Comments on: Food Blog Snobs http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/blog/food-blog-snobs/ Foodie journalist Jennifer Litz give you the dish on the world of vittles Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:05:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Jennifer http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/blog/food-blog-snobs/comment-page-1/#comment-42 Jennifer Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:18:48 +0000 http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/?p=180#comment-42 I agree with the importance of accountability, and that print media definitely imparts a bit of credibility to a reviewer (of course, to some, being employed by The Magazine or The Paper is a scarlet letter). But when a food blogger is good, and with their own set of ethics (and an idea or two about grammar), I usually find their input more valuable than most paid journalists because A. they're doing what they love for free, which means they're passionate about it and have the real inside scoop and B. they're typically not beholden to editors, who are beholden to publishers, who are beholden to advertisers. If anyone thinks any writer these days has never had a story killed or assigned based on revenue ... step into my office. As for the Yelp/NYT stars issue: I've always had a problem with assigning stars to restaurants, because you know it's the first thing a reader will look at, and it's pretty subjective. I mean, 3 of 5 stars is better than average, right? But it's not exactly a glowing review. There's a lot of room to interpret what that means, and it's not always received how the author meant it. And then, the jump between a 3 and 4 star review can be pretty great, you know? Of course, there's also the problem of how my rating of one restaurant fits into all the other ratings I've given, baggage that is not always fair to the particular restaurant at hand. It's complicated. I'd rather a reader just read the review and ignore the star count, so they can see exactly how I feel. Of course, all the readers have fled to the interweb. :) I agree with the importance of accountability, and that print media definitely imparts a bit of credibility to a reviewer (of course, to some, being employed by The Magazine or The Paper is a scarlet letter). But when a food blogger is good, and with their own set of ethics (and an idea or two about grammar), I usually find their input more valuable than most paid journalists because A. they’re doing what they love for free, which means they’re passionate about it and have the real inside scoop and B. they’re typically not beholden to editors, who are beholden to publishers, who are beholden to advertisers. If anyone thinks any writer these days has never had a story killed or assigned based on revenue … step into my office.

As for the Yelp/NYT stars issue: I’ve always had a problem with assigning stars to restaurants, because you know it’s the first thing a reader will look at, and it’s pretty subjective. I mean, 3 of 5 stars is better than average, right? But it’s not exactly a glowing review. There’s a lot of room to interpret what that means, and it’s not always received how the author meant it. And then, the jump between a 3 and 4 star review can be pretty great, you know? Of course, there’s also the problem of how my rating of one restaurant fits into all the other ratings I’ve given, baggage that is not always fair to the particular restaurant at hand. It’s complicated. I’d rather a reader just read the review and ignore the star count, so they can see exactly how I feel. Of course, all the readers have fled to the interweb. :)

]]> By: Phil http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/blog/food-blog-snobs/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Phil Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:04:31 +0000 http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/?p=180#comment-41 This is a great piece, Jennifer. WIRED recently ran an article that talked about our new wave of socialism, where everyone is involved, not just a select few. We're watching the face of journalism change before our eyes. However, many bloggers are nothing more than hobbyists with a penchant for starting trouble. There are several very good food blogs out there that are absolutely exceptional. You just need to find them. What irks me most are anonymous bloggers who enter restaurants, give scathing reviews, and end up hurting businesses at a time when they can ill afford to lose potential customers. Ruth Reichl worked successfully as an anonymous food critic for the New York Times for years. The only difference is those three words - New York Times. I can't name names, but last weekend I was with a group of food bloggers, one of which had given a particularly negative review to a restaurant that he'd not even eaten at yet. He sat down at the table to be served, was quickly recognized by the staff, and was promptly asked to leave by the head chef. This is a big reason why I find Yelp to have little to no credibility. It's full of mostly anonymous users who can give 1-star reviews to any establishment they feel like, with no accountability. I often wonder if half of these people have even entered the establishment they're bashing. If you want real restaurant ratings, refer to Zagat. Whether we want to buy into it or not. Print media still has the clout it needs. I think they've deserved it. It's when ethics come into question that I have a problem, and it's a big one. And bloggers are no worse than they are when it comes to this. Thanks for your post. Enlightening. This is a great piece, Jennifer. WIRED recently ran an article that talked about our new wave of socialism, where everyone is involved, not just a select few. We’re watching the face of journalism change before our eyes.

However, many bloggers are nothing more than hobbyists with a penchant for starting trouble. There are several very good food blogs out there that are absolutely exceptional. You just need to find them.

What irks me most are anonymous bloggers who enter restaurants, give scathing reviews, and end up hurting businesses at a time when they can ill afford to lose potential customers. Ruth Reichl worked successfully as an anonymous food critic for the New York Times for years. The only difference is those three words – New York Times.

I can’t name names, but last weekend I was with a group of food bloggers, one of which had given a particularly negative review to a restaurant that he’d not even eaten at yet. He sat down at the table to be served, was quickly recognized by the staff, and was promptly asked to leave by the head chef.

This is a big reason why I find Yelp to have little to no credibility. It’s full of mostly anonymous users who can give 1-star reviews to any establishment they feel like, with no accountability. I often wonder if half of these people have even entered the establishment they’re bashing. If you want real restaurant ratings, refer to Zagat.

Whether we want to buy into it or not. Print media still has the clout it needs. I think they’ve deserved it. It’s when ethics come into question that I have a problem, and it’s a big one. And bloggers are no worse than they are when it comes to this.

Thanks for your post. Enlightening.

]]> By: Jennifer Litz http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/blog/food-blog-snobs/comment-page-1/#comment-39 Jennifer Litz Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:44:01 +0000 http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/?p=180#comment-39 Agreed. Although I'd argue that bloggers want an audience, or they wouldn't publish their stuff to the World Wide Web. And the eventual responses from the outside world are an inevitability. Agreed. Although I’d argue that bloggers want an audience, or they wouldn’t publish their stuff to the World Wide Web. And the eventual responses from the outside world are an inevitability.

]]> By: Robby Slaughter http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/blog/food-blog-snobs/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Robby Slaughter Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:15:50 +0000 http://foodbytes.blogs4businesses.com/?p=180#comment-38 Renee's nuclear post on Feed Me Drink Me demonstrates that blogging is a phenomenon which cannot be effectively caged by the buzzing world of local commerce and public relations. People write because they enjoy crafting words and spilling emotions on their keyboards. When free passes, commission checks and product samples arrive, blogger reactions tumble toward unpredictable. When readers discover their favorite witticisms are on a secret payroll or have been quietly assembled by third-party hands, they may respond with shrugs or fisticuffs. No one knows the shape of this media landscape, except to say it is undiscovered and untamed. @robbyslaughter Renee’s nuclear post on Feed Me Drink Me demonstrates that blogging is a phenomenon which cannot be effectively caged by the buzzing world of local commerce and public relations. People write because they enjoy crafting words and spilling emotions on their keyboards. When free passes, commission checks and product samples arrive, blogger reactions tumble toward unpredictable. When readers discover their favorite witticisms are on a secret payroll or have been quietly assembled by third-party hands, they may respond with shrugs or fisticuffs. No one knows the shape of this media landscape, except to say it is undiscovered and untamed.

@robbyslaughter

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