Comments on: Blog Etiquette with wine me, dine me

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Heather, thank you for taking down the picture. I was a bit surprised that you didn’t contact me about this via email after you removed it. If you want people to contact you privately, you should have an email address up on your blog. I couldn’t find one, and blogger doesn’t have an email link like other services. Your blog was never mentioned by name and no one would have known it was you if you hadn’t posted. I encourage you to email me privately if you have further issues.

I would venture to say that no one in Cincinnati is paid to write a food blog (save Polly Campbell), I know I’m not. Out of the 100+ restaurants I’ve reviewed, I have had two complimentary (except for alcohol, which they can’t give away legally) meals. One was great, one was mediocre. I’m fairly sure that most, if not all, food bloggers do it for fun and love of food. You’re not unique in that regard.

I don’t think I said anything about not writing negative reviews– I’ve written two not-so-positive reviews myself. There is, of course, an art to writing a negative review, but that isn’t what this post is about. I was speaking mostly about commenters. I’ve seen a few nasty ones in recent weeks, mostly on other blogs I read around Cincinnati. I’ve had a couple of people who disagreed with my opinion on a certain sandwich shop, but that’s the extent of it.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:23:00 +0000

Nice of you all to talk about me without emailing me directly or posting to my blog. I am new to this and didn’t know about the photo thing and I took it down as soon as I got the post.

I also don’t think posting a review about a restaurant that isn’t all roses and puppies is a problem. It’s my opinion of a restaurant and what I had that day. I’m not getting paid and I pay for all of my meals.

I write my blog because I have fun with it – it’s one person’s opinion and I try and do that light-heartedly and honestly.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:42:00 +0000

TJ, I pride myself on being diplomatic. Nearly every website, and definitely most blogs, have ads of some sort– can you also not link to Epicurious or Bitten (because the NYT doesn’t have ads…) or Slashfood or any of a million other sites that have ads? I think a small row of Google ads is far less obtrusive than the big banner ads most sites have. Ah, well. A tad hypocritical, indeed. Now I just mention “Oh, I blogged about that”– and most people seem to just do a quick google search to find me.

By: TJ Jackson

TJ Jackson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:39:00 +0000

Antiquated is a very diplomatic way to put it for a website LOADED with advertising . I hate that policy, but *shrug* I just particpate there, and have no voice in any policy-making. I’ll hold off re-posting a link to this blog there pending your decision on whether or not to host ads again….I don’t want another slap on the wrist from the RF mods over this silly policy

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:32:00 +0000

I did redesign it, and I took out ads because it’s not like I’d ever make more than a few pennies. I’ve been considering BlogHer ads. I think the idea of not linking to a site because of ads is antiquated, but if that’s what Road Food chooses to do, so be it.

By: TJ Jackson

TJ Jackson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:31:00 +0000

on an entirely unrelated note, Roadfood keeps removing links to this blog because it contains advertising, but in the recent redesign (at least it looks like you redesigned?) I don’t see ads anymore. Was this as you intended?

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:30:00 +0000

TJ– Ta da.

By: TJ Jackson

TJ Jackson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:28:00 +0000

…err….actually….I just went over to the same blog I referred to here, and found a comment from you about removing a photo…..so I do believe we are indeed on the same page.

By: Julie

Julie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Absolutely, TJ. I tend to not be passive aggressive, and generally call people out on bad behavior when I see it, privately if I can. Shoot me an email at winemedinemecinci at gmail dot com and I’ll give you a bit more detail– I think we’re discussing the same thing.

By: TJ Jackson

TJ Jackson — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:14:00 +0000

That said, I assume that if one of us violated one of the rules/mandates/suggestions laid out in this entry, you’d have let us know, privately? When I see something like this written, it tends to be in reaction to a problem of the same sort(s). I have put some negative comments on another local blog, but that was in response to the blogger’s failure to understand that she is doing so when she attacks or insults folks in her posts – and this has happened more than once