Trends worth blogging about

I wanted to pass along some interesting info presented by Jim Gordon, the editor of Wines & Vines, at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma County last week. As a someone who occasionally engages the wine blogging community and has followed there ramblings over the past year, I agree with Jim that it's time for the cream must rise to the top. I look forward to reading more insightful blog posts in the next year. Tpics along the lines of technology, and digital media are certainly missing form the list below, but I think we have all had just about enough discussion regarding social media. Too much talk about the social media tools available and not enough about how to activate them to grow your business, IMHO.

The Future of Blogging and Wine Writing
By Jim Gordon, Editor, Wines & Vines

To stand out as a wine blogger
• Know your subject
• Get the facts from the source
• Get the facts right, even the trivial ones
• Stake a claim and mine it
• Stay ahead of the pack
• Look beyond the blogosphere for topics

Knowledge opens doors
• Readers don't care about how wine is made?
• Your industry sources do
• The more you know, the more they'll share
• Opens new doors for your writing, in biz pubs, science pubs, etc.

Seven wine industry trends
1. Wine across America
2. Hot grape varieties
3. Water wars loom
4. Where there's smoke
5. Barrel sources
6. Alternative oak products
7. Packaging / closures