WBC 101!

A lot of twitter conversation has been happening this week about the 2nd annual Wine Blogger’s Conference and what people should expect.  There are so many new faces this year and I am so excited to meet all of you!  My friend, and sometimes partner in wine crimes of all natures, Shana Ray (@sharayray), brainstormed this list with me to provide you with a Newbies Guide to Survivial.

This irreverant look at how to approach the WBC is sure to keep you in stitches, as well as enlighten you to how we roll at the WBC!

• Make sure to add #WBC09 to all your tweets!  This is a hastag.  Hastags allow other people to search on Twitter for specific topics.
• Bring your cellphone or laptop charger! There will be a lot of tweeting/facebooking/live blogging going around and we all know how quickly iphone batteries die.
• Tweet at your own pace, don’t feel pressured to tweet… Even if us Twitter-holics harass you.  This is a great opportunity for you to start tweeting to see what it’s all about!  You can sit back and observe for a while, with a search tool like TweetGrid or Search.Twitter.com
• Remember that your tweets are for everyone to see.  Keep your drunken tweets classy!
• Follow people who will be at the conference (Twitter Names of Attendees by Thea) and don’t be afraid to say hello.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Last year, I was so nervous because I thought that everyone’s wine knowledge was so much more extensive than mine. Even though that may have been true, the people I met were so humble that they did not make me feel stupid when asked what a Sangiovese was. – Shana
• Don’t be afraid to jump in conversations.
• Don’t wait for someone to talk to you. This is your chance to network and meet new people so don’t be shy! We’re generally a nice crowd.  Just don’t be elitest and we’ll hug you back!
• Come with an open mind, everyone likes different things.
• Don’t come between a wine blogger and their bacon. Yes, for a second year in a row, bacon will be a topic that will come up almost as much as wine.
  Don’t just drink what you know. Branch out and taste new varietals and brands.
• Get enough sleep – Don’t party too much on Friday night, you will wear yourself out!  Unless you are superman, in which case please stay up all night and go to all the parties, so you can tell us about them
• If you sit near Thea, Megan, Ashley and Shana, please do not shush us…. We will attempt to be on our best behavior, but we will not make any promises.
• Get out there and mingle!  I am as guilty as the rest of you, but try to sit with different folks so you’re not sitting in the same circles.  This is a time to make new friends and drinking buddies!
• Wear comfortable shoes, especially during the winery tours.
• Make sure to keep hydrated and eat up!
• You are allowed to use a spit cup. Shana just learned about this new concept of swirl, sip and spit. It is a necessity to make sure you try all the delicious wines that will be made available.  What’s a spit cup Shana?
• Ask the winemakers and keynote speakers questions! They are there to teach you about wine, so soak up the experience.
• Make sure to bring a bottle of your favorite wine to show off!  There are plenty of opportunities to taste and share, at dinner, at the BYOB gathering, in your room. This is your chance to show off your local best!
• Please make sure you come say hello to Thea and Shana.  We will most likely be some of the loudest people around, so it shouldn’t be hard to find us! Also, make sure to thank Joel and Allen for creating such an amazing event for the wine industry.
• Bring your sense of humor and don’t take yourself so seriously! We are a funny and sarcastic bunch of people and you will be sure to have an amazing and memorable time!  Wine bloggers have been known to imitate the 3 stooges or break into spontaneous rubber chicken dance-offs on occasion.
• Given a choice between tweeting and chatting with a live winaux,  remember there will be plenty of time to tweet your thoughts at home!  Thanks Jefe (@eljefetwisted), this is very true!