential topics are most popular. Thanks for your input!
Hi Ed,
As you will see by today’s post, the process has already run its course and it is too late to contribute to this year’s content. We spent months on this process, had tons of suggestions, and had many people vote.
No one will ever be pleased with everything but I think you’ll like our topics. Light on writing and heavy on interactions between bloggers and wineries!
Assuming call for topics is still open…
I think the conference needs to broaden it’s scope a bit. To me, wine blogging was never about become a journalist or what many have termed a “wine writer.” There is already a Wine Writer’s Symposium, so I am not interested in how to be a better writer nor listening to keynotes who are professional wine writers telling me how they think I should write my blog. Is this really a Wine Bloggers Conference anymore, or is should it be more of a Wine Digital Influencers Conference?
The developmental opportunities I see for bloggers is how they promote themselves and how they continue the conversation outside of their blog in the world of social media and personal face-to-face relationship building. There should be more un-conference mingling to help facilitate for those who are more comfortable behind the screen and less so in person. Maybe some Carnegie style sessions about how to win friends and influence others? Social media etiquette, strategies and tactics are topics to help wine bloggers get their blog content viewed by others and in turn be seen as an authority on the topic… as opposed to “yapping poodles” (thanks Hosemaster) telling people to just go to the blog.
As a media marketer for several wineries, I see an opportunity for a topic on how to approach and deal with wineries on a professional level. Pretty quickly in my job I learned why wine bloggers have gained a crappy reputation in some circles.
Here’s another topic: with the increase of more social platforms in recent years, how is blogging in general affected? Are people reading more or less blogs? Why/why not? How do bloggers need to adapt. Let’s compare to successful bloggers (Joe Roberts, Tom Wark, et al) but let’s take a look at up-and-comers and what they are doing right… let’s learn by what’s already being done successfully.
Assuming call for topics is still open…
I think the conference needs to broaden it’s scope a bit. To me, wine blogging was never about become a journalist or what many have termed a “wine writer.” There is already a Wine Writer’s Symposium, so I am not interested in how to be a better writer nor listening to keynotes who are professional wine writers telling me how they think I should write my blog. Is this really a Wine Bloggers Conference anymore, or is should it be more of a Wine Digital Influencers Conference?
The developmental opportunities I see for bloggers is how they promote themselves and how they continue the conversation outside of their blog in the world of social media and personal face-to-face relationship building. There should be more un-conference mingling to help facilitate for those who are more comfortable behind the screen and less so in person. Maybe some Carnegie style sessions about how to win friends and influence others? Social media etiquette, strategies and tactics are topics to help wine bloggers get their blog content viewed by others and in turn be seen as an authority on the topic… as opposed to “yapping poodles” (thanks Hosemaster) telling people to just go to the blog.
As a media marketer for several wineries, I see an opportunity for a topic on how to approach and deal with wineries on a professional level. Pretty quickly in my job I learned why wine bloggers have gained a crappy reputation in some circles.
Here’s another topic: with the increase of more social platforms in recent years, how is blogging in general affected? Are people reading more or less blogs? Why/why not? How do bloggers need to adapt. Let’s compare to successful bloggers (Joe Roberts, Tom Wark, et al) but let’s take a look at up-and-comers and what they are doing right… let’s learn by what’s already being done successfully.
Assuming call for topics is still open…
I think the conference needs to broaden it’s scope a bit. To me, wine blogging was never about become a journalist or what many have termed a “wine writer.” There is already a Wine Writer’s Symposium, so I am not interested in how to be a better writer nor listening to keynotes who are professional wine writers telling me how they think I should write my blog. Is this really a Wine Bloggers Conference anymore, or is should it be more of a Wine Digital Influencers Conference?
The developmental opportunities I see for bloggers is how they promote themselves and how they continue the conversation outside of their blog in the world of social media and personal face-to-face relationship building. There should be more un-conference mingling to help facilitate for those who are more comfortable behind the screen and less so in person. Maybe some Carnegie style sessions about how to win friends and influence others? Social media etiquette, strategies and tactics are topics to help wine bloggers get their blog content viewed by others and in turn be seen as an authority on the topic… as opposed to “yapping poodles” (thanks Hosemaster) telling people to just go to the blog.
As a media marketer for several wineries, I see an opportunity for a topic on how to approach and deal with wineries on a professional level. Pretty quickly in my job I learned why wine bloggers have gained a crappy reputation in some circles.
Here’s another topic: with the increase of more social platforms in recent years, how is blogging in general affected? Are people reading more or less blogs? Why/why not? How do bloggers need to adapt. Let’s compare to successful bloggers (Joe Roberts, Tom Wark, et al) but let’s take a look at up-and-comers and what they are doing right… let’s learn by what’s already being done successfully.
How about a session on podcasting and the importance of other media (photos, videos, etc)?
but I’d beat everyone.
Joan Wolverton, the woman who, along with her husband Linc, established Clark County, WA’s first commercial winery, Salishan Vineyards (which is now defunct, as Linc and Joan have both retired). It’d be interesting to hear what she thinks of the areas wine industry now vs. back when they started in 1971.
A geography lesson…Clark County, WA is just across the Columbia River from Portland, OR.
A session on clones and geology please.
what’s “wine”?
Geology breakout is a good idea… Oregon’s got some much interesting stuff going on between volcanic activity and the sedimentary layers of the Missoula Flood.
The tasting segment in Virginia was awesome. I would build on that. Also, I like the idea about Sake. Maybe a thorough breakdown on what terroir is and why certain grapes work in certain places (talk about Pinot Noir, Burgundy, and Willamette Valleys, for example).
For keynotes, a pioneer of the Oregon wine industry (I don’t know how old Dick Erath is, or if that would come off as a solicitation to the crowd) might be cool. Honestly, I don’t know how y’all can top Asimov. He was awesome!
Because they started with an understanding of wine, rather than an understanding of writing?
I think you gotta start with expertise.
Why do so many bad writers have wine blogs?
I fourth this!
Champagne sabering contest!!
“Is it better to start as a wine expert, and learn how to write – or start as a writer, and learn about wine?”
I would like to hear the experience of blogger who are trying to market ultra-premium (i.e., expensive) wines in the American market, compared to the Chinese market.
I think Greg Jones would be great — he’s the world’s foremost viticultural climatologist. And his family make great Oregon wines (Abacela).
Katherine Cole wrote an interesting book on biodynamic winegrowing in Oregon — Voodoo Vintners. Is there any interest in exploring the biodynamic theme.
I’ll third this.
The Baron of Wine, Yves de Boisredon would be a GREAT keynote speaker! He rocked an event recently and totally wowed wine writers and novices alike with his experience in the world of wine, his passion, his French Accent – and being an authentic French Baron doesn’t hurt! http://www.TheUltimateWineTrip.com
Recommendations:
Keynote: The Wine Baron – Yves de Boisredon
http://www.theultimatewinetrip.com/
Topics: Wine tweets and the wine traveler
http://www.twitter.com/womenwhowine
Richard’s sake idea is AWESOME
Let’s hear from vineyard climatologist Greg Jones.
I would suggest a breakout session on Sake. Portland is a sake lover’s haven, with a sake brewery located very close.
I vote: Champagne Sabre contest
Here are three requests (sessions I’ve enjoyed previously):
1. Pro or Power Blogging. What are the tips from the top bloggers to increase traffic and influence? What are the latest tools being used?
2. Geology/terroir of Oregon. Think this works better as a break-0ut (as in WA) instead of a dinner speech (VA).
3. Improving your wine writing. What are the practical suggestions to make your writing more effective and compelling?