I am thinking about doing a tea blog, but the thought of persisting
with it for the next few years seems frightening at times ...

For the tea bloggers participating in this forum - Marshall, SN,
Dominic, Phil ... and all those I have missed - how do you blog your
way through? I mean, isn't it hard work to do it day after day after
day...

How much time do you spend doing it? What keeps you motivated?

Any advice given will be much appreciated.



Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

On Oct 14, 3:21 pm, juliantai > wrote:
> I am thinking about doing a tea blog, but the thought of persisting
> with it for the next few years seems frightening at times ...

Julian,

It does take a lot of time, especially if you add pictures. There are
2 reasons to do it:
- you have an urge to share with others a discovery, a fact, an
emotion related to your tea experience,
- there is positive feedback from your readers.

So, I think most tea bloggers start for the first reason, but I think
most continue for the second one.
I think it would be very interesting to read more about your tea
experiences in a blog (this is pre-launch positive feedback. It
probably works too!)

Stephane

On Oct 14, 7:05 pm, Tea Masters Blog > wrote:
> On Oct 14, 3:21 pm, juliantai > wrote:
>
> > I am thinking about doing a tea blog, but the thought of persisting
> > with it for the next few years seems frightening at times ...
>
> Julian,
>
> It does take a lot of time, especially if you add pictures. There are
> 2 reasons to do it:
> - you have an urge to share with others a discovery, a fact, an
> emotion related to your tea experience,
> - there is positive feedback from your readers.
>
> So, I think most tea bloggers start for the first reason, but I think
> most continue for the second one.
> I think it would be very interesting to read more about your tea
> experiences in a blog (this is pre-launch positive feedback. It
> probably works too!)
>
> Stephane

I agree with Stephane, plus the chance to meet friends (worldwide!)
who share the passion.
I haven't updated my blog lately because I am going through some
personal life transition (nothing bad, fortunately, but work is
killing me lately).

Phyll

as Stephane said, and

i had no neat software on the pc to handle my " " "tea review" " "
notebook, and online blog software seemed to fit my needs (wordpress
does anyway)
/i dont get too much feedback since my "" "review" " style is for my
own enjoyment (but as my psychiatrist told me, not everybody has to
like me)
.... hold on... i dropped my pills...

On Oct 14, 6:21 pm, juliantai > wrote:
> I am thinking about doing a tea blog, but the thought of persisting
> with it for the next few years seems frightening at times ...
>
> For the tea bloggers participating in this forum - Marshall, SN,
> Dominic, Phil ... and all those I have missed - how do you blog your
> way through? I mean, isn't it hard work to do it day after day after
> day...
>
> How much time do you spend doing it? What keeps you motivated?
>
> Any advice given will be much appreciated.
>
>
>
> Julianhttp://www.amazing-green-tea.com

Good question... I have worked as a writer, so I just enjoy writing. I
especially enjoy writing when I don't have to worry about perfect
style and editors. I like to just throw the words out there in a
manner that fits me and my personality. If 2 people read what I wrote,
then I'm happy.

There is no real motivation or "benefit" for the time and effort
beyond what you personally get from it. I always hate tea reviews on
the sites I am buying tea from because they are anonymous and have no
frame of reference. I figured I could throw out my own reviews, along
with other misc. topics, so people have that frame of reference and
can then know a bit more about the review and the reviewer to base
their decision on. When I'm looking for a review online for any topic
that is what I tend to like finding, and I figure there has to be at
least one other person like that out there... so for that person I've
made http://teasphere.wordpress.com

- Dominic

I've been lax in my updates... I'll try for one today.

I hit the two year mark at Tea Guy Speaks in August. There are times when I'm motivated and other times when I'm not. Lately I've been getting more involved again and have begun going back to daily postings.

On the other hand, I maintain a very lengthy list of tea blogs at the site. Many of these seem to have followed what is probably a fairly common pattern with any type of blog - starting out with a great burst of energy and commitment and then trailing off after a few days/weeks/months.

Thanks,
Bill

On Oct 16, 8:06 pm, Tea Guy > wrote:
> I hit the two year mark at Tea Guy Speaks in August. There are times
> when I'm motivated and other times when I'm not. Lately I've been
> getting more involved again and have begun going back to daily
> postings.
>
> On the other hand, I maintain a very lengthy list of tea blogs at the
> site. Many of these seem to have followed what is probably a fairly
> common pattern with any type of blog - starting out with a great burst
> of energy and commitment and then trailing off after a few
> days/weeks/months.
>
> Thanks,
> Bill
>
> 'juliantai[_3_ Wrote:
>
> > ;993806']
> > How much time do you spend doing it? What keeps you motivated?
>
> --
> Tea Guy

It certainly is a commitment and it is very easy to fall off after an
initial flourish. I've managed to get back on the horse and keep with
it after my spark faded and life intervened. I've even just added
"film" to my list of topics so I can maybe shed some light on unknown
and under appreciated movies/documentaries which are another area of
passion and enjoyment for me.

The key is to cover what you love. I love tea, reading, film, art,
humor, and random oddities. While the focus is always tea, I allow
myself to branch out at times to offer myself and any readers some
variety. It also helps to add some interest beyond just one topic.

- Dominic

I, too, was considering starting my own tea blog. I was going to make
it more beginner focused, since I am still a bit of a tea novice.

I was also entertaining the idea of focusing primarily on rooibos tea
(in addition to other teas). I really enjoy the taste and think it is
something that can taste good loose and bagged. I thought it was a
unique idea since a lot of blogs focus more on the "finer" teas.
However, do you think I am backing myself into a corner by keeping my
focus so small?


On Oct 14, 6:21 pm, juliantai > wrote:
> I am thinking about doing a tea blog, but the thought of persisting
> with it for the next few years seems frightening at times ...
>
> For the tea bloggers participating in this forum - Marshall, SN,
> Dominic, Phil ... and all those I have missed - how do you blog your
> way through? I mean, isn't it hard work to do it day after day after
> day...
>
> How much time do you spend doing it? What keeps you motivated?
>
> Any advice given will be much appreciated.
>
>
>
> Julianhttp://www.amazing-green-tea.com

On Oct 18, 4:38 pm, " > wrote:
> I, too, was considering starting my own tea blog. I was going to make
> it more beginner focused, since I am still a bit of a tea novice.
>
> I was also entertaining the idea of focusing primarily on rooibos tea
> (in addition to other teas). I really enjoy the taste and think it is
> something that can taste good loose and bagged. I thought it was a
> unique idea since a lot of blogs focus more on the "finer" teas.
> However, do you think I am backing myself into a corner by keeping my
> focus so small?

Not at all, in fact a finer focus allows you to concentrate on one
thing and do it really well. I just have ADD when it comes to writing
and if given enough slack one post would include the new band I've
been into, the tea I drank, my shoes, investment advice, cars,
camping, a particularly cute puppy, and my hatred for jackets that
don't come with instructions. Nothing says you can't expand as you go
and grow... it's your blog, you are your own master.

- Dominic

P.S. Tinariwen, Huang Shan Yellow Tea, Merrell World Passports, Buy
Index Funds (and for riskier folks China and India such as PRASX), I'd
love to get a new Porsche Caymen, The Snowpeak Titanium Gigapower
stove is simply amazing, I think it was a Pomeranian, and I still
can't figure out what in the hell the velcro bit on my hood is for...
you'd think it is for rolling up and securing the hood but it's not!

Dear Julian,

I hope you don't mind if I venture an opinion on this subject, as
it's one I've been considering, too, having been writing the "Half-
Dipper" for a while now.

The motivation really has to come from the fact that it's a normal
part of your hobby - this is true for all writing, I think, not just
blogging. I think you have to answer the following question very
carefully, when thinking about starting a blog:

What are the primary reasons that you want to write to blog?

So, for example, my own answer to this question comes from the fact
that I have a lot of notes, spread around a large number of hand-
written books (my journals, in fact, which also contain my personal
jottings). All except the most recent volume are kept in a wooden
box, and they're quite inaccessible. To go back and find my notes on
a particular tea is not an easy task. So, one of my main reasons for
blogging is to allow a fully-searchable (and indexed) list of my
thoughts on various teas - mostly wulong and pu'er. It also has the
advantage over my journals in that I can include some photos of the
tea itself, and that upon revisiting a tea, addenda can be created in
a tea entry for new impressions that cannot easily be done for paper-
and-pencil journals. As my readers will have probably noticed from
the photos, I still keep the journals going, but I transcribe the
results to the Half-Dipper afterwards.

That was my founding principle, but of equal importance are two
other factors: the notes are, I hope, of some (albeit probably small)
interest to others, in forming a rounded opinion of certain teas. If
I am contemplating buying a new tea, I like to read around my trusted
sources to canvas their opinion, and I hope that the Half-Dipper can
fulfil this function for others, to some limited extent.

Last, but clearly not least, it's a great way to emphasise the
communal aspects of tea-drinking. RFDT, the Pu'er Livejournal, Mike's
pu'er forum and other dedicated fora are great cornerstones of the
distributed (computer literate) tea-drinking community, but personal
blogs are a great way to focus comments on particular teas, and
randomly discussing other transient topics that pass through the
authors' minds as they're writing their blog articles.

So, you've identified your reasons for writing - but how do you
motivate yourself? I think if you explicitly need to make an effort
to motivate yourself, then you probably shouldn't be writing a blog,
with all the best will in the world. That is, if it becomes a chore
and a grind, and you need to "push on, day after day", then clearly
your blog has stepped out of the realm of being fun, and started
becoming a bit of a burden. They say "a half-baked loaf satisfies
neither baker nor eater", and I think this is true of blogs. My
favourites are those that stay fresh and retain the passion of the
writer, while those that slip to the bottom of my frequently-read list
are those that are clearly becoming more of a chore for the authors.
I think Tea Logic's VL has the right approach: when it shifts out of
being a pleasure, and starts becoming a chore, then just take a
break. Better that than pushing on, I think. Though everyone cried
when Watterson stopped writing Calvin & Hobbes, they were better off
in the long-run; their memories of the lovely, wise comic strip would
not be quite so sweet had he pushed on and started churning out
material while letting the quality slip (as with so many other
syndicated comic strips).

I think one of the biggest sins of blogging is thinking that you
have to write at a certain frequency. Instantly, you have created a
burden of your hobby (even if the burden is light), and the beauty of
tea-drinking becomes embroiled with an obligation to write another
article for one's blog. Just to write when you have something to say,
that is enough, I think.

"Keep it fresh", as a friend of mine likes to say whenever
opportunity presents.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

I don't think I'm quite so philosophical. I started my blog as a
journal for myself, and I have noticed over time that keeping notes
for even the most mundane tea has helped me with my drinking -- I'm
noticing more things. Also, writing about it in a way others will
(hopefully) understand helps me process the information in a way I
wouldn't if I weren't doing this.

The initial reason for choosing to blog was simple -- it's an easy way
to keep the pictures together with the notes. I know if I kept a
notebook it'll be disorganized and I'll be too lazy to keep it up
after a while, and there'll be no pictures. Pictures say a lot more
than words. I find words fairly useless in describing flavours and
generally don't try to do so, since everybody's definition of "woody"
or "fruity" is different. Words are better at describing one's
physical reactions to a tea, and that's what I tend to do a little
more.

It doesn't take very long, actually, to do any of this. Half an hour
at most per day, not counting the time it takes to drink the tea,
which I'll be doing anyway.

lz

On Oct 22, 12:38 am, HobbesOxon > wrote:
> Dear Julian,
>
> I hope you don't mind if I venture an opinion on this subject, as
> it's one I've been considering, too, having been writing the "Half-
> Dipper" for a while now.
>
> The motivation really has to come from the fact that it's a normal
> part of your hobby - this is true for all writing, I think, not just
> blogging. I think you have to answer the following question very
> carefully, when thinking about starting a blog:
>
> What are the primary reasons that you want to write to blog?
>
> So, for example, my own answer to this question comes from the fact
> that I have a lot of notes, spread around a large number of hand-
> written books (my journals, in fact, which also contain my personal
> jottings). All except the most recent volume are kept in a wooden
> box, and they're quite inaccessible. To go back and find my notes on
> a particular tea is not an easy task. So, one of my main reasons for
> blogging is to allow a fully-searchable (and indexed) list of my
> thoughts on various teas - mostly wulong and pu'er. It also has the
> advantage over my journals in that I can include some photos of the
> tea itself, and that upon revisiting a tea, addenda can be created in
> a tea entry for new impressions that cannot easily be done for paper-
> and-pencil journals. As my readers will have probably noticed from
> the photos, I still keep the journals going, but I transcribe the
> results to the Half-Dipper afterwards.
>
> That was my founding principle, but of equal importance are two
> other factors: the notes are, I hope, of some (albeit probably small)
> interest to others, in forming a rounded opinion of certain teas. If
> I am contemplating buying a new tea, I like to read around my trusted
> sources to canvas their opinion, and I hope that the Half-Dipper can
> fulfil this function for others, to some limited extent.
>
> Last, but clearly not least, it's a great way to emphasise the
> communal aspects of tea-drinking. RFDT, the Pu'er Livejournal, Mike's
> pu'er forum and other dedicated fora are great cornerstones of the
> distributed (computer literate) tea-drinking community, but personal
> blogs are a great way to focus comments on particular teas, and
> randomly discussing other transient topics that pass through the
> authors' minds as they're writing their blog articles.
>
> So, you've identified your reasons for writing - but how do you
> motivate yourself? I think if you explicitly need to make an effort
> to motivate yourself, then you probably shouldn't be writing a blog,
> with all the best will in the world. That is, if it becomes a chore
> and a grind, and you need to "push on, day after day", then clearly
> your blog has stepped out of the realm of being fun, and started
> becoming a bit of a burden. They say "a half-baked loaf satisfies
> neither baker nor eater", and I think this is true of blogs. My
> favourites are those that stay fresh and retain the passion of the
> writer, while those that slip to the bottom of my frequently-read list
> are those that are clearly becoming more of a chore for the authors.
> I think Tea Logic's VL has the right approach: when it shifts out of
> being a pleasure, and starts becoming a chore, then just take a
> break. Better that than pushing on, I think. Though everyone cried
> when Watterson stopped writing Calvin & Hobbes, they were better off
> in the long-run; their memories of the lovely, wise comic strip would
> not be quite so sweet had he pushed on and started churning out
> material while letting the quality slip (as with so many other
> syndicated comic strips).
>
> I think one of the biggest sins of blogging is thinking that you
> have to write at a certain frequency. Instantly, you have created a
> burden of your hobby (even if the burden is light), and the beauty of
> tea-drinking becomes embroiled with an obligation to write another
> article for one's blog. Just to write when you have something to say,
> that is enough, I think.
>
> "Keep it fresh", as a friend of mine likes to say whenever
> opportunity presents.
>
> Toodlepip,
>
> Hobbes

Stephane, Phyll, SN, Dominic, Hobbes, Marshall

Thanks for your wonderful replies. These helpful comments really bring
the best out of RFDT.

What a pleasure to be in the company of those who love tea for what it
is.

After much considerations I have decided not to blog. My tastings are
irregular and sporadic. And living in United Kingdom somewhat limits
my choices.

If you don't mind me asking, as a well-read bloggers, do you often get
free samples to taste? Might be an incentive there

And Marshall, I can't believe it takes you only half an hour to do
those photoes and words...

I look forward to reading more of your blogs.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

juliantai > writes:

> [...]
> After much considerations I have decided not to blog. My tastings are
> irregular and sporadic. And living in United Kingdom somewhat limits
> my choices.

I wouldn't presume to tell you to blog, but Hobbes doesn't seem
limited by living in the UK.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On Oct 30, 5:22 pm, juliantai > wrote:
> Stephane, Phyll, SN, Dominic, Hobbes, Marshall
>
> Thanks for your wonderful replies. These helpful comments really bring
> the best out of RFDT.
>
> What a pleasure to be in the company of those who love tea for what it
> is.
>
> After much considerations I have decided not to blog. My tastings are
> irregular and sporadic. And living in United Kingdom somewhat limits
> my choices.
>
> If you don't mind me asking, as a well-read bloggers, do you often get
> free samples to taste? Might be an incentive there
>
> And Marshall, I can't believe it takes you only half an hour to do
> those photoes and words...
>
> I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
>
> Julianhttp://www.amazing-green-tea.com

I have worked as a product (and video game) reviewer in the past and
while the temptation of free stuff can be a draw it really shouldn't
enter into the equation. The allure of free stuff will wear off in
less than a month, guaranteed. All too often people would get into
reviewing for that reason and find themselves out of it in days/weeks.
I have only received free samples once (which weren't tied to an
order) and I really didn't go out of my way to cover them.

Never let "free" taint your reviews because once you have, your
credibility is lost forever. The other thing I used to say all the
time is that the glorious image of being showered in free swag, is
false. Nine times out of ten the stuff you get won't be something you
are into... you don't get to pick free stuff. So for every great game
I reviewed, I spent a lot of time and effort reviewing utter crap like
Britney Spears Dance Beat, or Elmo goes to school, or Mary Kate and
Ashley go to the mall. I would have gladly just bought the one good
game and enjoyed it rather than wasting my time and effort on junk.
I'd imagine tea would be no different.

"Reviewing" things is the quickest way to ensure your love for that
subject will diminish to drudgery. It no longer becomes a hobby,
passion, or past-time but a chore. Covering something after the fact
that you enjoyed or disliked is much more fun and has none of the
trappings.

Just my 2 pence from a battered and well seasoned reviewer.
- Dominic

(To this day I rarely play a videogame)

free samples - you dont know if they're sending you the "good stuff"
for review.

On Oct 30, 9:55 pm, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> juliantai > writes:
> > [...]
> > After much considerations I have decided not to blog. My tastings are
> > irregular and sporadic. And living in United Kingdom somewhat limits
> > my choices.
>
> I wouldn't presume to tell you to blog, but Hobbes doesn't seem
> limited by living in the UK.
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /

Lewis, If I order from the China-based vendors, it won't make a
difference, of course. But US do have several vendors that offer a
nice choice. Getting them to deliver to the UK is very expensive.

Dominic, you have a charmed life as a reviewer

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com

On Oct 31, 8:20 pm, SN > wrote:
> free samples - you dont know if they're sending you the "good stuff"
> for review.

It is a dilemma I have. I have tried ordering tea using my friend's
name and postal address before, but it is so much hassle and I
probably can't be bothered in the future,

There is a real risk our teas being "tweaked" as our blog/site gains
wider readership.

Julian
http://www.amazing-green-tea.com