Web Online Content Assignment
09/28/08

The Pragmatic Foodie

REVISED: Added point of differentiation (USP), information on competition

I will create content for The Pragmatic Foodie, a new website that is designed for people who are passionate about food and cooking, but who must balance their passion with constraints on time, money and other resources.

The goals of this site are:
1) To provide information, direction and support on cooking and eating well in the context of limited time and budget
2) To enable and encourage creation of a community of like-minded ‘pragmatic foodies,’ thus expanding the scope and reach of the site
3) To provide a platform for writing on food-related issues from a unique point of view from other ‘foodie’ sites, perhaps best summarized as ‘fun, passionate, but not obsessive.’ Or, ‘a real food site for people with real lives.’
4) To give back to the community through fund-raising efforts that are consistent with the tone and voice of the site

My role in this assignment is create initial content for launch of the site, including:
- The Pragmatic Foodie Manifesto: a statement of the goals and philosophy of the site
- “Weekday Special”: A blog featuring recipes and techniques for weekday cooking, with an emphasis on quality, convenience and and cost
- “A Grass-Fed Odyssey:” A feature article on grass-fed beef and the author’s struggle to come to terms with its shortcomings. NOTE: Replaced this with pressure cooker piece, which seemed more pragmatic and in keeping with the site's mission.

The site will conform to AP style, and will be hosted by In Poor Taste, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to fund-raising for childhood food education through its sponsorship of events such as the Fat Ass 5K road race.

This site's point of differentiation is its emphasis on good food, economically prepared in terms of both time and complexity and cost. Most other cooking blogs (Serious Eats, Chowhound) pay little or no mind to the resources required to prepare the recipes, while others focus on convenience at the expense of quality. TPF will find a middle ground by helping its community learn to prepare truly good food that fits the time and budget constraints faced by most interactors.