MARC News

Workshop Highlights Use of Blogs for Civic Engagement

June 23, 2006

MAGWeb, the regional group of local government webmasters, held a free workshop on June 20 to educate municipal and non-profit employees about operating blogs on the Internet. Over 30 people attended the session which introduced elements of running a blog as well as the utilization of blog searches as a tool for measuring public opinion.

Technology consultant Keith Krieger led the program and emphasized the ease and functionality of maintaining a blog and displayed several blogs created by elected officials and civic employees throughout the United States.

Krieger suggests that if you are going to implement a blog, make sure it has a strong voice and a dedicated person behind that voice. Avid bloggers are attracted to the personal touch and can be turned off if posts seem to have no voice or opinion or appear to be primarily marketing content.

Timeliness is also a large factor in a blog’s “buzz” factor. Make sure that if your agency is going to start a blog, that they have the resources and personnel to maintain it and that they’re prepared for some negative comments.

If you chose to start up a blog, guidelines are essential both for the agency and the users that may post comments. Guidelines can include what sorts of language and comments may be removed and let people know the focus or topic areas are that will be addressed by the blog.

The ease of creating blogs through free, user-friendly websites can create a false sense of security because liability for published material extends to bloggers as well. Krieger encouraged participants in the workshop to remember that the rules for blogging are the same ones that apply to any form of public discourse.

It is also important to remember that someone will inevitably post negative comments about any issue. Approaching web journaling with this mindset makes it easier to accept criticism and value it as an opportunity to respond or correct a mistake.

Since blogging is now used as a tool to monitor trends and gather feedback, Krieger shared links to sites which allow users to search blog postings, including Technorati.com and blogpulse.com.

Blogging is not just for web-savvy teens anymore. The professional world has discovered a valuable tool through blogging, but proper maintenance and web etiquette are essential to create positive results for any institution. 

Materials from Krieger’s presentation can be found on his website, www.lab188.com.

MAGWeb is an organization of Kansas City area government webmasters working together to improve government Internet and intranet services. Membership consists of government staff members in positions ranging from beginners to experienced IT professionals from around the Kansas City region. For more information or to join, visit www.kcmagweb.org.

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