You could read reviews sorted by region, vintage type etc. He followed and was followed by other blogers. The whole thing oozed credibility. I felt that i was tapping into something real.
The RHS of his blog allows you the reader to pick how you want to be notified of new posts.
Follow on Twitter, Find us on Facebook, Subscribe via Email and even RSS. Channel choice is left up to you and like all media options social media is no different. People develop a channel preference. Allowing people to choose how they want to digest your post not only makes sense it is also essential.
Case in point, Andrew Graham has 127 likes on FB and there are comments on some of his posts. Facebook for him seem to be a place where short thoughts and travel movements are shared. Where as his blog is where the business happens. With 190,000 people having visited his site there is some interest in what he has to say. I did not sign up to the other 2 options but again you would assume the message has been tailored to the medium.
By the time you start reading some of the posts of people he is following, you are hooked. This is what it is all about, These people love reading and writing about wine. Yes, they link into other people blogs as a way of promoting themselves and to listen in on the conversation of wine in general. This is why the internet has become the most trusted source of information. It is real information coming from these virtual communities. People find themselves trusting the opinion of others that are like them and who do not represent a company with hidden agendas and affiliations. Maybe that is a little naive of me. We all have affiliations and agendas. It is more the vast number of opinions form different sources tat makes us trust that channel.
One of Andrew's followed bloggers best puts it in his brief bio...
- Chris Plummer
- "Young wine drinker who loves promoting and educating fellow drinkers on the joys of Australian wine whilst continually learning himself. No industry affiliations just aspirations."
- James Halliday... watch out!!!
SM is absolutely the place to be able to share your voice, be it with wine or any other product. This bloke is a bloke with an obvious passion for wine and he wants to share it with everyone. Whatever the reason, be it that he gains status as a wine pro or be it that he simply wants to share his experiences, he now has the option to do just that. I would like to know though, you seem to think he is credible (sorry, I'm not a wine drinker at all!), what if you find out tomorrow that he has been sponsored by some wine organisation, would you still trust what he has to say? To me this is one thing that companies need to be careful with when using people to talk about their products. Either be clear right from the start that you are affiliated with this blogger, or be extremely good at hiding it!
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Yep it's a good read, you got me signed up to follow on facebook and twitter! Coincidentally "Lark Hill" (the wine he reviewed) is the name of a racing and sports complex I was involved with back in WA :)
ReplyDeleteI was def interested in @rossouwe's comment above... Chris were you able to confirm that Andrew is not affiliated with any wine brands? As bloggers (and opinion leaders) start off communications about a passionate topic out of, say, interest, and then gain momentum, I feel as though they then may become at risk of falling into the pockets of the organisations' which they review, because by then their voice has become increasingly influential. But the blogger could also be in a position to make some dosh about something they clearly enjoy doing and are passionate about. My advice would be completely transparent about where you paychecks come from and try not to form any bias..but I'm sure that's easier said than done for some!
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