Tourism Richmond yesterday named Vancouver's Lindsay Anderson as the winner of its contest to be a food blogger who will live in and tweet about Richmond's restaurants every day for the next year.
She starts her tweeting and blogging today.
The move is part of a trend where organizations increasingly hire bloggers to experience their products and services and tweet about them.
The Vancouver International Airport Authority hired Jaeger Mah to live at the airport for 80 days last year.
YVR paid Mah a total of $4,000, about $50 per day, to spend at airport merchants in addition to a $15,000 salary.
Anderson will get a total stipend of $10,950 to spend on restaurants, which works out to $30 per day. In addition, Tourism Richmond will pay her a $50,000 salary.
"Lindsay has an engaging personality and a special way of capturing her online audience and holding them with her every word," said Tourism Richmond CEO Tracy Lakeman.
Anderson previously wrote The Dirty Apron Blog as well as a personal blog www.linds-eats.blogspot.com.
Anderson must visit a new Richmond restaurant each day of the year. She is allowed to return to ones that she likes but only if she also visits, during that day, an eatery where she has not yet been.
Tourism Richmond requires Anderson to write or tweet about the restaurants every day throughout the year, although it says some days will be much lighter than others.
She can be followed on Twitter @365richmond and her blog site www.365daysofdining.com.
