New To The WWP? 7 Things You May Have Missed

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I try to be cautious about repeating myself.  I never want to be "that guy" who says the same thing over and over again as if we're in a conversation and I've forgotten something I've told you before.  But in the context of blogging it would be unreasonable to expect you've read every word I've written here or on Twitter. (If someone has been with me from the beginning or even over the past year drop me an E-mail and let me know- I'd truly appreciate it.)

I think I've mentioned before that I've found Darren Rowse's Pro Blogger to be helpful in getting my arms around blogging and motivating me to get this site off the ground, but it's been a while since I took one of his suggestions and immediately implemented it.  Until today, which is a style of post that you're reading right now.

Here's a list of 7 things you may have missed on The Wellesley Wine Press:

  1. What I consider my first post wasn't even published here on the WWP- it was published on our family blog Casa Dwyer.
    Lesson Learned: Before starting a blog on a specific topic, try writing about it on a general-purpose blog like a family blog or a personal Tumblr blog.
  2. The post I enjoyed writing the most was probably this piece about Bobby Parkerchuk on Twitter.  Sometimes I've got a half dozen things I feel I need to write about.  The night I sat down and wrote that summary of tweets I had a great time and laughed out loud.
    Lesson Learned: Sometimes it's best to write about what you want to write about- not what you feel you need to write about.
  3. A post I thought had a great discussion was this one describing the WWP QPR Calculator.  It's gratifying when someone finds their way to the site after seeking out wine QPR calculators on Google and actually finds one and we get a chance to talk about the subject of quality-price-ratio in wine.
    Lesson Learned: One of the best things about blogging is connecting with folks with the same ridiculously specific interest.
  4. A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written was probably this piece from Dr. Vino about Robert Parker and ethics because it shined a light on an inconsistency between the Wine Advocate's stated tasting policy and what was evidently going on.
    Lesson Learned: Sometimes the most important posts ruffle feathers.  It might make you unpopular with certain people.  Always be thinking about where you want to go with your writing long-term.
  5. One of my most helpful posts was probably this list of Grocery Stores in MA that sell wine.  Every time someone lands on the site after trying like heck to figure out which Trader Joe's in the state sell wine (and why) I feel like I've silently helped out.
    Lesson Learned: Assembling information and presenting it in a single easy-to-find place is a useful service.
  6. A post with a title I am proud of? What You're Doing Might Be Illegal. It's a story about how Massachusetts wine consumers might be unknowingly breaking the law by performing everyday acts with wine.  When I've reviewed past blog entries the headline caught my attention and I clicked it myself.  Aside:  Yes we need to fix our laws in this state.
    Lesson Learned: Sometimes you write headlines for search engine optimization, sometimes you write them to entice a click...  This one was for for a click, but one thing that bothers me to no end is the over-hyped headline that doesn't deliver.  This story, I hope, delivers.
  7. A post I wish more people had read was this one about a wine shop in another state being squeezed by a larger competitor.  It really opened my eyes to aspects of the wine trade I hadn't considered previously.
    Lesson Learned: Contrary to popular belief, wine shops do go out of business.  Sadly, I received an E-mail from this retailer just recently saying he was closing his shop.
As always- thank you for reading.  If you enjoy reading this site the nicest thing you could do for me is encourage someone else to check it out and subscribe.

Photo Credit: pshegubj

Topics

  © Blogger templates Newspaper by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP