Tea blogger - What Keep You Motivated?

Julian,

It does take a lot of time, especially if you add pictures. There are

- 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...

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

- 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 time when I'm motivated and other times when I'm not. Lately I've bee getting more involved again and have begun going back to dail postings.

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

Thanks, Bill

'juliantai[_3_ Wrote:

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?

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

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

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

/Lew

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.

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

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