Now that we've covered essential aspects of developing a web site or blog that will rank well in search engines, it's time to move on to some specific action items we can take to get us noticed. As a quick review, here's what we've covered in this previous string of posts:

• Focus on developing a site that offers consistent valuable content that is relevant for your target audience. >>See SEO is Free Part 1
• Make pages for users, not for search engines. >>See SEO is Free Part 2
• Learn from the Google Master. Google's Webmaster Help Center required reading:
  • How can I create a Google-friendly site?
  • Webmaster Guidelines

You've got a quality site, now deal with Newton

After meeting the quality prerequisite, we need to ethically get the word out to the world that we've got a great site. While maintaining a quality site will be the ultimate reason for long term SEO success, we still have to get the whole thing kick started. As a former boss of mine used to say, "Having a great idea and not telling anyone has the same result as having no ideas at all."

So what we're dealing with now is Sir Isaac Newton's First Law of Motion, "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion." We've built the mass into our site to keep it going but the challenge for now is to take it from rest to motion. Our slingshot will be Google et. al. who, if we treat them right, can serve as our matchmaker to unite us with those people out there who need our solutions most.

Will work for backlinks

The good news is that Google and company claim to want the same thing...they want to serve up the most valuable sites to their users for any combination of keywords. The most important means by which Google and the other major search engines claim to decide which sites are truly the most valuable is by taking a vote from the Internet community. The votes they use are link backs from other sites.

So your mission is clear, submit your URL for consideration to as many other sites, indexes, and directories as possible. There are many options for where to submit, but some of the most important ones I've listed below. I recommend to our clients that they go through this list methodically to get the best exposure possible for nominal cost. Keep in mind the process and protocol for getting your URL listed at each one of these sources will vary...some are an automated submission and others will require you calling the organization to make a case for being listed, yet others may require you make a contribution of value to their community.

1. All the major search engines of course, you might consider using a service like Traffic Blazer from RisingLineWeb.com
2. dmoz.com (open directory project)
3. Superpages.com
4. Local business directories
5. Technorati.com
6. Public Library Sites (you'll need to make a convincing case as to why they should list your link)
7. MyPages.com
8. blogflux.com
9. blogtopsites.com
10. blogwise.com
11. iblogbusiness.com
12. Blogger.com (your profile)
13. goarticles.com
14. syndic8.com
15. blogdigger.com
16. weblogs.com
17. Press Release Sites e.g. prweb.com
18. Squidoo.com
19. Craigslist.org
20. Digg.com
21. del.icio.us
22. Furl
23. Shadows.com
24. MyWeb
25. StumbleUpon
26. blog-directory.org

The process of submitting to these potential partners can be time consuming. To keep from being overwhelmed, consider setting aside 15-30 minutes every week or two for backlink hunting. As always, I would be interested in your feedback or suggestions.

Labels: Search-Engine-Optimization

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/31/2006 07:15:00 PM | 0 comments

The Premise

As businesses slowly discover the blogosphere and the benefits and repercussions that come along with it, too many marketing managers are simply applying the principals and practices learned in Advertising 101 and/or sales training seminars to construct their blogging strategies. In other words, I have noticed several blogs on corporate Web sites that have been written in a manner similar to what one would find on a product description page. This is in fact a significant blunder in blog creation because it dilutes the true purpose of a blog; which is to organically engage with people in meaningful and purpose driven dialog. The fact is, consumers don’t read blogs because they’re interested in hearing a sales pitch, but rather they desire to scratch beneath the surface so as to discover the degree of actual value a product, service, or brand may provide to them personally.

How to Write a Blog

In actuality, there is no set formula or templated prescription for writing a successful blog other than to keep the content real and relevant for the reader. The content should be structured so as to capture the emotions of the reader/consumer and in a manner to solicit feedback. In many cases, this strategy goes beyond product-centric content and taps into the lifestyle of the audience; creating a customer-centric forum that harnesses emotions and develops a level of interest with significant impact for the reader.

Taking this customer-centric theme a little deeper, Ford Motor Company used to spend millions of dollars to scream at the general public about torque, towing capacity and horsepower, now they have redirected that energy toward engaging the folks who actually use, or who are contemplating using, their product through what they’ve branded as “Bold Moves.” Although Bold Moves has come under a great deal of scrutiny by some business analysts and media pundits, the concept strikes right at the heart of what today’s consumers are looking for: transparency in marketing. If you compare Bold Moves’ commentary response compared to other business blogs, you’ll find that readers are responding with passionate, informative, and respectful dialog. For instance, CLICK HERE to read a commentary on alternative fuel sources.

In addition to soliciting feedback from customers and relevant stakeholders, Ford has implemented a mechanism that allows readers to pass the information along to others so as to increase the pool of contributors. From my own observations, the result of the pass along mechanism has kept the content of the site fresh and engaging.

In summarizing the elements required to produce a successful blog, remember to:

- Develop content that is beyond the scope of your product

- Emotionally engage the target audience by talking about values, lifestyles, and subjects that keep people awake at night

- Ask for honest feedback

- Develop a mechanism to pass the blog along to other readers

How to Promote a Blog

The pass along mechanism should provide a great precursor into how to promote a blog … namely through viral methods. Although Ford has been advertising Bold Moves on commercials, a good amount of buzz has been created through non-traditional methods such as word-of-mouth via other blogs, public relations, media commentary, and personal engagement with customers – inviting them to visit the Bold Moves site. In fact, the very reason I’m writing about Bold Moves is because of the buzz generated from their non-traditional methods. I was not compelled to visit their site as a result of their television commercials.

Truth be told, successful blogs really don’t require a major media blitz to create a following if they are constructed around relevant content, as mentioned above, and if they incorporate a technological infrastructure to support a loyal following. For instance, RSS integration is a tool that is designed to build traffic to a blog site while encouraging repeat visits through a syndication method that is non-intrusive. In other words, RSS doesn’t clog up email and it helps the audience discriminate relevant information from spam through keywords and descriptions. Practically every page within Bold Moves is equipped with an RSS subscription module. Combining pass along mechanisms, non-traditional buzz, public relations, and RSS has helped Bold Moves develop into a customer-centric forum with a significant amount of traffic and passionate commentary that should intrigue most consumers in the market for a new car.

The Benefits of Blogging

Cutting through all the complex definitions of blogging, the most direct description is that of an online forum for authors to post comments and/or questions so as to solicit feedback. For businesses, blogging should not be viewed as an extension of an advertising campaign, but rather a medium to connect with customers and stakeholders. Companies that utilize blogs effectively will discover that their audience is more than willing to provide constructive feedback, in some cases eliminating the need for focus group style market research.

Additionally, blogs provide consumers with content they can search out for themselves, without having to rely solely on corporate-generated commentary. As a consumer, I appreciate the opportunity to view reader responses to corporate-generated content since it allows me the opportunity to experience the product/service from a peer’s perspective. For instance, if I’m preparing to make a purchasing decision, I as a consumer want to be well informed of the value that I would possibly receive from others that have bought before me. This is a great lead in for some common objections companies hold toward blogging.

The Objections

In my experience as a consultant, the two most common blogging objections that I run into include 1) the risk of negative feedback and 2) the lack of time. Starting with the negative feedback dilemma, companies must come to grips with the fact that not everyone can be overwhelmingly satisfied; and whether marketing managers like to hear it or not, the conversation about their company’s products and services is already taking place amongst consumers. Blogging simply provides an avenue for sellers to participate in the discussion.

To overcome this first objection, any company of worth will have loyal customer evangelists who are willing to extol the company’s virtues and provide testimonials via an online forum if provided the opportunity to do so. For companies wondering how to accomplish this feat, the key is in identifying those customer evangelists and inviting them to participate in the online discussion, similar to what Ford has accomplished through Bold Moves. Although Ford certainly has its share of detractors, it also has a large network of customers who will willingly go to bat for the company so as to defend it from critics. If a company is unable to identify any customer evangelists, that organization is in serious need of evaluating their customer service program because they probably won’t be doing business 5 years from now.

To address the second objection, time is always a factor in business operations, one of the critical resources that is severely limited and often leads to the downfall of organizations that are unable to manage it wisely. However, blogging shouldn’t be viewed along the same lines as a company picnic or corporate birthday celebration, but as a critical component of customer relations. Without a doubt, blogging requires a significant commitment, however the burden of blog management can be mitigated through a smart and comprehensive strategy involving multi-blogger participation, strategic content parameters, and scheduled posting dates. For instance, my partner Doug Case and I both blog, he writes on Thursdays and I contribute on Mondays. We agree that our content can be as many as 10 printed pages or as short as a single paragraph. Finally, we both view blogging as a fun exercise, an opportunity to share our opinions and experiences with other people. Our strategy may not work for everyone, but the point is to develop an infrastructure that will work within corporate time constraints and encourage proactive participation.

The Conclusion

In all, blogging is merely a tool that companies should leverage to envelop customers into brand loyalty and evangelism. If thought of as an extension of traditional advertising, the blog will ultimately fail because there will be a disconnect between the corporate message and the expectations of the reader. To succeed, keep the content real and customer-centric, and remember to implement technical mechanisms such as RSS or pass along links to broaden participation.

YOUR FEEDBACK is appreciated, please reply to this blog with any questions or comments.

Labels: Blogging

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/28/2006 11:20:00 AM | 6 comments

My introductory post on the truth about Search Engine Optimization was an indulgence in drama that hopefully got the point across that search engine optimization is not about beating the system just to show up in the top of someone's search list. The temptation to focus on the means instead of the end is always there and while it can yield some immediate, apparently beneficial gains, in the long run it depreciates the value a site offers to it target visitors. When developing and implementing an SEO strategy, do pay attention to the details but don't focus on them.  Remember that the ultimate determination of your site showing up on the short list of search engines is when it proves to the world that it offers consistent valuable content that is relevant to your target audience.

It's a lot like a sales person who doesn't pay attention to the details of how they dress when they call on customers...they put themselves at a disadvantage for sure, but if their technical knowledge, customer service, and closing ability are honed, they'll be successful anyway. Web sites are much the same. It helps to be dressed for the occasion of attracting attention, but you've got to have the goods to back it up.

It should be no surprise that some of the best council on search engine optimization comes from those who write the SEO rules, or a good portion of them at least—Google.  Google provides two pages of guidelines for building a web site that will best suited to be indexed and highly ranked.  If you've not visited these pages, they are a must for anyone who contributes to the management of a website:

• How can I create a Google-friendly site?
• Webmaster Guidelines

Out of all the content on these two pages, the most important is in this short sentence: "Make pages for users, not for search engines."

Labels: Search-Engine-Optimization

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/23/2006 06:37:00 PM | 0 comments

As I was visiting some relatives in Finland last month, I noticed that very few Nordic Web sites had incorporated blogging and New Media features at a corporate level. Blogging and podcasting have already become commonplace amongst the general population in Finland, as it has in the United States, however there is a glaring gap between most corporate Web sites and available New Media technology.

Something inherent about the Finnish society is that people adapt to technology very quickly. In fact, it is a country where you find youth text messaging live television talk show hosts from their mobile/cell phones although they're being charged to do so. Finns, and I'm supposing other Europeans, would most likely embrace companies or organizations that would open up the level of transparency in regards to products, services, and community. For instance, Nokia is Finland's most influential consumer brand, of which people proudly show off their new model phones amongst friends and family, along the same level as a car, home, or other status symbols. So as to exploit and enhance this brand power, I could certainly envision Nokia providing an interactive community where its customers could go online to chat about new product features, designs, like and dislikes, desires for future technology and so forth. Not only would this create further intimacy amongst Nokia's customer base, but also it would enhance customer evangelism while at the same time providing in-depth and basically free unsolicited market research. Plus, Nokia has already experimented with the blogosphere by sending bloggers new phone models and had phenomenal response; why shouldn't Nokia then take blogging to the next level and engage their customers? Nokia also has a few non-employed enthusiasts blogging about their products, the next step would be to envelop this community within the Nokia.com sphere to help shape the content and engage in the discussion.

So as to prove this isn't a Nokia centric blog, Fazer, Finnair, Hesburger, and Stockmann are four other Finnish companies that come to mind that could leverage new media technology and customer evangelism. In fact, no matter the firm or industry, the main ingredient for success is to identify a loyal customer base and empower enthusiastic individuals with tools like blogs and customer reviews so as to become a participative marketing and sales extension for little to no cost. Although this may appear somewhat iffy in terms of ethics, the truth is that most customer evangelists don’t want to be bought, they'll proactively solicit the virtues of a company's products and services simply because they feel an inherent personal emotional identification around the brand. In other words, the brand becomes a reflection on their personality.

In conclusion, I'd like to reiterate the old mantra to those of you who haven't heard it before ... great brands create consumer evangelists by empowering their customers to be a strategic marketing force. Companies that have succeeded, such as Apple Computers, Under Armour, and Southwest Airlines, know what makes their customers tick. If you're a marketer reading this blog, I highly encourage you to check out some articles under Google keyword search using "Customer Evangelism." One article in particular that I would recommend is the "Customer Evangelism Manifesto" by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba; it has honestly revolutionized our corporate drive at RisingLine New Media Marketing. Anyway, I hope this blog provided some helpful information. Please feel free to provide feedback or ask questions.

Labels: Blogging, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/21/2006 08:27:00 AM | 0 comments

Labels: Search-Engine-Optimization

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/17/2006 06:45:00 PM | 0 comments

If your company is still sending out hardcopy or email newsletters to your customers, I'd like you to pause for a moment and consider how your customers actually feel about it. In fact, put yourself in their shoes for a minute ... Do you happen to appreciate, or even read for that matter, hardcopy newsletters from suppliers that are probably collecting dust on your desk? Or are you overjoyed when a company you might purchase from once or twice a year sends you an email sales pitch on a biweekly basis? If so, I commend you for being one of the few remnant holdovers from a fading era of marketing.

Speaking for myself, I'm annoyed when ever I receive unsolicited information. So much so, that I practically have to dedicate a stand-alone trash receptacle so as to circular file all the useless mail I receive from companies that I've bought from - not to mention having to shred all the "complementary checks" my credit card company keeps trying to pawn off on me - sorry, a rabbit trail.

Getting back to the point, some companies have obviously noticed that consumers are fed up with unsolicited information; you've probably realized that many firms have started to ask if you'd like "updates" sent to your email after filling out an online form. Although a good first step in lessoning the intrusion of unsolicited information, these requests for solicitation still don't account for or alleviate the horrendous amount of information overload that Americans are exposed to.

Okay, I'll get to the point ... how many email subscriptions can an individual sign up for before they're completely inundated with information? For instance, I used to have email subscriptions for Office Depot, Holiday Inn, ICR.org, Orbitz, and several others before I came to realize that what was once relevant information was now bothersome noise. Chances are, unless you're really a remnant of the old marketing era or just plain bored, you probably feel the same way I do.

So how do modern-day marketers send out non-intrusive information to their customers? A tough question for sure, but the answer may exist in the form of RSS (Really Simple Syndication), a viable media designed to deliver non-intrusive information to a targeted audience. To provide an example of RSS’ benefit, let’s say that "Customer X" enables an RSS feed through a browser, like Firefox," that will deliver keyword driven content via an aggregator or online homepage such as Google Personalized Homepage. This allows Customer X the ability to pick and choose content that is personally relevant to his/her interests. Customer X no longer has to filter through email or take the physical effort to trash hardcopy newsletters. The greatest benefit of RSS is simply time management; Customer X doesn't want you to waste his/her time, and utilizing RSS feeds and an aggregator system is a more efficient method of information sharing for both parties. In a true sense, this is actually giving Customer X the ability to choose what type of information, ahem ... advertising, they want to receive. From a corporate marketing perspective, companies such as yours can't ask for a better situation.

In conclusion, RSS and aggregator technologies are not vehicles to solve all of the world's marketing problems - content, relevance, and credibility are components which must be earned through time and effort. However, RSS and aggregators are great tools to help generate and distribute relevant content so as to build credibility.

I invite you to ask questions or provide critical feedback on this article. I'm truly interested in your opinions/thoughts regarding information distribution and RSS/aggregator technology.

Labels: New-Media-Marketing, Web-2.0

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/14/2006 07:45:00 AM | 0 comments

How many business leaders plan on sacrificing so much of their life for a business that sticks around for a decade or two? Assuming the answer to this rhetorical question to be "few if any," then another question is begged: Why is the shelf life of most companies so short?

The best place to look is on the opposite end of the spectrum, to those companies who have created a legacy. I've been fascinated by this topic especially since recently becoming an adoring fan of Fiskars, a company founded in 1649 and on the cutting edge today of customer evangelism marketing utilizing new media (see last week's post). 

So maybe a better question to ask is, "Why  are old companies are still around?" Starting with the extreme relics like Kongo Gumi, (the Japanese construction company who was in continual operation from the year 578 until January of 2006) there is a treasure of insight available that we can directly apply to the business environment today. I'm no business history expert, but I am smart enough to deduce that most of these companies are going to be found very strong in two important suits: 1)Exploiting environmental change, and 2)Exlemplifying the marketing concept.  Inversely we can deduce that most companies, the ones with short shelf lives, are probably vulnerable to environmental change and don't adequately embrace the marketing concept.

Here's what makes this topic so provocative today—as you may be aware we've just stepped into a period of radical revolution that will be destroying the status quo of how business interacts with society. The statistics are undeniable that this change is in full gear, for example take a look at this report posted today at Information Week. 

So what's the average business to do?  Fight the trend?  Stick to the old ways that have worked (or at least kept heads above water) and hope it all goes away? It all depends on how you answered the question of "How long do you want to be in business?"  My bold prediction is that companies, large and small, who do not undergo an extreme makeover, driven by the fanatical passion of its leaders, will cease to exist, sooner or later within the 21st century. For context to my position please see our perfect storm analogy

As we enter this new era of turbulent upheaval, it's a prudent tactic to take some time and study those organizations that have weathered and prospered from these storms of change time and time again—a truly fascinating  and timely study.  I would love to hear the opinions of others on this topic, here's my invitation:

1. Pick a company from this list of oldest companies from Wikipedia, or another that you're aware of. Let's say one that's been in business at least 50 years.
2. Share your insight on why this company is still around.
3. Have your article posted on this blog with credits and links to you.

Just email me or use our contact form.

Labels: Customer-Evangelism, New-Media-Marketing

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/09/2006 12:14:00 PM | 0 comments

As RisingLine continues its blitzkrieg effort to mainstream New Media marketing, I thought it would be important to pause and ponder why some blogs never seem to take off. Okay, I'll confess, I've only been consulting in this field for about a year and a half, but in that time I've noticed distinct characteristics that separate blogs that succeed verses blogs that fail ... and no, the analysis doesn't equate to rocket science but simple marketing fundamentals.

First off, blogging can be compared to retail in terms of generating "foot traffic." For instance, many people venture into retailing because they're passionate about a product or service and they assume that others will be as well. So they'll lease a storefront, flip the sign on the front door to read "Open," and wait for the customers to rush in and buy their goods. However, what separates a successful retailer from a bankrupt retailer is the realization that rewards are derived from hard work, quality, attention to detail, and evolving a passion to match the market need. Retailers can even spend a significant portion of their budget to advertise their product or service, but if they haven't addressed these variables, they'll never generate interest nor will they develop a loyal following. And yes, these same principals apply to blogging.

So why do so many blogs fail? In my estimation, I'd narrow it down to these 5 reasons:

CONSISTENCY - The blogger has failed to consistently develop content on a regular schedule; which in turn leaves whatever viewer he or she has previously attracted clueless as to when updates or newsworthy items will appear on the blog. Although many business owners say they don't have the time to blog consistently, they need to change their perception of the blogging function and recognize it as a legitimate portion of their sales and marketing activities.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL - Although our society has significantly lowered its standards on grammar and spelling, both are still important to develop readable and discernable content. Many bloggers, myself included, have a tendency to become lazy while forgetting simple procedures that could dramatically improve the readability of posts (e.g. proofreading).

RELEVANCE - Just because a blogger may have a passion for nude parasailing, that activity doesn't necessarily equate to likeminded interest within the public at large. Similar to the retailer example above, a blogger must evolve their passion to address a market need. One unfortunate characteristic of our culture is that people are too busy in general to be interested in the passions of others; what they desire is content that emotionally engages them and equates to their own interests. This isn't to say that bloggers can't structure a message to endear their passions to others, but merely a warning to keep the interests of the audience in mind. In fact, regardless of the subject matter, successful blogs capture the emotions of an audience by making them laugh, cry, ponder, or get angry. Even nude parasailing could become a relevant blogging topic if the subject matter is able to emotionally engage the reader.

AESTHETICS - No matter the content, people in general still appreciate a well-designed layout for a Web page that is pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. By maintaining a well designed Web page, bloggers are able to enhance credibility and improve the viral component of their distribution - because who really wants to refer a terrible looking Web site to a friend or professional acquaintance?

MARKETING - Probably the most significant contributor to the failure of blogs is the lack of appropriate marketing. Again, going back to the retailer example, one cannot simply flip the sign on the front door to read "Open" and expect customers to pour in. Generating blog traffic will take effort; the content must be distributed out to a targeted group of readers in order to generate interest. Thankfully, utilizing technologies such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication), SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and viral components such as a "Send This to a Friend" link are all viable methods to help generate interest in a particular blog. Additionally, as horrible as this may sound, bloggers should incorporate some MLM tactics into marketing their blog - such as encouraging their immediate sphere of contacts (family, friends, neighbors, work contacts, etc.) to read their content and spread it along. If a blog contains the prior 4 elements listed above, it will generate interest if marketed properly.

These 5 points address important but forgotten aspects that could easily improve stagnate blog traffic. Plus, if you’re still reading this blog, it’s only because I have incorporated each of these variables into my blogging strategy.

Labels: Blogging

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/05/2006 10:33:00 AM | 0 comments

I recently became aware of the inspiring story of Fiskars, you know, the company that makes the orange handled scissors.  When started learning about Fiskars I thought, "What marketing insight could be gleaned from a company that makes such a boring commodity?" I was soon to learn that it's the commonness of their product that makes the Fiskars story so inspiring. 

Imagine being handed the job as the marketing director for Fiskars--a successful international corporation with a legacy dating from 1649. You've been given the world wide marketing responsibility for....long pause....scissors.  I'm sure it's out there, but I can't imagine a product that would be more dull (not literally of course) and more resigned to the classification of "commodity pumped out of China for a few cents each."

Just for fun, here's part of the provocative description of scissors from Wikipedia:

Scissors are a tool used for cutting thin material which requires little force. They are used for cutting, for example, paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin plastic, food, cloth, rope and wire. They are also used for cutting hair and nails.

 So, given this bleak scenario what has Fiskars done? They've taken one of the toughest products imaginable and perfected the basic essences of marketing by:

• Identifying the real need behind why their customers buy their product.
• Branding themselves around those needs (not around their product).
• Creating strong emotional bonds with their customers.
• Creating an online community offering real extended value.
• Embracing Customer Evangelism Marketing.

It's not necessary for me to explain Fiskars' near-perfect emotional branding, they've done such a great job it's apparent just by visiting their website. 

The story of Fiskars can be a big downer too. When I absorb the marketing masterpiece they've created out of such a ubiquitous product, it takes away all excuses for why any other product would be difficult to successfully differentiate. Almost anything, compared to scissors, would be better positioned to achieve marketing success. If you've been using that type of excuse, just imagine what the marketing leadership of Fiskars would do if they were at your company selling your product.

Fiskars deserves high honor for their leadership in quality consumer evangelism marketing, and for the inspiration they provide to the rest of us.

Labels: Customer-Evangelism

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Posted by Douglas Case @ 8/02/2006 02:07:00 PM | 0 comments

As RisingLine continues help the blogosphere grow in acceptance with mainstream organizations, such as corporations and government institutions, I began pondering why our elected officials are not taking advantage of blogging technology. For instance, since elected representatives are typically engaging in dialog with their constituents from a reactive perspective, why not make it proactive? I am familiar with this segment because I used to work in a United States Senator’s office as an intern and I was responsible for fielding inquiries from the public. I quickly learned that most inbound communication to our office was in the form of complaints or grievances against the government or our representative.

That being said, I believe blogging presents a great opportunity for our elected officials since transparency in politics is becoming a huge issue. Statistics from most polling organizations reveal the public at large does not trust the government. In fact, many voters view professional politicians as crooked, greedy, or disengaged – although this might not always be the case, perceptions are critical in politics.

Bringing this back to New Media, blogs are a way for elected representatives, or their staff, to actively engage with constituents via a transparent media. Although there may be fear in opening up a Pandora’s box filled with disinformation, the content within a blog can certainly be contained within a set of content and technological parameters. For instance, should disingenuous visitors post false information or lewd content, the false information can be quickly responded to by either another constituent, or a staffer, and lewd content can be deleted by a site administrator. Plus, with internal prompts, RSS, and XML technology, representatives and staffers can easily keep on top of what is being posted on their blog site.

Finally, from a personal perspective, I would sincerely appreciate the opportunity to respond to and dialog with my elected official to let them know my opinions on issues that they have commented or voted on – such as abortion, taxation, property rights, education, government spending, foreign affairs, etc. I certainly don’t believe that I’m alone in this opinion, since most people I chat with about politics feel the same way. Also, if you’re an elected official or a staffer who is reading this blog, I encourage you to perform a Google search on political blogs to view the energy out there amongst those who desire more transparency in government.

It’s no secret that one of the primary reasons for low voter turnout in the United States is that voters, especially younger voters, feel no connection with their representatives or candidates. Yet these people are voicing their frustrations and concerns online through blogs. I’d like to point out that the conversations about elected officials and politics are already taking place, blogging will afford elected officals the opportunity to participate if they’re willing. For a great example of an elected official utilizing blog technology, I invite you to visit the Anthony A. Williams’ blog. It might be an eye opener.

Labels: Blogging

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Posted by Erik Jon Warila @ 8/01/2006 08:54:00 AM | 0 comments