I’ve been reading about some of the cool stuff going on at Where 2.0, but I’ve got this funny feeling in the back of my head that Where 2.0 might be forgetting the farmers.
That screenshot from Upcoming makes me so freaking sad. “Sorry, there are no popular events in your area!” I even lied about my area and made it the biggest city near here. 🙁 Which brings up another problem. If web services don’t cater to rural areas, countries that are predominantly rural (eg France and Spain) might experience stalled adoption rates, even in moderately sized cities.
For those who have no idea what “where 2.0” is about: the Internet is getting really interested in location location location.
YouTube, Twitter, and the usual suspects all want to know if you’ll please enter geographical data along with every new upload. Sites like Gowalla and Foursquare are putting big money on geographic location-based gadgets. And for a while, sites have been finding ways to get people away from the desktop and into the street to meet up for flashmobs, dance parties and massive group discounts.
But these sites have largely focused on big metropolitan areas. And that’s understandable. These are businesses and they figure the easiest way to get clients is to focus on places with high adoption rates and a big potential consumer base. Not a lot of winemakers prune with their iPhone handy waiting to hear about a discount on designer jeans.
And I’m wondering if California winemakers are going to be reaping the profits of proximity to major tech hubs like San Fran while poor old Languedoc hangs high and dry.
Is it part of our job as winemakers in a rural area to assess the current Internet landscape and retool some of the services out their to serve our needs? I’m working on this idea and I’ll keep coming back to it. For sure, there are ways that social media can sell wine like when Twitter-ers bid on wine at a Toques et Clochers auction in rural France. But we might have to actively study these examples if we want to replicate their success.
I’m throwing a Flickr party on December 19th at my vineyard. There will be free wine, good company and lots of photo opportunities. Please consider attending! Almost all the invitations are going out through Flickr so it’s a big group of strangers with a common interest in documenting the Languedoc with their photography.
On a lot of the flyers, it says there’s a 5€ entry fee but that entry fee is waived for anybody who sets up a free Flickr account or already has one.
You are welcome to the vineyard all day and you’ll have the opportunity to visit the winery and enjoy the peaceful vineyard atmosphere before the party gets started. The main festivities will be from 16:00 – 21:00, with small trips to la Cité de Carcassonne scheduled throughout the day for people who want to visit the castle.
I’m already getting positive RSVPs from as far away as Barcelona. If you live in the area, and want to have some camera fun, flash mob at Domaine O’Vineyards.
Domaine O’Vineyards
885 Avenue de la Montagne Noire
11620 Villemoustaussou
Saturday December 19th
16:00h – 21:00h
Ryan O’Connell
Tel 33 630189910 / 33 963063172
