When, where and why did you begin blogging?

I’ve been with TigullioVino.it since April of 2000, but I’ve started to blog only in 2005.

In a few short sentences, summarize your intention with your wine blog.

My blog is somewhere between a normal blog and a corporate blog. TigullioVino.it Blog is the center of my interests: wine, technology, internet, social networking, online marketing, advertising, politics, human rights, as well as a portal where I can share news with my readers about online projects like TigullioVino.it, Vinix.it, VinoClic.it (my three online jobs). By the way, my primary intention with my blog is to inform people about what they can do with internet in the wine & food business.

How would you describe your readers?

They’re equally distributed between professionals and wine lovers, but more specifically, I think they are primarily journalists and wine bloggers.

Is blogging a professional endeavor for you or more of a personal outlet?

It is a professional need.

What tools or resources have you found to be successful in marketing your blog?

To tell you the truth, my greatest success has come from being up to date and to link to others.

How would you describe wine blogging to be different than print media?

Blogging is different because you can talk to someone who can answer back, but more importantly, bloggers are faster than print media.

Do you believe wine blogs have made any marked impact on the wine industry or wine culture?

The best impact of blogs is profoundly seen with wineries. In Italy, wineries were totally closed off in their own world, no contact with technology or the internet. Blogs have helped this transition, and today, you can see winery blogs popping up quickly. It is an impressive shift for those who have fought for years against technological backwardness.

Where do you see wine blogging in 10 years?

I think that the long tail of blogging will shift to other platforms such as social networks, forums, and similar tools more suitable to non professional bloggers, while more famous and respected blogs that post frequently will remain a reference point for others.

What do you hope to gain from this conference?

I hope to gain different points of view about blogging and social media, while at the same time, involving others in my projects. However, the first step is to prove my projects actually work.