A recipe for a food blogger flame war

Shuna's write-up of the Common Wealth Club's Food Blogger panel (and the event itself) triggers quite an interesting reaction in the comments. Recipe for a food blogger flame war: 3 cups drama, 0 parts actual discussion of food, a pinch of bitterness (to taste), garnish with jealousy.

Here's the thing: In every community, members have different expectations of community, different standards of behavior for themselves and others, and different goals for their participation. As I see it there isn't a singular food blogging community, and that's ok.

Comments

[jen maiser]

A - your point about the "no single blogging community" is spot on.

I said the same thing to Shuna in an email about this post -- once the public gets a little more comfortable with the idea of blogs, we won't be stereotyped with such broad strokes. No one tries to singular statements about "all cookbooks" or "all biographies" or "all news websites". At some point, there won't be that pressure to fit into a particular category on the blogging community either.

[Fesser]

The relevant comments have been deleted. The guy says he still stands by them, but they are deleted. I am not sure how you stand by something that does not exist, but that may be a limitation fostered by belonging to a community of voyeurs.

[Alaina]

They do appear to have been deleted.

[sam]

For the record - i am a girl not a guy. Only my comments were deleted, by me, and that was for personal reasons which I am do not feel it is necessary to go into here.

Alaina - I have nothing against you personally for having written this post, I still see you as the 'good cop' I have had the pleasure of meeting.

I just cannot afford to be part of the circus right now and I hope you and your friends will understand that. I mean no harm.

Thank you

sam.

[Alaina]

Sam - I'm sorry you don't want to participate on the conversation on the KQED blog, but I certainly understand the delicate balance between personal and blog life. When you have time for it, I look forward to reading more of your thoughts about community on your blog.

[shuna fish lydon]

Hello Alaina and company,

Thank you for addressing what is going on over there. I am trying to understand it all because right now I don't.

Call me crazily naive but I think "community" is a positive word. It doesn't mean we all think alike, act alike, look alike, write alike, dress alike et cetera. Perhaps because I come from the professional chef community which tends to be much more competitive, I found food bloggers to be, overall, more communal, more helpful, more friendly and more social. I liked it, it was a nice change.

I think it is difficult when people get picked from a large group and are asked to speak for them all or are being called the best/most popular of the bunch. Not even 100 people could speak for 101 people.

We are all making history as we put finger to keyboard. I think it's exciting. And I know I will make mistakes along the way, I already have. It is very powerful what we are all doing. It never ceases to amaze me and fill me with wonderment.

And you were there at the very beginnings of my spark.

[sam]

I was quite happy to take part in the conversation - I did not, however wish to be gawked at by a bunch of lurkers baying for bloggers blood. I had more than my fair share of that at the weekend.

I think you have raised some interesting points about community that I hadnt previously considered, but will do so going forward.

But i would like to add in my defense that it wasn't just me. My comments may have been deleted but there is still plenty of bitterness in what remains. Please don't imply my comments were the only ones relevant to your initial accusation.

Next time I will make the smiley face emoticon, for when I am being toungue in cheek, much, much bigger so everyone gets it the first time. In my old british way of doing things there would have been no smiley face at all, so I erroneously guessed that by leaving a one at all, people would most definitely get the joke.

Obviously I was wrong.

[Tana]

I take Sam at her word, period, that she's been under terrible stress for any number of reasons. Compassion and even mercy are good medicine for anyone who's at that point, and I am surprised to see any vituperative comments about the issue of community when it comes to Sam Breach. She's put more energy into the food blogging community than any single person I can think of. Sheesh.

Meanwhile, I didn't attend that event for reasons of my own. I like Bruce and appreciate his work, think the world of Heidi and what she's created (forum, blog, photography!), and never fail to learn something while enjoying Alder Yarrow's good stuff. But a panel didn't interest me, not under those circumstances. I think I already know what's happening with food blogging because I read my feeds...186* of them! (The vast majority are food blogs, of course.) The audience would, in my eyes, include people curious about food blogging, and I can satisfy my curiosity by reading my feeds and their comments.

I hope things settle down soon, all 'round.

Be well, everybody.

*http://www.bloglines.com/blog/tanabutler