The Blogging Revolution: Government In The Age Of Web 2.0 E G ...
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The Blogging Revolution:
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E - G ov E r n M E n t S E r I E S
The Blogging Revolution:
Government in the Age of Web 2.0
David C. Wyld
Maurin Professor of Management and
Director of the Strategic e-Commerce/
e-Government Initiative
Department of Management
Southeastern Louisiana University
t A B L E o F C o n t E n t S
Foreword ..............................................................................................4
Executive Summary ..............................................................................6
Part I: The Rise of Blogging in the Public Sector ..................................9
Introduction .................................................................................10
Moving toward Citizen Engagement in a virtual Age ...............10
You! ..........................................................................................11
Blogging in the Public Sector ........................................................14
Preface .....................................................................................14
Blogging options for Public officials .......................................15
Congress Blogs ........................................................................16
the Current State of Blogging in Government ...........................18
Case Study in Organizational Blogging: STRATCOM .....................29
Say ‘Yes, Sir’ to Blogging ...........................................................29
A Guide for Public Sector Bloggers ...............................................31
overview .................................................................................31
How Do I Blog? ........................................................................33
Lessons Learned from—and in—the Blogosphere .....................33
10 tips for Blogging by Public Sector Executives ......................38
A Final Thought on Public Sector Blogging ....................................40
Part II: Blogging as a Social Phenomenon ..........................................41
The Rise of User-Generated Media ...............................................42
A Second Generation of the Internet .......................................42
Enter Web 2.0 ...........................................................................43
Social networking ....................................................................43
Blogging 101..................................................................................49
A Brief History of Blogging .......................................................49
the ‘next Big thing’ or an ‘Internet Wasteland’? ......................49
touring the Blogosphere ..........................................................51
Why Blog? ................................................................................52
Corporate Blogging ........................................................................56
Introduction ..............................................................................56
the Blogging CEo ....................................................................57
Blogging and Internal Communications/operations ..................59
Monitoring the Blogosphere .....................................................62
Employee Blogging ...................................................................62
Blogging Policy ........................................................................65
Conclusion .....................................................................................66
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Part III: Future Research on Public Sector Blogging ............................67
Directions for Future Research .....................................................68
Blogging research overview ....................................................68
the roI of Blogging .................................................................68
Blogging Behavior research .....................................................69
Appendix: Glossary of Terms Used in Blogging and Web 2.0 .............71
References ........................................................................................77
About the Author ...............................................................................90
Key Contact Information ....................................................................91
Please note that the online version of this report contains hot links
to each of the websites discussed or listed in the report. Due to
the nature of online publishing, links may have changed or become
inactive in the time since this text was authored.
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
F o r E W o r D
on behalf of the IBM Center for the Business of Government, we
are pleased to present this report, “the Blogging revolution:
Government in the Age of Web 2.0,” by David C. Wyld.
the revolution of social networks and blogging is finally coming to
government. Since the dawn of the 21st century just seven short years
ago, how we communicate as a society has begun to change rapidly.
over 60 million individuals maintain a blog—a user-generated online
journal updated regularly by the author of the blog.
Even more participate in social networks such as Facebook, MySpace,
Albert Morales
and Second Life, which all allow interactivity among their users.
Government, however, has been more cautious in entering this new
world. this report describes what the author terms “blogoneers,” pio-
neers in the use of blogs in government.
Dr. Wyld examines the phenomenon of blogging in the context of
the larger revolutionary forces at play in the development of the
second-generation Internet, where interactivity among users is key.
this is also referred to as “Web 2.0.” Wyld observes that blogging
is growing as a tool for promoting not only online engagement
of citizens and public servants, but also offline engagement. He
describes blogging activities by members of Congress, governors,
city mayors, and police and fire departments in which they engage
directly with the public. He also describes how blogging is used
todd ramsey
within agencies to improve internal communications and speed the
flow of information.
Based on the experiences of the blogoneers, Wyld develops a set of
lessons learned and a checklist of best practices for public manag-
ers interested in following in their footsteps. He also examines the
broader social phenomenon of online social networks and how
they affect not only government but also corporate interactions
with citizens and customers.
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We hope that this report both informs and inspires public managers
across government to consider ways of engaging in the new world of
Web 2.0 to improve citizen access to public services, as well as to
enhance democracy in our society.
Albert Morales
todd ramsey
Managing Partner
General Manager
IBM Center for the Business of Government IBM Global Government Industry
albert.morales@us.ibm.com
ramseyt@us.ibm.com
www.businessofgovernment.org
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E x E C U t I v E S U M M A r Y
there can be no doubt that the Internet has profoundly vehicle that is easier to create and update, typically
changed our work, our lives, our entertainment, and by simply typing into a preprogrammed interface.
our politics. now the Internet itself is undergoing
From a definitional perspective, a blog refers to an
perhaps its most radical change ever, as we are seeing
online journal that can be updated regularly, with
what many experts have coined the development
entries typically displayed in chronological order.
of “Web 2.0.”
While blogs now encompass not only text but video
and audio as well, it is generally accepted that if the
With Web 2.0, there is a sea change occurring
individual posts, items, or articles cannot be linked
wherein the web has become a truly participatory
to separately via a permalink (rather then just linking
media; instead of going on the web to read static
to the whole site), then the site in question is not
content, we can more easily create and share our
a blog. Blogs are also commonly referred to as a
own ideas and creations. the rise of what has been
weblog or web log, with blog used as the short form
alternately referred to as consumer- or user-generated
of these terms. Blog is also a verb, meaning to write
media (content) has been hailed as being truly
an article on such an online journal.
groundbreaking in nature. this ability to create web
content by simply typing words and pointing and
As detailed in this report, blogging is an activity
clicking, without having to know anything about
that is increasingly moving from the fringes to the
computer programming, has been touted by tim
mainstream, with intense interest in both corporate
Berners-Lee, the developer of the World Wide Web,
America and public offices as to how to join the
as being much more in line with the original vision
conversation. there are currently 60 million blogs
of what the web should be. From the perspective of
in existence as of April 2007, and the blogosphere
Jeffrey Cole of the Center for the Digital Future at the
(the sum of all blogs) is growing at a rapid rate, with
University of Southern California, these new tools are everyone from teenagers, CEos, and, yes, politi-
nothing short of revolutionary in that they “let anyone cians—from the halls of Congress to city halls across
distribute their ideas potentially to tens of millions of
America—joining in the conversation. In the end,
people. It’s totally reversed the whole history of mass
blogs may well become, as AoL vice President Bill
communications” (opinion cited in Kornblum, 2006,
Schreiner described them, an “oral history” for our
n.p.). In fact, in December 2006, the editorial staff
times (eMarketer, 2005c). thus, it will be incumbent
of Time magazine named “you” as its “person of the
upon public sector leaders and private sector execu-
year.” the magazine recognized that the collective
tives to stay abreast of the development of the blog-
efforts of millions of individuals were fast reshaping
ging phenomenon.
the Internet and the way we live our lives.
In this research report, the author examines the
As of 2007, we are still likely in the early stages of
phenomenon of blogging in the context of the larger
the development of what will become Web 2.0.
revolutionary forces at play in the development—or
However, blogging is certainly at the forefront of
redevelopment—of a second-generation Internet.
Web 2.0 technologies. In a nutshell, a blog can be
In the first part of the report, the state of blogging
differentiated from a website in that it is a web
across the American public sector is examined,
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seeing how pioneering leaders (let’s call them
security and liability concerns, are examined. the
“blogoneers”) in the public sector are making use
importance of monitoring the blogosphere for what
of this new technology to foster improved communi-
is being said about you and your organization
cations both with their constituencies and within
is discussed.
their organizations. Blogging is fast becoming a new
tool for promoting online and offline engagement.
In the third part, a research agenda for studying
the author provides a comprehensive assessment to
the impact and effectiveness of blogging and for
date of the blogging activities found across all levels developing usable metrics for assessing the utility
of government, including blogs from:
and return on investment (roI) of blogging in the
unique environment of the public sector is pre-
•
Members of Congress
sented. the report distinguishes between blogging
for political campaigns and for administration of
•
Congressional committees and caucuses
government, and thus there needs to be a great deal
•
Governors and lieutenant governors
of research as to how the two interact and provide
synergy as well as conflict. the report also looks
•
State legislators
ahead to future directions in both technology and
•
City managers and mayors
democracy. new Web 2.0 technologies that are
emerging (such as “Second Life,” which is already
•
Police and fire departments
drawing political interest) are examined.
•
College and university presidents
Writing in Public Opinion Quarterly in 2003,
this report includes a case study of the experience of
Jennings and Zeitner observed that any attempt to
the U.S. Strategic Command (StrAtCoM), which
assess the impact of the Internet on the American
has led the way in using blogging to transform the
public and public life in America “involves shooting
culture and flow of information, prompted by the
at a moving target” (p. 311). thus, this report stands
need for speed in fighting today’s challenges.
at best as a snapshot of the early advance of a tide
Public officials are encouraged to engage in blog-
of changes that will be coming about in all aspects
ging in the honest, open, and consistent manner
of our lives, including government and governance
that is required to promote civic and organiza-
in the age of Web 2.0.
tional engagement—and ultimately to succeed—in
this exciting time in the history of our democracy.
to facilitate this for the reader, the report examines
the lessons learned by these blogoneers and presents
10 Tips for Blogging by
a series of tips for public sector bloggers, based on
Public Sector Executives
an analysis of the best practices available today.
Tip 1: Define yourself and your purpose.
In the second part of this report, the rise of blogging
and user-generated media is examined as a wider
Tip 2: Do it yourself!
social phenomenon, which many are now com-
Tip 3: Make a time commitment.
monly referring to as Web 2.0. In Blogging 101,
an overview of the history of blogs and the growth
Tip 4: Be regular.
and diversity of the blogosphere is presented. the
Tip 5: Be generous.
report then examines how blogging has taken hold
in the corporate realm, and how leading firms and
Tip 6: Have a “hard hide.”
innovative executives and companies are entering
Tip 7: Spell-check.
the blogosphere. Blogging is also examined as an
effective mechanism for improving internal commu-
Tip 8: Don’t give too much information.
nications and for managing knowledge, projects,
shifts, and even the corporate culture. the potential
Tip 9: Consider multimedia.
downsides of blogging, in terms of both the personal
Tip 10: Be a student of blogging.
productivity and employment issues as well as the
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Part I: The Rise of Blogging in the
Public Sector
www.businessofgovernment.org
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Introduction
Moving Toward Citizen Engagement
Steven Clift (2006) of Publicus.net summed up the
in a Virtual Age
paradox of participation for governments at all lev-
els around the world: “overall, our parliaments and
Writing in Foreign Policy, Drezner and Farrell (2004)
city councils have approved billions for technology
hit upon an amazing reality of modern life. today,
investments for government administration but very
unlike at any time in the advance of history, people
little that will help them connect with and better
simply no longer need to leave their houses to par-
represent citizens” (n.p.). the changes occurring in
ticipate in a revolution. With the advent of new
online citizen participation in government, whether
technologies, new means can be used to foster
referred to as Democracy 2.0, Citizenship 2.0, or
online engagement, in both the individual and col-
Governance 2.0, are very real. It is ironic that such
lective sense, and to create new dialogues between
low-cost or free Web 2.0 tools and forums can have
government and citizens (reece, 2006).
so much impact on improving communications and
the workings of government. Likewise, building on
In “Six trends transforming Government,” senior
the concepts of Graf and Darr (2004), we have early
leaders of the IBM Center for the Business of
evidence that online “influentials” are more active
Government identified engaging citizens in govern-
in both online and “real world” politics and govern-
ment as one of the key trends that are reshaping
ment affairs. thus, we may be at the cusp of seeing
how government works and, in reality, how we as
a “benevolent” and much more interactive circle of
citizens relate to and think about our government.
engagement and participation.
they commented:
this report examines the phenomenal growth of blog-
representative democracy has been the tradi-
ging, in the context of the larger revolutionary forces
tional approach for how democratic govern-
at play in the development or redevelopment of a
ment works. In the United States, this occurs
second-generation Internet. We discuss what might
through Congress, state legislatures, and city
be labeled “the virtual Family Mosaic,” as shown in
halls. In those forums, informed and delibera-
Figure 1, analyzing the rise of a more accessible,
tive debates can occur, resulting in collective
interactive Internet. In the first part of this report, we
decisions. But in the past decade, an increas-
explore the state of blogging across the American
ing trend has been the creation of broader
public sector, seeing how pioneering leaders (let’s call
direct engagement with citizens in inform-
them “blogoneers”) at all levels are making use of this
ing and making decisions that affect them.
new technology to foster improved communications
technology is beginning to create a new set
both with their constituencies and within their organi-
of forums that allows this on a larger scale.
zations. In the second part of this report, we take a
this technology extends from the traditional
look at the rise of blogging and user-generated media
forum for citizen participation—voting—to
as a wider social phenomenon, which many are now
new and innovative approaches, such as the
commonly referring to as Web 2.0. We then explore
use of surveys, wikis, and blogs (Abramson,
how blogging has taken hold in the corporate realm,
Breul, and Kamensky, 2006, p. 20).
and how leading firms and innovative executives and
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Figure 1: The Virtual Family Mosaic
Blogging
Social Networking
User-Generated Media
Web 2.0
The Internet
companies are entering the blogosphere (the sum of all of blogs by officeholders and by candidates. While
blogs). We examine some of the very real benefits of
the business of government is inextricably tied to the
blogging and some of the very real personnel and pol-
business of campaigning, all members of Congress
icy issues that are raised by blogging. In the third part,
must abide by federal election guidelines to keep
we then look ahead to future directions in researching
separate their official office business (and their web
the development of these new engaging technologies
activities) from their campaign efforts. Likewise, state
and future trends in technology and democracy.
and local officials adhere to similar legal and ethical
bright lines. While republicans and Democrats may
According to Mort Zuckerman (2005), editor-in-chief
argue over which party knows the most about blogging
of U.S. News & World Report, “Blogs are transforming and blogs (Glover, 2006a), the trend is toward blogs as
the way Americans get information and think about
being a key part of both governing and campaigning.
important issues. It’s a revolutionary change—and
this was made even more clear when, in March 2006,
there’s no turning back” (n.p.). the trend is clear that
the Federal Election Commission recognized the
the blogosphere will continue to grow, and with that
Internet as “a unique and evolving mode of mass com-
growth, it will become more and more common for
munication and political speech” that is exempt from
highly placed corporate executives and public offi-
campaign finance rules because it is a form of media
cials to become bloggers themselves. In fact, over the (Glover, 2006b).
next few years, those public officials who do not blog
may become suspect as to why they do not use this
As of 2007, we are still in the early stages of the
new technology as a communications medium to
“Web 2.0 revolution.” this report stands at best as
connect with both their internal organizations and
a snapshot of the early advance of a tide of changes
their wider constituencies. Writing in the prestigious
that will be coming about in all aspects of our lives,
journal Foreign Policy, Drezner and Farrell (2004)
including government and governance.
commented: “Although the blogosphere remains
cluttered with the teenage angst of high school stu-
You!
dents, blogs increasingly serve as a conduit through
which ordinary and not-so-ordinary citizens express
Consider every blog, every blog post, every com-
their views on international relations and influence
ment on a blog, every trackback to a blog, every
a policymaker’s decision making” (n.p.).
video and audio file posted on the Internet (even
those that involve characters from Star Wars or silly
one caveat. Blogs are increasingly being used as a sta-
dances—or both put together). Separately, they
ple of campaign websites; witness the trend of 2008
may seem innocuous or inane, and they truly meet
presidential candidates announcing their intentions in
Lincoln’s test of being “little noted nor long remem-
video posts on their websites (Healy, 2007). However,
bered.” Yet, collectively, they can be seen as nothing
this report draws a strict demarcation between the use
less than revolutionary.
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Blogs in the Congressional Record
the first mentions of blogging have already made their appearance in congressional debate:
the first mention of blogging in the Congressional Record goes to Senator olympia Snowe (r-ME), which
occurred in 2006. Senator Snowe made the reference in a debate over the proposed constitutional amendment
to prohibit burning of the American flag. Speaking in support of the amendment, Snowe said: “Write letters to
the editor. Start a website. Create a blog. organize. Leaflet. March. Chant. Speak out. Petition. Do any and all of
these things, but do not burn our flag” (quoted in Hynes, 2006, n.p.). Senator Patrick Leahy (D-vt) responded:
“the Constitution is not a blog for venting political opinions, currying favor with voters, or trying to bump up sag-
ging poll numbers” (quoted in Glover, 2006c, n.p.).
the first mention of a blog in a Senate nomination hearing occurred in 2006 during the confirmation hearings for
Chief Justice John roberts. Senator John Cornyn (r-tx) asked the soon-to-be Chief Justice a question based on a
post he had read the night before on the volokh Conspiracy blog (http://www.volokh.com/) (Glover, 2006a).
Whether it is termed by analysts as Web 2.0, user-
efforts of millions of individuals that are fast
or consumer-generated media, or social networks,
reshaping the Internet and the way we live.
there is a sea change occurring wherein the web has
Time recognized “you”—again meaning all
become a truly participatory media. the rise of what
of us—“for seizing the reins of the global media,
has been alternately referred to as consumer- or user-
for founding and framing the new digital
generated media (content) has been hailed as being
democracy, for working for nothing and beating
truly revolutionary in nature. From the perspective of
the pros at their own game” (Grossman, 2006).
Jeffrey Cole of the Center for the Digital Future at the
Time’s managing editor, richard Stengel, said
University of Southern California: “tools on the net,
that the magazine made its decision based on
from blogging to videos, let anybody be a publisher
the fact that “we just felt there wasn’t a single
and journalist. It lets anyone distribute their ideas
person who embodied this phenomenon”
potentially to tens of millions of people. It’s totally
(quoted in McShane, 2006, n.p.).
reversed the whole history of mass communications”
•
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has categorized
(opinion cited in Kornblum, 2006, n.p.).
the rise of user-generated content on the web
as nothing less than a “fantastic thing” (Swisher
We are certainly at an inflection point in the evolv-
and Mossberg, 2006, p. r6).
ing history of the Internet. this is because of the rise
of the new “you” phenomenon. Consider that:
•
In December 2005, Business Week magazine
dubbed today’s youth as the “MySpace Genera-
•
In June 2006, Business 2.0 magazine ranked
tion” or, more accurately, as “Generation @,”
the 50 most important people in business
due to the way they are comfortably existing
today. the list was full of “the usual suspects,”
both in the “real world” and the virtual one
like Bill Gates, oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs,
(Hempel and Lehman, 2005).
rupert Murdoch, richard Branson, Warren
Buffett, Jeff Bezos, and the “Google Guys”
Certainly, Web 2.0 has garnered the attention of not
(Sergey Brin and Larry Page). However, the
just the press, but big business as well. the year
list was topped by a surprising choice: “you.”
2006 saw headlines made when Google bought
the Business 2.0 magazine staff (2006) chose
Youtube for $1.6 billion and rupert Murdoch’s
“you” (meaning all of us) because with the
news Corp acquired MySpace for $580 million
advent of user- or consumer-generated media,
(Harvey, 2007). Marketers are also seeing social
we are entering a world of “the consumer as
networking sites (SnS) as a burgeoning and attrac-
creator” (n.p.).
tive audience, with analysts predicting that advertis-
ing on SnS sites will surpass $2 billion annually by
•
In December 2006, the editorial staff of Time
2010 (vasquez, 2006). Yet, to date, why has the
magazine named “you” as its “person of the
Web 2.0 revolution not carried over to government
year.” the magazine recognized the collective
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to any great extent? From the perspective of Gerry
McGovern, a noted expert on what he has labeled
“the content revolution”: “Look at the way Amazon
taps into the buying habits of customers, or how
eBay uses voting and rating. It’s the ‘Wisdom of
Crowds’ concept that James Surowiecki wrote about
in his book, and it works—under certain circum-
stances. However, I have seen very little of that
activity in the government world, even at the basic
level. there aren’t too many blogs on government
websites, and few politicians or administrators
engage with constituents using these techniques”
(quoted in D’Agostino, 2006, n.p.).
www.businessofgovernment.org
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Blogging in the Public Sector
Preface
commonly referred to as a weblog or web log, with
blog being the short form of these terms. Blog is also
[A] website, in most cases, is a static col-
a verb, meaning to write an article on such an
lection of documents—information-rich but
online journal. Please see the Appendix for an
often perceived by site visitors as a dead
extensive glossary of blogging and Web 2.0 terms.
brochure, its pages too often written by
anonymous authors in an impersonal, pub-
As detailed in the analysis in the second part of this
lic-relations style. A weblog, however, can
report, blogs are a fast-growing part of the wider
bring a voice of authenticity to a website,
social phenomenon of Web 2.0. In the world of
with a more personal and engaging tone
public affairs and across the public sector, “blogs
that has wider appeal. During the depres-
are becoming more respectable,” according to Henry
sion era of the 1930s, U.S. President Franklin
Farrell, professor of political science and international
roosevelt began using the mass communica-
affairs at George Washington University (quoted in
tion medium of radio to address the American
Glover, 2006c, n.p.) Budd (2005) projected that the
people about public issues in a series of what
principal benefits of blogging in government are “to
he called “fireside chats.” the effectiveness of
communicate directly with the community, bypassing
these addresses was in part due to FDr’s abil-
both internal and news based editorial control” and
ity to deliver them in an informal and relaxed
to “give a human face to often monolithic organiza-
tone, while making the listener feel as if he
tions” (n.p.). In fact, in enumerating the benefits of
was talking directly to them. Likewise, the
blogs in government, Bev Godwin of USA.gov (2006)
radio addresses by Winston Churchill during
touted the fact that blogging “puts a human face on
WW II. Although the issues are less weighty
government, [and] makes government more ‘open.’ ”
and the audiences vastly smaller, a weblog (or
(n.p.). Indeed, Bill Gates characterized blogging as
blog) offers a civic leader the same opportu-
being “all about openness. People see them as a
nity—a one-to-one conversation with an audi-
reflection of an open, communicative culture that
ence of many (Wigley, 2005, n.p.).
isn’t afraid to be self-critical” (quoted in
Kirkpatrick, 2005, n.p.).
In a nutshell, a blog can be differentiated from a
website in that it is a web vehicle that is easier to
Bloggers and blog readers have also been catego-
create and update. From a definitional perspective,
rized as being an attractive, different audience for
a blog refers to an online journal that can be
both public and private sector organizations. As we
updated regularly, with entries typically displayed
will see in the demographics of bloggers and blog
in chronological order. While blogs now encompass readers in the second part of this report, they are bet-
not only text but video and audio as well, it is gen-
ter educated, more diverse, and more urban than the
erally accepted that if the individual posts, items, or
American population as a whole. Also, from a politi-
articles cannot be linked to separately via a perma-
cal perspective, blog readers and authors are more
link (rather than just linking to the whole site), then
politically involved and interested in both the online
the site in question is not a blog. Blogs are also
and offline worlds. the blog audience was first
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
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described as being political “influentials” through
(Anonymous, 2004). He observed that the blog was
the work of Graf and Darr (2004), who found early
“an amazing way to hear the views of bright people
evidence that blog readers’ online activities translate
who share a passion for the direction of our country”
into real-world political influence. their study for
(Powell, 2004, n.p.). While there was criticism of his
George Washington University’s Institute for Politics,
efforts for not truly being a “blog,” the effort still stands
Democracy, and the Internet found that 69 percent of as an important milestone of public sector blogging by
blog readers are opinion leaders with their immediate a high-ranking federal official (Godwin, 2006).
circle of friends, family, and co-workers—and with
the audience they reach in their own blogs. As such,
Blogging Options for Public Officials
the online blog audience was compared by Dr. Darr
to “honeybees, kind of feeding the culture with the
We can develop a typology of four different types
information they gather and with their comments and of blogs for public officials, adapted from the
diaries at the sites (quoted in Glover, 2006c, n.p.).
Congressional Management Foundation (2005):
Glenn reynolds, the author of An Army of Davids, a
•
The Travel Blog: Highlights elected officials’
book on the explosion of blogging, recently summa-
travels in and around their district or jurisdic-
rized this idea in observing: “Bloggers and blog-read-
tion, or perhaps foreign trips.
ers are ‘influentials’—the minority that pays attention
to events outside of political and news cycles”
•
The Blow-by-Blow Blog: Emphasizes reports
(quoted in Johnson, 2006, n.p.).
from elected representatives while their respec-
tive deliberative body is in session. In this way,
In July 2004, then-chairman of the Federal
officials can update constituents on the status
Communications Commission (FCC), Michael
of pending bills and other actions.
Powell, began a blog to help get input on policy
•
The Personal Blog: Provides elected officials’
issues. Chairman Powell stated:
views on particular issues, perspectives on
events, and/or updates on their activities and
one reason I am participating in Alwayson
even those of their families and friends.
network’s blog is to hear from the tech com-
munity directly and to try to get beyond the
•
The Team Blog: Allows a caucus or group of
traditional inside the Beltway Washington
elected representatives/officials to share a blog.
world where lobbyists filter the techies. I am
For example, the oregon House Democrats
looking forward to an open, transparent, and
have a joint blog (www.oregonhousedemocrats.
meritocracy-based communication—attri-
blogs.com) where all 31 Democrats in the State
butes that bloggers are famous for! regulated
House of representatives can communicate
interests have about an 80-year head start on
with constituents across the state. Creating a
the entrepreneurial tech community when
common site reduces the burden on individual
it comes to informing regulators what they
officials to administer the blog, while creating
want and need, but if anyone can make up
the prospect for more frequent updates because
for that, Silicon valley can. this is impor-
of the number of contributors to the blog.
tant not just for Silicon valley—it’s essential
to insure that America has the best, most
A final option for blogging by public officials is to post
innovative communications infrastructure
on other blogs rather than maintain one of their own.
(Powell, 2004, n.p.).
By posting on such a third-party site, such as that of a
newspaper or magazine, the official is freed from hav-
Powell responded to comments made on his blog,
ing to maintain the blog. For example, today it is quite
complimenting the participants for the impressive
common for members of the Senate and House to rou-
“breadth and depth” of their input (although anony-
tinely post under their own names on sites like:
mous commenters did question the chairman on a
variety of off-topic issues, including why Howard
•
the Hill Blog (http://blog.thehill.com/)
Stern had been repeatedly fined by the FCC for dis-
•
the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.
cussing sexual topics that oprah Winfrey had also
com/)
featured on her television show, with no repercussions) • the Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/)
www.businessofgovernment.org
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
However, once a post is made to another blog, the
the surge in citizen advocacy, Fitch and
member does lose control of the ability to control the Goldschmidt (2005) observed: “Democracy is
message and the comments made to it in the blogo-
surely strengthened when citizens have the will
sphere (Pidot, 2006). Also, there is often skepticism in and the ability to engage in the policy-making
the blogosphere when any famous name appears
process through easier and more frequent com-
associated with a post, whether it be “o. J. Simpson”
munication with their elected representatives.
posting about football or “John Kerry” posting about a Clearly, citizens want to be engaged in the demo-
political issue. In fact, when the real Senator John
cratic process, and members (of Congress) want to
Kerry posted on the Daily Kos site, Markos Moulitsas, hear from, and be responsive to, their constitu-
the blog’s originator and administrator, had to post a
ents.” Yet, their report details that despite a five-fold
verification message that the blogger indeed was the
increase in the volume of e-mails and other com-
John Kerry (terdiman, 2006).
munications in the past two decades, congressio-
nal offices have no larger staffs than they did four
Congress Blogs
decades ago. And, when faced with reams of
electronic and paper messages that are mass gen-
According to the Congressional Management
erated by various constituency and advocacy
Foundation (2005), members of Congress were a bit
groups, quite often the situation becomes over-
slow to pick up on blogging. this is due to a variety
whelming for congressional members and their
of factors, including:
staffs, leaving people seemingly out of reach.
•
Uncontrolled and unfiltered nature of the medium
Certainly, a good facilitating step for Congress
•
Lack of pressure to engage in blogging (from
came in December 2006. the House Administration
peers and the public)
Committee began offering the House Web Log
Utility, which made it easier for congressional
•
Worries about ceding control of one’s message
offices to offer blogs on their official member web-
•
Lack of web savvy/access in districts with poor
sites. the action came at the request of House mem-
and/or rural populaces, making blogging and
bers to facilitate blogging. the House Administration
Internet polls less effective ways to communi-
Committee will make the content of each congress-
cate with constituents
person’s blog searchable through and indexed on
the central House of representatives’ website http://
•
time management and the demanding workload
www.house.gov (rogin, 2006a). the same rules of
each member already carries (D’Agoistino, 2006; the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards
Chapman-norton, 2005; terdiman, 2006).
(the Franking Commission) will apply to blogging as
to other forms of media (such as mailings, newslet-
now, however, skepticism about blogging is turning
ters, websites, and e-mails), and members will still
into curiosity about how this new Web 2.0 tool can
be allowed to use other blogging software as long as
be used to communicate with constituents in a
it meets security requirements (Sternstein, 2006).
unique way. As terdiman (2006) opined, “Slowly,
members of the House of representatives and the
table 1 on page 19 lists the 17 members of
Senate are beginning to appreciate the value of
Congress who have engaged in blogging as of April
blogs” (n.p.). representative Mark Kirk (r-IL), an early 2007; Figures 2–5 show some of the best of the
congressional “blogoneer,” recently declared that
congressional blogs.
blogging “is rapidly going to become the dominant
way we talk to our constituents, especially as snail
As can be seen in table 1, the House is more
mail dies out” (quoted in terdiman, 2006, n.p.).
“blog-enabled” than the Senate. Glover (2006d)
commented that perhaps the reason for what he
For those in Congress, blogging—as opposed to
terms “the blog divide” between the House and
other forms of communication, which are in many Senate is “as it should be,” as “the nation’s founders,
ways costly and ineffective—is also a welcome
after all, designed the lower chamber as the one
change. In their report for the Congressional
closer to the people” (n.p.). What are the benefits of
Management Foundation entitled Communicating
congressional blogging? From the perspective of
with Congress: How Capitol Hill is coping with
16
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Blogging Sparks an International Incident
the ongoing humanitarian and military crisis in Darfur has rightly
attracted vast amounts of media attention. Since 2003, perhaps as
many as a quarter of a million people have died and an estimated
2.5 million have been dislocated in this western region of Sudan
in an ongoing conflict, which then-Secretary of State Colin Powell
declared in September 2004 to be “genocide” (nelson, 2006).
However tragic and controversial the Darfur crisis has been, it is also
noteworthy in that it is the first international incident involving blogs.
Jan Pronk had been an outspoken minister in two Dutch governments
before being appointed in 2004 as special representative to the Sudan
by then-United nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Since his
appointment, Pronk made several appearances before the U.n. Security
Council. He was hailed in the New York Times as “a forceful presence”
on the conflict in Darfur, as he “characteristically delivers unflinching accounts of the continuing mayhem and
political breakdowns in Sudan in a rhetorical style that includes finger-jabbing and dramatic pauses for emphasis”
(Hoge, 2006, n.p.). From Khartoum, Pronk also became a forceful presence online. Soon after his arrival in 2004,
he began writing a blog, reporting on the conflict with a journalistic and often undiplomatic eye, which made his
blog “required reading for everyone watching Sudan’s war-torn western region closely” (Steele, 2006).
Pronk’s blog drew interest not only among journalists and those
concerned about the crisis in Darfur, but from those in the halls of power
as well. the United nations and Secretary-General Annan had been
concerned about Pronk’s outspokenness. Commenting on the nature of
the blog, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary-general, said:
“those views are expressed by Pronk, are his personal views…. there
have been a number of discussions with Mr. Pronk regarding his blog and
the expectation of all staff members to exercise proper judgment in what
they write in their blogs” (quoted in Hoge, 2006, n.p.).
Jan Pronk, former U.n. Special
the crisis over Pronk’s blog came to a head in october 2006. Pronk
representative to Sudan
reported on two battles in which the Sudanese army had not fared well.
on his blog, he commented on casualties that were heavy, soldiers that refused to fight, and generals that had
been replaced. He went on to report information on the movement of troops, material, and equipment, and an
attempt by the army to mobilize Arab militias to make up for the loss of troop strength. At that point, the army
and the ruling Sudanese government had reached their limit with Pronk. the government in Khartoum moved
to expel Pronk over what they perceived to be his over-the-top behavior. Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman
Ali al-Sadiq cited as justifications for Pronk’s expulsion “the latest statements issued by Mr Pronk on his website
regarding severe criticism of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the fact that he said the government of Sudan is not
implementing the Darfur peace agreement” (quoted in Steele, 2006, n.p.). Pronk was asked by Annan to return to
new York for “consultations,” and he apparently will not be returning to the region.
victor tanner of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, who had been in Sudan at the time
of the controversy, recounted that Pronk’s blog had indeed sparked an uproar in Sudan. Professor tanner observed:
“Comments on the disarray that seemed to be reigning within the Sudanese armed forces was an amazing thing to
see in the blog of a U.n. official. refreshing but wild. that the armed forces had suffered these losses was some-
thing that everybody was talking about as a rumor swarming around Khartoum and Darfur, but it took on a new
reality and became ‘the truth’ when it was uttered in print by Pronk” (opinion cited in Hoge, 2006).
Pronk has written an insightful epilogue to this story and on the situation in Darfur. It can be found on his blog
at http://www.janpronk.nl/index120.html, along with all of his reporting and comments on both his personal tests
and the much, much larger regional crisis.
www.businessofgovernment.org
17
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Senator (and now presidential candidate) Barack
•
table 4: State legislators
obama (D-IL), blogging is quite beneficial.
•
table 5: Mayors
reflecting on his own blogging experience, obama
believes: “When I reach out to the blog community,
•
table 6: City managers
it gives me an opportunity to begin a dialogue with
•
table 7: Police and fire chiefs
an extremely politically sophisticated and active
community that I otherwise might not be able to
•
table 8: College and university presidents
reach. Another benefit of blogging is that, as
opposed to delivering a speech, you get immediate
In addition, more than 100 blogs were identified
and unlimited feedback, both positive and negative” that were written by local representatives, either by
(opinion cited in terdiman, 2006, n.p.).
city/county council members or school/other board
members. (Anyone interested in obtaining a current
The Current State of Blogging in
listing of these blogs may contact the author
directly). Still, as a whole, blogging is in its infancy
Government
in taking hold amongst public officials across the
Just as in the private sector (as will be discussed in
American landscape.
the second part of this report), public officials are
finding blogging to be an excellent way to communi-
officials are communicating with their constituen-
cate both within their organizations and with their
cies in a variety of ways on their blogs. they are
wider constituencies. this is exemplified by the rapid
reporting on their activities, expressing their views
growth of blogs created and maintained by public
on issues, chronicling their contacts and travels, and
officials in the United States and abroad. As of April
giving glimpses of their personal lives and interests.
2007, the following position (or agency-related) blogs there are even limited instances of political officials
have been identified at all levels of government:
posting podcasts and other media for their constitu-
ents to listen to and view on their blogs. In fact,
•
table 1: Members of Congress
Senator obama has taken his blog to a second
generation, as he now has a podcast page (http://
•
table 2: Congressional committees and caucuses
obama.senate.gov/podcast/).
•
table 3: Governors/lieutenant governors
Figure 2: Blog of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Source: http://www.speaker.gov/blog/
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 1: Blogs of Members of Congress as of April 2007
Congressperson
Date Started
Location
rep. John Boozman (r-AK)
Jul 2005
http://www.boozman.house.gov/Blog/
rep. Mike Conaway (r-tx)
nov 2005
http://www.conawayblog.com/
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Ct)
oct 2005
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=blog/1
rep. John t. Doolittle (D-CA)
Jul 2006
http://doolittle.house.gov/blog/
rep. Katherine Harris (r-FL)
Jan 2005
http://harris.house.gov/Blog/
(ended Jan 2007;
left Congress)
rep. Dennis Hastert (r-IL)
oct 2005
http://www.speaker.gov/journal/index.shtml
(ended Jan 2007;
left the Speakership)
rep. Jack Kingston (r-GA)
oct 2005
http://kingston.house.gov/blog/
rep. Mark Kirk (r-IL)
Jan 2005
http://www.house.gov/kirk/blog/
rep. John Linder (r-GA)
nov 2005
http://linder.house.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Blogs.Home
rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
Dec 2005
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_
content&task=blogcategory&id=475&Itemid=87
Sen. Barack obama (D-IL)
Mar 2005
http://obama.senate.gov/blog/
rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-nJ)
Jan 2005
http://www.house.gov/pallone/blog/
rep. nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Feb 2007
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/
rep. Mike Pence (r-In)
Mar 2004
http://mikepence.house.gov/blog/
rep. George radanovich (r-CA) Feb 2006
http://www.radanovich.house.gov/blog.shtml
rep. Jan D. Schakowsky (D-IL)
Sep 2005
http://www.janschakowsky.org/SchaBLoGsky/tabid/36/
Default.aspx
rep. tom tancredo (r-Co)
Feb 2005
http://tancredo.house.gov/press/press_blog.shtml
representative best-in-class blogs from all levels
of government are presented in Figures 6–11.
these include:
•
Figure 6: Blog of Delaware Governor ruth
Ann Minner
•
Figure 7: Blog of new Mexico State Senator
Dede Feldman (D-Albuquerque)
•
Figure 8: Blog of City Manager Dave ruller of
Kent, ohio
•
Figure 9: Blog of Mayor Bill Gentes of round
Lake, Illinois
•
Figure 10: Blog of George Esbensen, Fire Chief
of Eden Prairie, Minnesota
•
Figure 11: Blog of towson University President
robert Caret
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19
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Figure 3: Blog of Representative Mike Conaway (R-TX)
Source: http://www.conawayblog.com/
Figure 4: Blog of Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
Source: http://www.house.gov/pallone/blog/
Figure 5: Blog of Representative John Doolittle (R-CA)
Source: http://doolittle.house.gov/blog/
20
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 2: Blogs of Congressional Committees and Caucuses as of April 2007
Committee/Caucus
Date Started
Location
U.S. Senate Committee on
Jan 2007
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=
Environment and Public Works;
Minority.Blogs
ranking Member, Sen. Jim Inhofe
(r-oK)
republican Study Committee;
nov 2005
http://www.house.gov/hensarling/rsc/
Chairman rep. Jeb Hensarling
(r-tx)
House Committee on Agriculture Mar 2005
http://www.house.gov/agriculture/democrats/blog.shtml
Democrats; ranking Member,
(ended Dec 2006)
rep. Collin Peterson (D-Mn)
Table 3: Blogs of Governors and Lieutenant Governors as of April 2007
State
Official
Date Started
Location
Connecticut Lt. Governor Kevin B.
Apr 2006
http://kevinsullivan.blogspot.com/
Sullivan (D)
Delaware
Governor ruth Ann
May 2006
http://www.state.de.us/governor/blog/
Minner (D)
Iowa
Governor Chet Culver (D) Apr 2006
http://www.governor.state.ia.us/blog/index.html
and Lt. Governor Patty
Judge (D)
tennessee
Governor Phil Bredesen (D) May 2005
http://www.tennessee.gov/governor/view
ArticleContent.do?id=436
Wisconsin
Governor Jim Doyle (D)
Jan 2005
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media.asp
Figure 6: Blog of Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner
Source: http://www.state.de.us/governor/blog/
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21
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 4: State Legislators’ Blogs as of April 2007 (continued on next page)
State
Legislators with Blogs
Location
Alaska
rep. John Coghill
http://johncoghill.blogspot.com/
rep. vic Kohring
http://alaskadistrict14.blogspot.com/
rep. Bob Lynn
http://www.alaskadistrict31.blogspot.com/
Arkansas
rep. Steve Harrelson
http://www.steveharrelson.com/blog/
California
Assembly member Loni http://lonihancock.blogspot.com/
Hancock
Colorado
Sen. Dan Grossman
http://dangrossman.net/blog.htm
Connecticut
Sen. Bill Finch
http://www.billfinch.org/blog/
Georgia
Sen. David Adelman
http://www.davidadelman.info/
rep. Steve Davis
http://www.steve-davis.org/blog
rep. Padro Marin
http://www.marinstatehouse.com/legis_blog/
Sen. David Shafer
http://www.davidshafer.org/
Hawaii
Sen. Gary L. Hooser
http://garyhooser.livejournal.com/
rep. Jon riki Karamatsu http://www.livejournal.com/users/jonriki/
Illinois
rep. tom Cross
http://www.joincrossblog.com/
rep. John Fritchey
http://www.johnfritchey.blogspot.com/
Sen. Chris Lauzen
http://www.lauzen.com/blog/
Sen. Dan rutherford
http://www.danrutherford.org/kind_of_a_blog.asp
Indiana
rep. ryan Dvorak
http://www.ryandvorak.com/
Sen. David Ford
http://senatordavidford.blogspot.com/
rep. Steve Heim
http://steveheim.blogspot.com/
Kansas
rep. Mike Burgess
http://www.mikeburgess.org/blog
Maryland
Delegate Sandy
http://delsandy.com/
rosenberg
Delegate richard B.
http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=23
Weldon, Jr.
Minnesota
rep. ray Cox
http://raycox.net/index.html
rep. Dan Dorman
http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=27A&listname=rep_Dan_Dorman_list
rep. Denny Mcnamara http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=57B&listname=rep_Denny_Mcnamara_list
Sen. tom neuville
http://www.tomneuville.com/
rep. Lynn Wardlow
http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=38B&listname=rep_lynn_wardlow_list
rep. Steve Smith
http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=33A&listname=rep_Steve_Smith_list
rep. Steve Sviggum
http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=28B&listname=rep_Steve_Sviggum_list
rep. Lynn Wardlow
http://ww3.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/weblog.asp?district
=38B&listname=rep_lynn_wardlow_list
22
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 4: State Legislators’ Blogs as of April 2007 (continued)
State
Legislators with Blogs
Location
nebraska
Sen. Philip Erdman
http://www.philiperdman.com/news.html
new
rep. Peter Sullivan
http://representativesullivan.blogspot.com/
Hampshire
new Mexico
Sen. Dede Feldman
http://senatorfeldman.typepad.com/
north Carolina rep. Pricey Harrison
http://priceyharrison.blogspot.com/
ohio
Sen. Marc Dann
http://coinsforchange.typepad.com/
Sen. Eric D. Fingerhut
http://www.senatorfingerhut.com/site/pp.asp?c=bgKILtozEoH
&b=327285
oregon
oregon House
http://oregonhousedemocrats.blogs.com/
Democrats’ Blog
Pennsylvania
rep. Mark B. Cohen
http://www.palegislation.blogspot.com/
tennessee
rep. Stacey Campfield
http://lastcar.blogspot.com/
Sen. roy Herron
http://royherron.blogspot.com/
rep. Susan Lynn
http://susan-lynn.blogspot.com/
texas
rep. Aaron Peña
http://acapitolblog.blogspot.com/
rep. richard Peña
http://www.richardraymond.com/pages/mediacentral.htm
raymond
Utah
rep. Jeff Alexander
http://www.jeff-alexander.com/
rep. John Dougall
http://jdougall.typepad.com/dynamic_range/
rep. Lorie Fowlke
http://www.votelorie.com/default.asp?page=blogs
rep. Steve Mascaro
http://www.stevemascaro.com/blog-steve-mascaro.cfm
rep. Mike noel
http://www.mikenoel.com/blog_index.cfm
rep. Steve Urquhart
http://www.steveu.com/
Utah Senate Majority Blog http://www.senatesite.com/
virginia
Delegates Kristen
http://www.7-west.org/
Amundson and
Bob Brink
Delegate Chris Saxman
http://vacostcutting.blogspot.com/
Washington
Sen. Phil rockefeller
http://www.sdc.wa.gov/2006/rockefellerblog.htm
rep. Deb Wallace
http://hdc.leg.wa.gov/members/wallace/blog.asp
Wisconsin
rep. Mark Pocan
http://markpocan.blogspot.com/
Wyoming
rep. Keith Gingery
http://www.planetjh.com/teamblog/BuildWyoming/
BuildWyoming.html
Source: Adapted and updated from the National Conference of State Legislatures (2006).
www.businessofgovernment.org
23
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 5: Blogs of Mayors as of April 2007
City
Mayor
Date Started
Location
Albuquerque, n.M.
Martin Chavez
Mar 2006
http://www.cabq.gov/blogs/mayor/
Athens, Ala.
Dan Williams
Dec 2006
http://ci.athens.al.us/Mayor/blog.htm
Davie, Fla.
tom truex
Feb 2005
http://davie.tv/Davtv/weblog.php
Elburn, Ill.
Jim Willey
nov 2004
http://www.elburn.il.us/mayorsblog.html
Franklin township, n.J. Brian D. Levine
May 2006
http://mayorlevine.livejournal.com/
oakland, Calif.
Jerry Brown
Apr 2005
http://jerrybrown.typepad.com/
(ended when he became Attorney General
of California January 2007)
Parker, Colo.
David Casiano
Apr 2006
http://denver.yourhub.com/Blog.
aspx?contentid=76721
Portland, ore.
tom Potter
Apr 2006
http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.
cfm?c=41986
reading, Pa.
tom McMahon
Mar 2005
http://www.readingeagle.com/blog/mayor/
round Lake, Ill.
Bill Gentes
Jul 2005
http://www.eroundlake.com/blog/
San Francisco, Calif.
Gavin newsom
Jan 2007
http://www.sfgov.org/site/mayor_index.asp
Somerville, Mass.
Joe Curtatone
Jun 2006
http://blogs.townonline.com/somervilleMayor/
St. Louis, Mo.
Francis G. Slay
Apr 2005
http://www.mayorslay.com/desk/
valley Center, Kan.
Mike Mcnown
Mar 2006
http://www.valleycenterks.org/index.
asp?nID=212
Washington, D.C.
Anthony Williams Aug 2005
http://blog.mayor.dc.gov/
(term ended
Jan 2007)
Wisconsin rapids, Wis. Mary Jo Carson
May 2006
http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/
apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/
Wrt0101/60505031&theme=MAYorBLoG&
template=theme
Ampthill, United
Penny Foster
May 2006
http://www.ampthill.org.uk/MayorsBlog.htm
Kingdom (UK)
* took over the blog from her predecessor,
Mark Smith, who blogged from May 2005-May
2006, archived at: http://www.ampthill.org.uk/
news.htm
royal Borough
Mary reid
Jan 2005
http://www.readmyday.co.uk/maryreid
of Kingston upon
thames (UK)
Stockton on tees (UK) Suzanne Fletcher Apr 2006
http://www.stockton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/
your_councillors/mayorblog0607/
24
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 6: Blogs of City Managers as of April 2007
City
City Manager
Date Started
Location
Chelsea, Mich.
Mike Steklac
May 2005
http://chelseacitymanager.blogspot.com/
Davison, Mich.
Peter Auger
Jun 2005
http://cityofdavisonweblogs.org/html/
pauger.html
Eden Prairie, Minn.
Scott neal
Mar 2003
http://edenprairieweblogs.org/scottneal/
Kent, ohio
Dave ruller
Apr 2006
http://kent360.com/
Leesburg, Fla.
ron Stock
May 2005
http://leesburgflorida.blogspot.com/
Portland, ore.
Sam Adams
Jun 2005
http://www.commissionersam.com/sam_
adams/2006/02/blog_local_hous.html
Prior Lake, Minn.
Frank Boyles
Feb 2006
http://www.cityofpriorlake.com/blog/
Santa Paula, Calif.
Wally Bobkiewicz nov 2004
http://www.ci.santa-paula.ca.us/blog/
Sarasota, Fla.
Michael Mcnees
Aug 2005
http://srqcm.blogspot.com/
West Des Moines, Iowa
Jeff Pomeranz
Feb 2006
http://wdmblog.wdm-ia.com/
Wyoming, ohio
robert Harrison
Feb 2006
http://www.wyoming.oh.us/index.
cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_
id=26D00E1B-7E90-9BD4-
CF018CAF6908A287
Figure 7: Blog of New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman (D-Albuquerque)
Source: http://senatorfeldman.typepad.com/.
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Table 7: Police and Fire Department Blogs as of April 2007
City/County
Agency
Date Started
Location
Boston, Mass. Boston Police
nov 2005
http://bpdnews.com/
Department
Eden Prairie,
Eden Prairie, Minn. Fire Jan 2005
http://edenprairieweblogs.org/georgeesbensen/
Minn.
Department
(Chief George Esbensen)
Eden Prairie,
Eden Prairie, Minn.
Jun 2004
http://edenprairieweblogs.org/robreynolds/
Minn.
Police Department
(Chief rob reynolds) note:
Previous Chief Dan Carlson
blogged Jun 2004–Dec
2006)
Los Angeles,
Los Angeles Fire
Dec 2004
http://lafd.blogspot.com/
Calif.
Department
Los Angeles,
Los Angeles Police
May 2006
http://www.lapdblog.org/
Calif.
Department
Mangalore,
Dakshina Kannada
nov 2005
http://www.spdk.blogspot.com/
India
Police Department
(Supt. Dayananda Bannikal)
Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade Fire
Mar 2004
http://www.miami-dadefirerescue.com/modules/
County, Fla.
rescue Department
weblog/index.php?cat_id=2
northfield,
northfield, Minn. Police
Jul 2004
http://garygsmith.net/
Minn.
Department
(Chief Gary G. Smith)
north Wales
various
Jul 2006
• Chief Constable richard Brunstrom:
(UK)
http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwp/public/
en/blogs/viewblog.asp?UID=1&CID=131
• Deputy Chief Constable Clive Wolfendale:
http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwp/public/
en/blogs/viewblog.asp?UID=2&CID=132
• Assistant Chief Constable Ian Shannon:
read the Assistant Chief Constable’s Blog
http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwp/public/
en/blogs/viewblog.asp?UID=3&CID=130
tulsa, okla.
tulsa, okla. Police
May 2006
http://www.tulsapolice.org/tpdblog.htm
Department
Table 8: College and University Presidents with Blogs as of April 2007
Institution
President
Location
Arizona State University
President Michael Crow
www.michaelcrow.net
Cedarville University (Iowa)
President Bill Brown
www.xanga.com/billbrown
Colorado College
President Dick Celeste
www.coloradocollege.edu/welcome/
presidentsoffice/blog/
Michigan State University
President Lou Anna K. Simon
www.president.msu.edu/blog
red river College
President Jeff Zabudsky
www.connectrrc.net/president
towson University
President robert Caret
http://presidentcaret.org/blog
trinity University (DC)
President Patricia McGuire
www.trinitydc.edu/about/president/blog
Wenatchee valley College
President Jim richardson
www.wvcpresident.blogspot.com/
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Figure 8: Blog of Dave Ruller, City Manager of Kent, Ohio
Figure 9: Blog of Mayor Bill Gentes of Round Lake, Illinois
Source: http://www.eroundlake.com/blog/
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Figure 10: Blog of George Esbensen, Fire Chief of Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Source: http://edenprairieweblogs.org/georgeesbensen/
Figure 11: Blog of Towson University President Robert Caret
Source: http://presidentcaret.org/blog/
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Case Study in Organizational
Blogging: STRATCOM
Say ‘Yes, Sir’ to Blogging
the military is realizing that its traditional top-down
structure, with long decision cycles and one-way
As will be discussed in the second part of this
flow of information, is not a good fit for today’s
report, organizations are discovering blogs to be an
needs. It is seeking to replace the traditional
excellent tool to better internal communications and “push” model of information, where vast amounts
knowledge management. the best governmental
of information flow down to the field, inundating
example of such organizational blogging is going on commanders with data and consuming precious
in perhaps the most important of all public sector
bandwidth, with a “pull” model, whereby soldiers
organizations today: the U.S. military. In the Global
can search and retrieve the right information they
War on terror, the U.S. military is learning that
need at the right time (ratnam, 2006). thus the
information, and specifically information sharing, is
military is fast moving to a “networked battlefield”
a key strategic success factor. the 2006 Quadrennial (Katzman, 2005). this is deemed vital today, as
Defense review states that the military’s emphasis is reflected in the view of General Lance Smith, com-
shifting “from an emphasis on ships, guns, tanks,
mander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command: “We
and planes—to focus on information, knowledge,
cannot operate against the terrorists until we give
and timely, actionable intelligence” and “from mov-
our guys out there fighting in the field the same
ing the user to the data—to moving data to the user” capability, as much information as we can, and the
(Department of Defense, 2006, p. vii). to do so
authority to act on that information in real time”
requires “viewing information as an enterprise asset to
(quoted in rogin, 2006d, n.p.).
be shared and as a weapon system to be protected”
(Department of Defense, 2006, p. 48).
StrAtCoM is now at the forefront of the military’s
attempts to revamp to fight the War on terror in the
It is generally acknowledged that in fighting terror-
Information Age. In response to the threat of a rapidly
ism, the cell—and even individual—nature of the
evolving enemy that can sense and decide quickly,
enemy’s organization means that the military’s
StrAtCoM is seeking to implement 24-hour, real-
bureaucracy can be a great impediment to success
time, secure communications from generals to
in this new world. As Lieutenant General robert
warfighters (Kelly, 2006). the centerpiece of the effort
Kehler explained, “today’s terrorist moves at the
is the Strategic Knowledge Integration (SKI-web). Part
speed of information” (quoted in rogin, 2006b,
of StrAtCoM’s classified network, SKI-web is
n.p.). Marine Corps General James E. Cartwright,
nothing less than a 24/7/365 virtual intelligence
commander of the U.S. Strategic Command
meeting, with blogging and chat as essential parts
(StrAtCoM), recently observed: “the military has
of the operation. Blogging is central to Cartwright’s
a wonderful axiom called the chain of command …
efforts to transform the culture and information flow
but the chain of information is not the chain of
at StrAtCoM. Everyone, from generals to frontline
command…. When al Qaeda can outmaneuver you
warfighters, is encouraged to blog. Lieutenant
using Yahoo, we’ve got something wrong here”
General Kehler, the deputy commander of
(quoted in rogin, 2006c, n.p.).
StrAtCoM, observed that on SKI-web: “We expect
and encourage everyone to blog. In fact, you buy
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
STRATCOM Commander General James Cartwright wants to facilitate open com-
munication within the command, regardless of rank or location, and has put forth
the following thesis:
“the metric is what the person has to contribute, not the person’s rank, age, or level
of experience. If they have the answer, I want the answer. When I post a question on
my blog, I expect the person with the answer to post back. I do not expect the person
with the answer to run it through you, your oIC (officer-in-Charge), the branch chief,
the exec, the Division Chief, and then get the garbled answer back before he or she
posts it for me. the napoleonic Code and netcentric Collaboration cannot exist in the
same space and time. It’s YoUr job to make sure I get my answers and then if they get
it wrong or they could have got it righter, then you guide them toward a better way ...
but do not get in their way” (quoted in Defense Industry Daily, 2005, n.p.).
your way into the blog with the value you add, not
the rank you hold. We have a command chain in
StrAtCoM, not an information chain, an infosphere,
if you will, within which command is exercised”
(rogin, 2006e, n.p.). Inside StrAtCoM, the non-
hierarchical, free flow of information in blogs is
proving to be nothing less than “an enormous cultural
change” (Kelly, 2006).
While it is still early to report on the success of
StrAtCoM’s transformation, there are signs that
it is paying off. one anonymous officer at the com-
mand reported:
I am currently assigned to USStrAtCoM.
I can tell you from personal experience that
the current 4-star leadership exercises the
blogging system with maximum efficiency. If
the generals below him get caught by surprise
w/ something their underlings have posted, it’s
because they weren’t checking the blog them-
selves—and that’s what the 4 star expects.
Everyone, from the lowest ranking person all
the way to the 4 star, shares in the informa-
tion realm and is free to post information.
Information is perishable, and the only way
to avoid bureaucracy is by streamlining the
delivery method (quoted in Kelly, 2006, n.p.).
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A Guide for Public Sector Bloggers
Overview
the Los Angeles Police Department started a blog
(http://www.lapdblog.org/), spearheaded by Police
Gallo (2004) aptly predicted that the blog revolution
Chief William J. Bratton in May 2006. Inspired by
is “more a prolonged infiltration than a sudden over-
the success of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s
throw” (n.p.). However, in time, blogs may well
blog (http://lafd.blogspot.com/), Bratton sees the
become, as AoL vice President Bill Schreiner described police blog as the centerpiece of the department’s
them, an “oral history” for our times (eMarketer,
web strategy, with the ultimate goal of having “the
2005a). now, with the increasing frequency of not just
role of law enforcement officials to evolve from dis-
words (both in text and audio files), but video posts as
tance protectors and rapid responders to true part-
well, blogs may become a multimedia history book.
ners and conduits for meaningful social change”
Still, there will be fits and starts. Witness what has
(quoted in Glaister, 2006, n.p.). While Bratton does
occurred in the state of tennessee. Bill Hobbs, a
post on the site and uses it to host podcasts of his
blog consultant, started a website called volPols
press conferences, the site is known for honest
(http://www.volpols.com/), which he envisioned as
reporting on the city’s crime, much of it by
a portal for all members of the tennessee House
Lieutenant ruben de la torre, who has earned a rep-
and Senate and heads of state agencies to have their
utation for his “Dragnet-style” prose (Glaister, 2006).
own blogs to foster better communications. He
offered state officials both free blog hosting and
What’s coming? there are certainly indications that
even his personal blog consulting. In the end, his
public officials are experimenting to “push the virtual
idea, which Glover (2006e) terms a “good model”
envelope” in the era of Web 2.0 (see the sidebar
for the 50 states, has drawn only two legislative
“A Second Life for Politicians?” on page 32). take
bloggers (representative Stacey Campfield and
for instance texas State representative richard
Senator roy Herron). Hobbs’ last post on the blog
Peña raymond (D-Laredo). A veteran political blog-
states that he is considering revamping the concept.
ger, raymond has maintained his blog (http://www.
acapitolblog.com/) since January 2005. In February
No Computer Skills Required
texas State representative Aaron Peña (D-Hidalgo) is a “blogoneer” in the Lone Star State, the
first texas state legislator to maintain a blog. In fact, he actually has two blogs:
http://www.acapitolblog.com/ (focused on texas and local issues)
http://aaronpenasquixote.blogspot.com/ (focused on national issues)
representative Peña has been called upon to speak to his fellow texas legislators and other interested audiences
on his blogging activities, even though he admits that his own knowledge of computers and the Internet is poor.
His advice to his fellow lawmakers: It takes discipline and dedication to maintain a blog (Glover, 2006f).
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
2007, raymond, who represents a district with a
blog as a useful tool to reach out and involve
heavily Hispanic populace, announced that he
younger citizens of all backgrounds in government.
would add a new bilingual video blog to his online
raymond (2007) stated: “technology has given us an
site. He hopes that the video blog (using videos
opportunity to keep our constituents more fully
which he has made and posted to Youtube) will keep informed on the important issues facing our state.
constituents and the media informed on issues and
With this new tool, I hope to bring more insight into
bills before the legislature. He also sees the video
the legislative process, and make it easier to stay
A Second Life for Politicians?
Beyond the technological horizon we see today will undoubtedly be new Web 2.0 frontiers for public organizations,
and public sector officials will need to stay abreast of these developments. take the burgeoning Second Life phenom-
enon. Created and run by San Francisco’s Linden Lab, Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com/) is a 3-D digital uni-
verse where individuals—over 3.3 million as of February 2007—take on virtual identities, or “avatars” (Mesure, 2007).
According to Linden (2006), there are now 50,000 premium residents (virtual landowners) who each month spend
approximately 7 million hours “in-world”; over half of these “virtual residents” are from outside the United States.
How big is Second Life? Already leading corporations, including American Apparel, Dell, nike, Starwood Hotels,
Sony, and toyota, are staking out a presence in this virtual environment (Jana, 2006; Mesure, 2007). Late last
year, IBM even held a “town hall” meeting of its employees in Second Life, led by the firm’s CEo, Sam Palmisano
and his avatar (LaMonica, 2006). Likewise, more than 70 colleges and universities, including UCLA, have built
virtual campuses and hold classes in Second Life (olsen, 2007).
now government is entering the world of Second Life. Former virginia
Governor Mark Warner was the first politico to enter Second Life
(Gross, 2007). representative George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the
House Education and Labor Committee, has initiated the virtual House
of representatives in Second Life. Working in conjunction with his
friends, filmmaker George Lucas and John Gage, chief of research for
Sun Microsystems, along with the Internet marketer ClearInk, the virtual
House came about after two weeks of work. representative Miller recently
recounted: “nancy [House Speaker nancy Pelosi] made me explain
Second Life to the [Democratic House] leadership, and they kept looking
at me with that look of, ‘What are you talking about?’ ” (vorderbrueggen, 2007, n.p.) In Second Life, the virtual
House stands next to a virtual version of the Washington Monument and other D.C. landmarks. In an almost sur-
real twist, streaming video from the “first life” House routinely appears in the Second Life version, along with
avatars of members of Congress (Gross, 2007).
nancy Scola of the George Washington University Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet termed
Second Life “a good place for politicians to connect with a new group of voters” (quoted in Grove, 2007, n.p.).
representative Miller, who hopes bipartisanship will come to Second Life with the addition of republican par-
ticipants, recommends that other members of Congress take advantage of the virtual House, believing that the
virtual world “is a very different forum for a member of Congress, [but] it’s also very exciting, because it gives
us an opportunity to interact with people that are interested in what’s taking place in the United States and the
Congress” (quoted in Gross, 2007, n.p.).
the United States is not alone in having politics and government spill into Second Life. Several members of the
Dutch Parliament virtually traveled there to meet with their online constituents (a video of their visit can be seen
at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqod_Fyyot0) (McCullagh, 2007).
As social networking and blogging evolve into new realms, both in the real Internet world and in the virtual envi-
ronment, assessments will need to be made as to how to most effectively navigate in both worlds. Analysts and
researchers will likewise have to develop means to assess and research the activities of both corporate and public
sector organizations, officials, and/or candidates in Second Life and rival virtual communities. one could well imag-
ine a future where in addition to websites and blogs, many public officials and candidates may well “go virtual”
and enter Second Life.
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informed even if you are hundreds of miles away
know when someone is writing about your blog.
from the Capitol” (n.p.). raymond’s video blog can
Finally, you can elect to provide blog readers with
be viewed at http://www.richardraymond.com/pages/
the option to subscribe to your blog using rSS
mediacentral.htm.
(really Simple Syndication) or Atom feeds. By pro-
viding a link on your site, readers can then be pro-
But before you go to the advanced class of bilingual
vided with the content of your blog whenever it is
podcasts or engage in a debate on Second Life, you
updated. through the use of feed “readers” or
must master the fundamentals of blogging. thus, in
“aggregators” that work with rSS or Atom, individu-
the next sections of the report, we outline how to
als can subscribe to all their favorite sites and view
start blogging, discuss the lessons learned by early
all new updates on these sites through the reader,
public sector bloggers, and present 10 tips for gov-
without having to go to each site.
ernment bloggers.
As you become more experienced and comfortable
How Do I Blog?
with the technology, you may want to consider
whether to include audio podcasts or video links in
Let’s say that you make the decision to start blog-
your blog. In the following sections, we examine the
ging. What do you need to do? What do you need
lessons learned from early public sector bloggers
to know? Well, the long and short of it is, not much. and then present 10 tips for public sector executives
By using the widely available blogging software and
to follow in their blogging activities.
hosting services (discussed in the second part of this
report) or blog options offered as part of other soft-
ware/web hosting packages, all you basically have
Lessons Learned from—and in—
to do is make a series of decisions regarding the
the Blogosphere
basic format and structure of your blog. It begins
one of the key lessons to be learned from this survey
with naming the blog, and then progresses to items
of blogging in the public sector is that it does take ded-
such as the screen layout, archiving options, and
ication and a bit of bravery to take that first step into
whether to allow comments or not. this final item is
Web 2.0 and join the conversation in the blogosphere.
particularly important, because comments provide
the leader role today is quite different from what it
the opportunity for readers to provide feedback to
was just a few years ago, and the need to engage in
the blogger.
new media is a part of it. thus, as blogging becomes
more and more common amongst public officials,
the present generation of blogging software is quite
there will be both peer and public pressure to join in.
sophisticated and yet remarkably user-friendly, allow-
As D. Michael Lindsay of rice University bluntly put it:
ing you to have a quite professional-looking blog in
“Leaders have to spin many more plates today than
an hour or so—at little or no cost. today’s blogware
they had to 20 or 30 years ago. that’s just the nature in
gives you the ability to easily create links between
which society grows and develops. As it grows and
your blog postings and items anywhere on the web.
develops, you have more people to satisfy, more
Say, for example, you want to reference your state
demands on your time, more expectations. It seems
(i.e., Louisiana) or city (i.e., new orleans) items in
that those kinds of elements never go away, they just
your blog. the software can help you to link to ency-
increase” (quoted in Anonymous, 2007, n.p.).
clopedia entries on the subjects (like Wikipedia’s
entries on those items) or to their official websites.
the principal recommendation of this researcher is sim-
the software also generally enables you to create
ply a refrain of the classic nike marketing slogan “just
permalinks that other bloggers can use to link back
do it!” tM—if you think you have what it takes to make
to a specific post on your blog, not simply the front
it in the blogosphere. take the advice of Bill Gentes,
page. In this way, if a blogger is referencing a specific the so-called “Blogging Mayor of round Lake” in
post you made in May 2006, the reader will be led
Illinois. Gentes has blogged for over two years, and his
directly there. the trackBack feature on blogs allows
comments for his fellow public officials are insightful:
a blogger to see who has seen his or her original
post and has written another entry concerning it. the
I know of a few mayors who blog regularly,
system works by sending a “ping” between the blogs,
and by regularly I mean three times a week.
providing the alert. thus, you will automatically
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Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
the Federal Funding Accountability and transparency Act of 2006 (S. 2590) requires the U.S. office of Management
and Budget to oversee a new website through which the public can easily access information about grants and
contracts awarded by federal departments and agencies, except those classified for national security reasons.
the bill was introduced by Senators tom Coburn and Barack obama on April 6, 2006. Sometime after August 2,
2006, Senators ted Stevens and robert Byrd placed “secret holds” on S. 2590, which under Senate rules pre-
vents a vote on this act or its amendments. on August 17, 2006, Senator Coburn identified Senator Stevens as
“the only senator blocking [the bill]” at a town hall meeting in Arkansas, but this did not become widely known
for nearly two weeks.
Prompted by political blogs, various individuals contacted their senators to determine if they placed the “secret
hold” on S. 2590. the effort was an unusual example of bipartisan collaboration on the Internet, with the right-
leaning blogs Porkbusters and GoPProgress actively working with left-leaning tPMmuckraker. on August 30,
2006, after he had been identified as the only suspect by Porkbusters and one of two suspects by tPMmuckraker, a
spokesman for Senator Stevens confirmed that he placed a hold. the following day, Senator Byrd (tPMmuckraker’s
other suspect) also admitted to placing a hold, stating that he had wanted to have more time to look at the legis-
lation; he had lifted the hold by the time of the announcement. Senator Stevens subsequently lifted his hold as well.
the bill passed unanimously in the Senate on September 7, 2006, and was passed in the House on September 13,
2006. President Bush signed the bill into law on September 26, 2006, explaining: “this bill is going to create a
website that will list the federal government’s grants and contracts. It’s going to be a website that the average citizen
can access and use. It will allow Americans to log onto the Internet just to see how your money is being spent. this
bill will increase accountability and reduce incentives for wasteful spending. I am proud to sign it into law and I am
proud to be with members of both political parties who worked hard to get this bill to my desk.”
Source: “A Conversation with Rob Portman,” the Business of Government, Spring 2007.
I know of no one as crazy as me to do it
“the relative informality and immediacy that makes
every single day. the comments are hysteri-
blogs interesting are at odds with the circumspec-
cal, you have to live here to get some of it,
tion and care that a responsible office requires and
but I allow uncensored comments so I get
without which you get your feet tangled up real
the negatives, positives, and the inane! It is
quick. I’m going to try it for a while, but if it is dull
the single smartest thing I have ever done as
or if the political cost is too great, I may need to
Mayor; it allows me to control the dialog, it
close up shop at some point in the future. It is really
gives me the ability to answer my 18,000 resi-
worth giving it a try, though.” While he was quite
dents’ questions in depth, and gives me a way
surprised at the media attention and the audience
of going over the top of every naysayer and
it reached, he ended—or, more accurately, aban-
right to the general public (quoted in Swope,
doned—the blog after just five entries. now, the
2007, n.p.).
blog remains on his main website, a reminder of
an effort tried but not successful.
It is highly important that once you engage in blog-
ging, you continue to do so on a regular basis.
When serving as mayor of Washington, D.C., in
Simply put, if you do not post regularly—at least
2005, Anthony Williams launched a short-lived blog.
two to three times per week—then you do not give
He was criticized for the infrequency of updates
people a reason to visit your blog. Also, if you
(going a week or more between posts) and for the
choose to discontinue your blog, you may face
shrill tone of his responses. In fact, when one citizen
scorn both in cyberspace and in the real world.
commented on the blog about the person who wrote
tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen launched his
that all city employees were “idiots,” Mayor Williams
“Philblog” in May 2005 at (http://www.tennessee
responded: “Well, that’s not very helpful. I can’t help
anytime.org/governor/viewArticleContent.do?id=
you if you say the whole city is going to hell in a
519&page=0). In his first post, Bredesen observed:
handbasket” (quoted in Weiss, 2005, n.p.).
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Lessons Learned from the Superintendent Blogger
Clayton Wilcox is the superintendent of schools in Pinellas County, Florida. the St. Petersburg Times offered the
superintendent an opportunity to have a blog on the paper’s website, just as they offered other schools in the
area. the blog, dubbed The Classroom, was initiated in March 2005. one of Wilcox’s posts elicited over 800
comments (Baker, 2005). the blog allowed Superintendent Wilcox the chance to present his views on a wide
variety of educational matters and district affairs, as well as commenting on controversial subjects, such as the
Florida district’s continuing desegregation case and the well-publicized instance when police were called to a
school to deal with an unruly 5-year-old student, who was seen being handcuffed on a videotape shown on news
broadcasts (Colgan, 2005).
Unfortunately, Superintendent Wilcox ended his first blog on May, 18, 2006, with the following entry:
I will talk with the Times tomorrow about ending my blog—I think that talking face to face with teachers
will be more productive going forward.
I imagine this will be my last post ... I will try to achive [sp.] the posts received up to this date ... some
will say that I wimped out ... I will just say this ... the lies, distortions and mean spiritedness of some—
was not worth my time or worthy of this district ... good night and good luck.
—Clayton
While one anonymous commenter called the end of his blog “a damn shame, but it was coming,” another
accused the superintendent of “taking my ball and going home,” while yet another added the famous Jack
nicholson line from A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth!”
In the end, Wilcox, who had been asked to appear on panels for educators based on his reputation as the
“Blogging Superintendent,” believed that the blog was an effective tool, for a while. However, the “lack of
civility” of a few anonymous commenters who came to dominate the blog ruined it, and the forum “became
ugly and ‘like a cancer’ on the district” (quoted in tobin, 2006, n.p.).
After summer vacation, The Classroom was revived in August 2006, but with new rules. the blog, now shared by
Superintendent Wilcox and other top district administrators, restricted comments to registered participants only
and did not allow the anonymous comments that had proved so troublesome in the past. Additionally, a com-
ment policy was added:
Comment Policy (from The Classroom blog website)
Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that:
• Is defamatory or libelous
• Is abusive, harassing, or threatening
• Is obscene, vulgar, or profane
• Is racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive
• Is illegal or encourages criminal acts
• Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution
• Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity, or any other rights of others
• Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)
• Is off-topic or spam
• Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises
The Classroom can be viewed at http://blogs.tampabay.com/classroom/.
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
You must make your blog your own. In fact,
Public officials can certainly take lessons from
Christopher Barger, IBM’s lead consultant for
the experience of Sarasota (Florida) City Manager
blogging and podcasting communications, asserts,
Michael Mcnees. In August 2005, Mcnees landed
“the first thing we tell execs is they’ve got to be
in political hot water for a controversial land deal
authentic” (op. cited in Fitzgerald, 2006, n.p.). You
and a 500,000-gallon sewage spill. In fact, the
must be the author of your posts—not your staff,
Sarasota City Commission only retained him by
not your secretary or administrative assistant, and
a vote of 3 to 2 (Lewis, 2005). the city manager
certainly not your campaign manager or consultant.
had come under fire for both his management style
Steve Hayden is vice chairman of advertising giant
and his communication skills (Saewitz, 2006a).
ogilvy & Mather, which is now advising its corpo-
Ironically, that same month, he started the Sarasota
rate clients on blogging. He recently remarked: “If
City Manager’s Blog, located at http://srqcm.
you fudge or lie on a blog, you are biting the karmic blogspot.com. Since that time, Mcnees, the only
weenie. the negative reaction will be so great that,
blogging city manager in Florida, has regularly
whatever your intention was, it will be overwhelmed posted to his blog. He has continually allowed
and crushed like a bug. You’re fighting with very
for moderated comments on the site, and regularly
powerful forces because it’s real people’s opinions”
draws numerous comments from citizen readers
(opinion cited in Graves, 2006, p. 12).
and city employees. In fact, commenters have told
him, “thanks so much for opening a line of commu-
It is also important that, as a public official, your
nication,” and “Mike, this is turning out to be quite
blog is yours. take California Governor Arnold
a town meeting.” In June 2006, he was presented
Schwarzenegger. His office has established the
the “Courage in Communication” award from the
governor’s blog at http://gov.ca.gov/blog. the blog
Florida City and County Management Association
is not “technically” a blog, as no comments are
for his “blogoneering” work (Saewitz, 2006b).
allowed. thus, it functions more as a glorified press
release venue or political mouthpiece. More
In the public sector environment, blogging execu-
importantly, however, while a number of state agency tives have to be particularly careful in the messages
heads and other California officials post fairly regularly they convey, both to internal audiences and to their
on the blog, the governor has done so only once.
external constituencies (see the sidebar “think
Likewise, the governor’s wife, Maria Shriver also has
Before You Blog,” for a story about a blogging city
a blog, located at http://www.firstlady.ca.gov/blog.
council person in texas).
She has yet to post to her own blog.
Dr. Philip Windley, an associate professor of computer
As Mike Cornfield, a professor at George Washing-
science at Brigham Young University, served as the
ton University, bluntly put it, “without comments,
chief information officer for the state of Utah in 2001–
a blog is ‘just a glorified press release’ ” (quoted in
2002. recently, Professor Windley recounted to CIO
terdiman, 2006, n.p.). to prevent this, elected offi-
Magazine two cautionary tales from his tenure as
cials need to find ways to allow comments on their
Utah’s CIo, when he became one of the first public
blogs. While allowing unmoderated and unfiltered
officials in the country to start blogging as a way to
comments is a brave step, it can also be an unwise
improve communications with his staff. Windley found
one (witness the experience of a school superinten-
that when he made a blog entry expressing his interest
dent chronicled in the sidebar –“Lessons Learned
in enterprise instant messaging, some members of his
from the Superintendent Blogger”). registration,
staff interpreted the post “as a directive to begin
moderation, comment policies (and Superintendent
deploying the technology, rather than an invitation to
Wilcox’s is a good model), and the use of CAPtCHA discuss the idea” (quoted in Fitzgerald, 2006, n.p.).
technology are becoming the modus operandi for
blogging executives today, in both the private and
His second tale relates to how miscommunications
public sectors. If they can find a way to incorporate
can occur in blogging, damaging both morale in an
comments on their blogs, officials will get more
agency and individual careers. Windley had encour-
out of the experience, and so will their readers.
aged his staff members to blog, and when an e-mail
As Chapman-norton (2005) pinpointed, “blogs—
outage occurred, the manager in charge used his
real blogs—have potential.”
blog to explain why, from a technical perspective,
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Think Before You Blog
Let’s file this one under the heading of “what not to do” as a blogging public official anywhere, at any level, at
any time. Kathy Garcia Moffett was the mayor pro tem of the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs, texas (population
of approximately 20,000) until some folks in town read what she had posted on her blog on her MySpace page.
Moffett had posted on various topics, including entries praising the community’s police department. However,
at 2:03 a.m. on January 16, 2007, Moffett made a blog entry of approximately 600 words in which she launched
into a tirade against the city’s police, naming three officers in an entry filled with expletives. Mayor Pro tem
Moffett’s posting is excerpted below:
2:03 a.m. “I have been behind the police department and the officers for so [expletive] long!! ... I am so
[expletive] tired of hearing this [expletive] about the pay!! the whole city knows that you guys need raises!!!!”
Mayor Pro tem Moffett went on to criticize the three officers personally, even adding that for two of the officers,
“I hope somebody knocks you on your [expletive] and you fall hard. “
Moffett issued a mea culpa post two days later (shown below), and she removed the initial post from her blog as well.
“It has come to my attention that I have upset some people with one of my previous blogs. I take that as
my cue to make a public apology to the names that I have mentioned in that blog! ... It was just frustration
and venting on my part, nothing more!! I will remove that blog and refrain from making comments about
you three and any negative comments about the Police Department. this is being done of my own free will.
nobody has asked me or told me to write this!!
once again I am truley [sic] sorry and I hope that you will and can accept my apology!!”
However, the words launched in cyberspace had crossed over to the real world of politics, and the damage was
done. At its February meeting (which Moffett did not attend), Balch Springs City Council heard from a variety of
officials and constituents, including upset representatives of the police department. the city attorney voiced his
concerns to the council about potential city liability springing from her comments. the council voted to remove
Moffett from her mayor pro tem duties, and it then issued an official apology to the citizens and the police force
for her online rant. the council stopped short of removing Moffett from office, but only because they were pro-
hibited from doing so by the city’s charter. In the words of council member Linda Pineda, “I am very sorry that
we cannot force Ms. Moffett to resign” (quoted in Anderson, 2007, n.p.). Moffett has now indicated that she will
not run for re-election to her council position.
Balch Springs Mayor Wayne Middleton gave sage advice for any public official who might go “off” on their blog,
“If she’s going to vent, she should have vented to somebody somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, so it
would go nowhere” (quoted in Anderson, 2007, n.p.).
So, while there is a need for openness and honesty in blogging, you might rethink what you post in anger,
especially at 2 a.m.
the service disruption had happened. While the
Finally, whatever blog strategy a public official may
manager was factual in his explanation, the revela-
choose, even if it is not to blog, one thing is essential
tion damaged his relationship with the It staff he
today: to monitor the blogosphere for what is being
oversaw and lowered morale in the unit. Ultimately, said about you, your agency, your area, and so on.
the manager chose to depart his position in the
As will be discussed in relation to the corporate
aftermath of the revelations he made in his blog.
realm later in this report, such monitoring is
From Windley’s perspective, this story highlights the
essential for protecting companies and their brands.
fact that “it’s important to say why you’re blogging
today, it is essential in the public sector as well.
in each of your posts, and to try not to say things
this is made crystal clear by the “boulevard of bro-
that might generate calls from reporters” (quoted
ken dreams” made up of prominent public officials
in Fitzgerald, 2006, n.p.).
and members of the media who have either lost
stature and/or their positions due to stories that
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
have originated in the blogosphere and crossed
Tip 1: Define yourself and your purpose. In 1992,
over to the mainstream media. Such prominent
ross Perot’s running mate was vice Admiral James
cases that have involved politicians and members
Stockdale, a vietnam War hero and former prisoner
of the media include:
of war,. At the vice presidential debate, he infa-
mously began with the rhetorical questions: “Who
•
Senator Trent Lott (R-MS): for remarks made
am I? Why am I here?” (Holmes, 2005). While these
that seemingly approved of racial segregation
questions didn’t lead to victory for Stockdale, they
when he praised Senator Strom thurmond’s
can for you. You should, at least mentally but per-
1948 presidential campaign at a birthday party
haps in your first post, state the reasons you are
for the octogenarian) (Scott, 2004)
starting your blog, what you hope to do with it, who
•
Senator George Allen (R-VA): for calling a
you hope will read it, and so on.
20-year-old volunteer for his Democratic
opponent, James Webb, “macaca” (a term
Tip 2: Do it yourself! Do not have someone else
considered insensitive and demeaning) (Craig
write your blog. While you may enlist assistance for
and Shear, 2006).
any technical aspects that you feel uncomfortable
with (and with the blogging tools available today, this
•
Dan Rather, former anchor of the CBS Evening
really should not be an issue), you must be the author
News: for his 60 Minutes II story on President
to make it authentic and interesting to your audience.
George W. Bush’s texas national Guard service,
which was based on memos called into serious
Tip 3: Make a time commitment. Before you begin
question by bloggers (Butterworth, 2006).
your blog, know that you must make a personal com-
•
Eason Jordan, Chief News Executive for CNN: for
mitment to have the time available to not only regu-
the off-the-record remarks he made at the World
larly post to your blog, but to read and respond to
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2005
comments made on it. And if the comment section is
in which he claimed that U.S. troops had inten-
managed, you or perhaps a subordinate must make
tionally killed—“targeted”—journalists in Iraq
decisions on which comments will be posted on the
(Johnson, 2005).
blog and which will not. You should work blog writ-
ing and reading time into your regular schedule, and
•
Democratic Presidential Candidate and former
if you know you will be unavailable for a period of
North Carolina Senator John Edwards: was criti-
time, invite a guest blogger(s) to fill your virtual
cized in February 2007 when two bloggers on his
shoes. remember, in the blogosphere, 10 days with-
campaign staff came under fire for postings they
out posts could mean the death of your blog, as read-
made on other blogs that were perceived to be
ers will be drawn elsewhere in virtual space.
anti-Catholic and insensitive, and for their prior,
pre-employment posting on blogs relating to the
Tip 4: Be regular. While related to the first two tips,
Duke University lacrosse rape case (Snow, 2007).
the need to regularly post to your blog merits particu-
lar attention. In short, if you do not regularly post
In fact, in political circles, this new Web 2.0 fear has
updated material to your blog—interesting material—
even inspired a new verb, to be “George Allen-ed,”
whatever readership you have will quickly fade away.
and a warning from Senator John Ensign (r-nv), chair-
man of the national republican Senatorial Committee: Tip 5: Be generous. If your blog is nothing but an
“You have to assume there is a recording device of
exercise in self-centeredness and self-congratulation
some kind on you at all times—that is what I am tell-
(or links to organizations congratulating you), then
ing all of my people” (quoted in Budoff, 2007, n.p.).
your readership will tire of it. Use your blog as a
platform for your jurisdiction, your staff, your family
10 Tips for Blogging by Public Sector (to an extent), and so on. take the opportunity to
Executives
highlight special people in your district or commu-
nity, and let your blog be a channel for spotlighting
Based on an analysis of the best practices and
your area, not just yourself. Provide praise, applaud
advice for public officials, as well as private sector
unsung heroes, and point out people in need of spe-
executives, here is a brief “cheat sheet” of tips for
cial help. In short, do good works with your words.
entering the blogosphere.
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Tip 6: Have a “hard hide.” You cannot have a thin
skin and engage in blogging. You will receive com-
ments that range from the thoughtful and insightful
to the unwarranted and the unprintable. You will
also surely be praised by some tech-savvy constitu-
ents for using a new communications medium,
while others will call your office or write a “snail
mail” letter to ask what’s wrong with the more
established forms of communication.
Tip 7: Spell-check. this almost goes without saying,
but it is surprising how many blog posts have spell-
ing and/or grammatical errors. When spotted, such
mistakes can generate satirical comments, spawn
bad publicity in traditional and non-traditional
media, and detract from your message. As the saying
goes, “that’s why God made a spell-checker!”
Tip 8: Don’t give too much information. While it is
great to be honest and open in your blog, you can do
it to the extreme. Let the blog be a window into your
thoughts, your work, and your travels, but remember
the blunt admonition of the anonymous (2003)
author of The Blogger Manifesto, “nobody gives a
[expletive] about what you had for breakfast” (n.p.).
Tip 9: Consider multimedia. While you must con-
centrate on providing timely updates to your blog,
making them interesting and well written, having
good content is not enough. It is crucial that you
have an easy-to-navigate, visually appealing layout
to your blog. In today’s environment, there is a
ratcheting up of blog standards, and in a short time
it will be almost expected that video and audio ele-
ments be included on blogs. While you must learn
to walk before your run, you should seek out links
to audio/video sources to go multimedia at no cost.
then you can begin to consider recording and pro-
ducing your own audio/video content to offer as
posts or podcasts on your blog.
Tip 10: Be a student of blogging. You should make it a
regular habit to spend time each day being exposed to
blogs other than your own. Find favorite blogs (political
and non-political) and subscribe to them using a news
reader or aggregator program (using rSS or Atom
feeds). With these tools, you can view updates from
your favorites in one place, without having to surf to
multiple sites. Finally, check out the top-ranked blogs
(according to technorati or ComScore), and use this as
an opportunity to benchmark the best of the best.
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
A Final Thought on
Public Sector Blogging
one final thought: What a wonderful country we
noted Wal Street Journal columnist Peggy noonan
live in that has brought us tools and forums such as
(2006) commented that one result of the new media
blogs, MySpace, Youtube, and Second Life. recently is that there are “more points of view, more subjects
deceased columnist and political commentator
discussed, more data presented.” According to
Molly Ivins, a native texan (like the author of this
noonan, “this, in a great republic, a great democ-
report), once observed: “the thing about democracy, racy, a leader of the world in a dangerous time, is not
beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It
bad but good” (n.p.). Clearly, the tools and forums of
requires a certain relish for confusion” (quoted in
the Internet can help to advance a government truly
Lewis, 2007, n.p.). these new media, which are
“of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
really new ways of living and existing, are not, by
any means, “neat, orderly, or quiet.” But in them lies
the great potential and the very real prospect that
these Web 2.0 tools can, over time, increase civic
engagement and serve to strengthen our democracy
for the 21st century. Inevitably, the march of real
progress and hype will continue and accelerate, as
already, the new York times and leading firms (such
as IBM) have begun speaking of Web 3.0 (Markoff,
2006). this certainly points to the need for discus-
sions and research on how Web 2, 3, 4, and beyond
will impact the republic.
Matthew taylor, who until recently had been British
Prime Minister tony Blair’s chief political strategist,
believes that the web can be “fantastic” for democ-
racy. However, he also believes that the often shrill
political discourse found on the Internet could be
problematic, perhaps even approaching a “crisis.”
He observed: “At a time at which we need a richer
relationship between politicians and citizens than
we have ever had to confront the shared challenges
we face, arguably we have a more impoverished
relationship between politicians and citizens than
we have ever had” (quoted in Wheeler, 2006, n.p.).
In addition, tim Berners-Lee recently expressed con-
cern that the web can be used today to “spread mis-
information and undemocratic forces” (cited in
Ghosh, 2006, n.p.).
40
IBM Center for the Business of Government
Part II: Blogging as a Social
Phenomenon
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41
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
The Rise of User-Generated Media
A Second Generation of the Internet available from nielsen//netratings, as of late 2006,
158 million Americans accessed the Internet in an
Writing in Public Opinion Quarterly in 2003,
average month, spending an average of just over 26
Jennings and Zeitner observed that any attempt to
hours per month online (Cassar, 2007).
assess the impact of the Internet on the American
public and public life in America “involves shooting In the beginning of the web, there was Metcalfe’s
at a moving target” (p. 311). thus, it is worth noting
Law, which states that the value of a network grows
that we quietly (and collectively) passed an amazing as additional users are added. the classic example
milestone sometime in october 2006, when some
of such a “network effect” is the fax machine, where
anonymous someone created the 100 millionth
one fax machine by itself is useless, with no partner
website. As can be seen in Figure 12, the past
fax with which to communicate. However, as more
decade has seen explosive growth in the size of
faxes are added to the network, the more communi-
the web. According to the most recent research
cations that can take place. thus, not only does the
Figure 12: The Growth of the Web
Cumulative Number of Websites
120,000,000
100,000,000
80,000,000
60,000,000
40,000,000
20,000,000
0 April 1997
November 2006
Source: Walton (2006).
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
network grow, but the value and utility of it does as
from hunting and gathering to creation and social
well, roughly at a rate of the square of the number
connections” (n.p.). It presents an Internet that
of users of the system (n2) (Gilder, 1993). robert
enables and entices individuals to contribute as well
Metcalfe originally developed the law in looking at
as consume. Web 2.0 has been defined in various
the Ethernet, but it has also been applied to a host
ways, but in its simplest terms, according to
of new communications technologies, including cell Hinchcliffe (2006), “Web 2.0 is made of people”
phones and the Internet. While Metcalfe’s Law has
(n.p.). one of the defining characteristics of Web 2.0
been credited with enabling us to understand the
is the ability to control your own content. this, for
growth of the digital economy, it has recently come
instance, eliminates Google as a Web 2.0 applica-
under fire for overestimating the value of networks.
tion, simply because “users contribute content to
that is, telemarketers, junk faxers, and spammers do many of Google’s applications, but they don’t fully
not add, and may even detract from, the value of
control it” (emphasis in the original) (Madden and
the network (Briscoe, odlyzko, and tilly, 2006).
Fox, 2006, n.p.).
now there is reed’s Law, which asserts that
Grossman (2006) characterized Web 2.0 as nothing
Metcalfe’s Law may actually understate the actual
less than “a massive social experiment,” one that
network effects—and hence value—of so-called
undoubtedly “harnesses the stupidity of crowds as
social networks. In a social networking environment,
well as its wisdom” (n.p.). What we are seeing is the
one is not just connected to the entire network as a
wisdom—and yes, inanity, hate, perversions, and
whole, but also to many significant subsets of the
generosity—of crowds in action as more and more
whole network. As a result, a network that supports
people turn to the Internet for—and to create—infor-
easy group communication has a potential number of mation. As Levy and Stone (2006) observed, we no
groups that can form that grows exponentially with
longer go on to the Internet, as more and more,
the increase in network size (reed, 1999).
increasing numbers of us live our lives on and
through the web. From their perspective, it used to
rebecca Grinter, a professor with Georgia tech’s
be that “cyberspace was someplace else, [but today]
College of Computing, commented that the Internet
the web is where we live” (n.p.). they add: “What
is serving a unique function. She observed: “the his-
makes the web alive is, quite simply, us.… As we
tory of humanity is the history of being part of a
keep offloading our activities to the web and adding
group, having a group mentality, and the Internet
previously unmanageable or unthinkable new pur-
makes a whole other set of those groups possible,
suits, it’s fair to say that our everyday existence is a
and they don’t have to be physically proximate to
network effect.” Levy and Stone believe that this
you; you can create content for people who are
collective intelligence means that “the smartest guy
physically distant” (quoted in Walton, 2006, n.p.).
in the room is everybody” (n.p.).
Enter Web 2.0
Social Networking
Much has been made about Web 2.0 and what
take the most recent data on web traffic. As can be
exactly this term—and, indeed, this paradigm shift—
seen in table 9 on page 44, two of the most visited
means. It has been described by researchers for the
websites in the U.S. are social networking sites
Pew Internet & American Life Project as a “catch-all
(MySpace and Facebook). When you include the
buzzword” (Madden and Fox, 2006, n.p.). Indeed,
most popular video-sharing site (Youtube), the lead-
Boutin (2006) observed that right now, Web 2.0 is a
ing blog-hosting site (Blogger.com), along with
term that currently encompasses “a mishmash of
Wikipedia and Craig’s List, half of the most traf-
tools and sites that foster collaboration and participa-
ficked websites are true Web 2.0 sites, with user-
tion” (n.p.). these include not only the realm of
generated content (eMarketer, 2007). Even more
blogs, but social media sites like MySpace, video-
dramatic is the fact that these sites have been
sharing sites like Youtube, photo-sharing sites like
around for relatively short periods of time in web-
Flickr, and collective wikis, most notably Wikipedia.
years (as compared to sites such as Google, Yahoo,
nail (2006) characterizes this phenomenon as
and MSn). they have thus experienced meteoric
“participatory theater,” where “the principles and
growth rates.
technologies of Web 2.0 evolve the user experience
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
visit to the site. Cumulatively, the stickiness of these
Table 9: Top 12 Websites by Traffic Count in the
social networking sites has a dramatic impact on
U.S. (Feb 2007)
how we interact with the web. In fact, in that same
Rank
Domain
URL
month, Americans spent approximately 28 billion
1.
Yahoo!
www.yahoo.com
minutes on the MySpace site alone, which translates
into an astonishing 11.9 percent of all time spent
2.
Google
www.google.com
online. In contrast, for all the attention these sites
3.
MySpace
www.myspace.com
receive, only 2.1 percent of users’ time is spent on
4.
Microsoft
www.msn.com
Google, .6 percent on Youtube, and .4 percent on
network (MSn)
Wikipedia (Meattle, 2007). Still, the cumulative pop-
5.
eBay
www.ebay.com
ularity and stickiness of the top websites means that
even as the Internet grows, we tend to be concen-
6.
Youtube
www.youtube.com
trating our web time on the top sites. In fact, 40 per-
7.
Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
cent of all pageviews are of pages on the top 20
8.
Wikipedia
www.wikipedia.org
ranked websites, which represents a dramatic
9.
Craigslist.org
www.craigslist.org
increase in the concentration of online time on spe-
cific sites over the past few years (Mahony, 2006).
10.
Facebook
www.facebook.com
11.
Windows Live
www.live.com
the growth of social networking sites is phenomenal.
12.
Blogger.com
www.blogger.com
Consider the growth rates of MySpace (Figure 13)
and Youtube (Figure 14). Likewise, the use and size
Source: Alexa, February 2007 (http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/
top_sites?cc=US&ts_mode=country&lang=none)
of Wikipedia is growing at a fantastic rate, as
detailed in the sidebar “Wikiality” (see pages 46–47).
table 10 lists the 10 largest social networking sites.
What is interesting to note is that academics, statisti-
these destinations have an amazing engagement
cians, analysts, and ordinary bloggers are engaged
factor, which in online parlance is referred to as
in quite a debate on the growth of Web 2.0 sites
“stickiness” (the amount of time per visit that a per-
and whether the growth rate is exponential or loga-
son spends on the website). According to Carrigg
rithmic in nature (see, for example, Suh, 2006 and
(2007), the MySpace, Facebook, and Youtube social
Jaokar, 2006). one thing is certain: Web 2.0 sites in
networking sites are among the stickiest found on
general and most social networking sites are grow-
the Internet today. In fact, in December 2006, the
ing at rates considerably faster than the growth of
average MySpace user spent 28 minutes on each
the Internet itself.
Table 10: The 10 Largest Social Networking Sites (Aug 2006)
Domain
Unique
One-Year
Average Visits Average Length of Visits
Domain
Rank
Visitors
Change
per Month
(in minutes)
MySpace
7
56,842,204
148%
17.9
29
YouTube
18
23,682,785
98889%
7.6
17
Blogger
35
16,271,085
30%
2.8
5
Classmates
47
13,583,236
-25%
1.7
8
Facebook
60
11,291,005
343%
11.9
13
Xanga
97
8,630,958
-31%
5.5
10
Yahoo Groups
99
8,378,209
0%
4.3
8
Flickr
148
6,394,042
291%
1.6
6
Yahoo 360
212
4,821,259
138%
4.4
6
MyYearbook
225
4,800,074
15882%
1.9
8
Source: Adapted from Compete, Inc. (2006).
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Figure 13: Growth in MySpace Registered Users 2004–2006
140,000,000
120,000,000
100,000,000
80,000,000
60,000,000
40,000,000
20,000,000
0 May 2004
November 2006
Source: Yuh (2006).
Figure 14: Number of Visitors to YouTube
30,000,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0 March 2004
August 2006
Source: Meattle (2006).
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Wikiality
Wikipedia is a great example of a Web 2.0 site and the foremost
“wiki.” Started in 2001, Wikipedia continues to grow as a destination
Wiki
site for information on the web. the formula for Wikipedia’s growth
has been that: “more content leads to more traffic, which leads to
more edits, which generates more content” (Wikipedia, 2007, n.p.).
From the Hawaiian term for “quick.”
As can be seen, the number of active participants on the site con-
this is a website that allows readers
tinues to grow rapidly, as does the activity on the site (in terms of
to edit and contribute content. It is an
articles posted and edited on the site). In the four-year period span-
open, collaborative site on the web,
ning october 2002 to october 2006, the number of English-language
which may be publicly available (as in
articles on Wikipedia has doubled once every 346 days. Analysis of
the best known wiki, Wikipedia (http://
the pace of growth shows that, despite a bit of a slowdown of late,
by 2008 Wikipedia could well approach 4 million English-language
www.wikipedia.org) or, alternatively,
articles in size.
it may be a wiki on an intranet or lim-
ited to invited users. In the latter case,
Wikipedia has at times come under fire for the accuracy of its articles,
the wiki can be used by organizations
most notably for:
as an internal collaborative tool for
knowledge and information exchange.
• the biography of noted journalist John Seigenthaler, Sr., who
was named in his Wikipedia entry as being a longtime suspect in
the assassinations of both John and robert Kennedy (Kornblum,
2005).
• the antics of comedian Stephen Colbert, whose viewers of “the Colbert report” participated in pranks to inaccu-
rately change Wikipedia articles on topics ranging from African elephants to George Washington, all in an effort to
prove what he terms “Wikiality,” which he defines as “the idea that if you claim something to be true and enough
people agree with you, it becomes true” (Ahrens, 2006, n.p.).
Growth in the Number of English Language
Wikipedia Articles, 2001–2006
1,500,000
1,400,000
1,300,000
1,200,000
1,100,000
1,000,000
900,000
800,000
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0 January 2001
August 2006
Source: Wikipedia (2007)—Modelling Wikipedia’s Growth
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However, a major peer-reviewed study carried out by the British journal Nature found that the encyclopedic articles
found on Wikipedia were just as accurate as—or no more inaccurate than—entries found in the Encyclopedia Brittanica
(Giles, 2005). Also, the power of collective intelligence does shine through on Wikipedia; with more articles come
more visitors and more edits to ensure the accuracy of the information on the site.
Growth in the Number of English Language Wikipedians, 2001–2006
160,000
150,000
140,000
130,000
Wikipedian – A registered Wikipedia user who writes
and/or edits articles on Wikipedia
120,000
110,000
100,000
90,000
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0 January 2001
August 2006
Average Number of Edits to Each Article on Wikipedia
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0 January 2001
August 2006
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Will social networking be a long-term phenomenon? the bill’s overwhelming passage, it has been
John B. Horrigan, associate director for research at
harshly criticized by both the American Library
the Pew Internet & American Life Project, recently
Association and other interest groups as being overly
observed: “It might not grow much beyond 20 per-
restrictive, impeding legitimate educational use and
cent of Internet users getting into a social network
restricting access to these sites by the economically
for a certain amount of time. As is typically the case
disadvantaged and physically disabled, whose only
with new Internet tools, that 20 percent may boil
access may come at such public facilities. the bill
down to only 3 percent or 4 percent who remain
was also criticized for being overly broad, as many
heavy users. today in listservs and chat rooms, 2
other websites, other than the obvious MySpace and
percent to 3 percent of all users are responsible for
Facebook sites, may be restricted from view. Indeed,
90 percent of traffic. It’s difficult to say if social net-
websites such as Yahoo, Amazon.com, and CnEt
working will follow the same trend” (opinion cited
networks, all of which allow for the creation of per-
in Siwicki, 2006, n.p.). From the perspective of Peter sonal profiles and comments, may unintentionally fall
Daboll, president and CEo of comScore Media
under the restrictions in the bill (Deleting online
Metrix, “the popularity of social networking is not
Predators Act of 2006, 2007). Indeed, Henry Jenkins
expected to wane in the near future,” citing the
(2006), the director of MIt’s Comparative Media
developments in this area as phenomenal and
Studies Program and the author of Convergence
global in scope (quoted in Siwicki, 2006, n.p.). the
Culture: Where Old and New Media Col ide, accused
demographics of social networking are showing that Congress of “wigging out” over social networking
it is becoming the preferred activity of today’s youth. sites, criticizing the proposed bill for exploiting
recent studies have shown that the majority of
parental fears over MySpace and other such websites.
American teens who are online visit social network-
ing sites, with approximately half of these online
there will also be a developing need—and business
teens visiting sites like MySpace and Facebook at
opportunity—for services to deal with the plethora
least once a day, and almost a quarter visiting sev-
of information and information exchange opportuni-
eral times each day (Williamson, 2007).
ties afforded in a Web 2.0 world. one such idea is
the concept of hyperaggregation. According to om
Quite notably, these social networking teens are
Malik (2007), the founder of GigaomniMedia, Inc.
highly comfortable with blogging, with fully three-
and executive editor for his blog at GigaoM.com:
quarters of them reading and posting comments on
“Since the dawn of the web, we’ve been plagued by
blogs (Lenhart and Madden, 2007). thus, from the
too much information and too little time to consume
perspective of Steve Jones, a communications pro-
it. It’s impossible to keep up with dozens of social
fessor at the University of Illinois–Chicago, “the
networks, millions of videos, and thousands of
Internet is fulfilling a need for sharing, and the stuff
blogs” (n.p.) With these new hyperaggregation ser-
that we’re sharing is essentially the stuff of our
vices, users will be able to select input from all
everyday lives” (quoted in Kornblum, 2006, n.p.).
forms of sites and be greeted online with a dash-
board that shows all of the online activity that is
As the social networking revolution continues, it
most relevant to them, giving them a means of keep-
will be important for government not to impede
ing up in an online world “where there’s too much
its progress. For instance, the Deleting online
content and not enough packaging” (Malik, 2007,
Predators Act of 2006 (DoPA) (H.r. 5319) was
n.p.). Examples of hyperaggregators today include:
passed by the House of representatives 410 to 15
in the 109th Congress. the bill, which was intro-
•
Doggdot.us (http://www.doggdot.us/)
duced in May 2006 by representative Michael
•
original Signal (http://web20.originalsignal.com)
Fitzpatrick (r-PA), would prohibit schools and pub-
lic libraries that receive federal funds from allow-
•
Popurls (http://www.popurls.com)
ing minor youth access to most social networking,
•
Spokeo (http://www.spokeo.com/)
chat, and even blog sites. Many websites allow
public user profiles and provide forums. Examples
•
viral videos (http://www.viralvideos.com).
include Yahoo, Amazon.com, Slashdot, redState,
CnEt networks, and thousands of others. Despite
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Blogging 101
A Brief History of Blogging
a way to more easily update his own website. He
created a simple software solution that eliminated
And it is a very brief history. In 2003, the word blog
the need to know how to use HtML to do so, allow-
first appeared in the oxford English Dictionary
ing for websites to be updated by simply typing text
(Lyons, 2005); a year later, blog was named
into a text box. this software became the foundation
Merriam-Webster’s “word of the year” for 2004. A
for blogger.com, one of the first blog creation and
blog can be simply defined this way: “A blog is an
hosting sites (ramos, 2004).
easy-to-use content management tool. When you
‘blog,’ you are instantly adding new content to your
today, blogs can be created using a variety of free
site via a web interface. no technical or program-
or low-cost software and/or hosting services, such as
ming skills are necessary” (Weil, 2004, n.p.).
those listed in table 11.
the roots of the phenomenon that is now referred to
as blogging can be traced back to tim Berners-Lee,
The ‘Next Big Thing’ or an ‘Internet
the originator of the World Wide Web, who created
Wasteland’?
a “What’s new” page in 1992 (Dvorak, 2005). In
1994, online personal diaries began to emerge on
Blogs have been characterized in nothing less than
topics spanning areas such as diets, movies, politics, laudatory terms, hailed as:
and sex (Sullivan, 2005). Jorn Barger, editor of one
of the original sites, coined the term weblog in
•
“the ‘next big thing’ on the Internet” (Gallo, 2004)
1997, defining it as “a web page where a weblogger • “the next killer app” (Weil, 2003, n.p.)
‘logs’ all the other web pages she finds interesting.”
the shorter version, blog, was coined by Peter
•
“the web’s coup de grace, the heart of a per-
Merholz in 1999, when he broke the word
sonal publishing revolution to rival desktop pub-
“weblog” into the phrase “we blog.” “Blog” then
lishing” (Johnson, 2005, n.p.)
grew in acceptance as a shorter form of the noun
(weblog) and also for the first time as a verb, with to Table 11: Major Blog Software/Hosting Providers
blog meaning “to edit one’s weblog or a post to
Service Provider
URL
one’s weblog” (Blood, 2004, n.p.). the first blog is
said to have gone up in December 1997, and by
Blogger
www.blogger.com
1998 there were 23 known blogs (Lyons, 2005).
ExpressionEngine www.pmachine.com
LiveJournal
www.livejournal.com
the key to the rapid rise of blogging is the ability of
Moveable Type
www.sixapart.com/movabletype
users to easily create content and to be able to
instantly update their online websites. Probably the
MSN Spaces
www.spaces.msn.com
seminal event in the growth of blogging was the
TypePad
www.typepad.com
innovation made by Evan Williams. In 1999,
Word Press
www.wordpress.org
Williams, then living in San Francisco, was seeking
Xanga
www.xanga.com
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
•
“the most profound revolution in publishing
“an online imagined community resulting from the
since the printing press” (Sullivan, 2005, n.p.).
shared experience of instant publishing” (n.p.).
However, according to research from the MIt
•
“the new national pastime” (Shinder, 2006, n.p.)
Media Lab, while bloggers typically have an idea
of who their core audience is for their blog, most
on the other hand, many people associate blogs as
often the silent readership of a blog (those who do
a phenomenon of teenagers and college students.
not post or make comments) may be far larger than
When they do think about them, they think of either the actual participants in the blog (vigas, 2004).
the folks who blog about their cats, dogs, or ham-
Yet, Shafer (2006) commented, “If all these people
sters (Butler, 2006), or the “bad news” stories about
really want from the web is a hobby and to talk to
blogs, such as when a blogger—the person creating
their friends and family, they’d be better off taking
and maintaining the blog—named his murderer in
pottery lessons and purchasing more cell-phone
his last, dying entry in his blog (Wyld, 2006).
minutes” (n.p.).
on the flip side, blogs have been categorized in a
tim Berners-Lee, the developer of the World Wide
variety of non-flattering ways:
Web, recently commented:
•
An embodiment of Sturgeon’s Law, named for
the [original] idea was that anybody who
the science-fiction writer who originated the
used the web would have a space where
notion that “90 percent of everything is crud”
they could write, and so the first browser
(quoted in Manjoo, 2002a, n.p.).
was an editor; it was a writer as well as a
reader. Every person who used the web had
•
“the perilous prospect of a widening Internet
the ability to write something. It was very
wasteland” (Anonymous, 2003, n.p.).
easy to make a new web page and com-
•
A “ ‘barbarized’ environment” (Mortensen,
ment on what somebody else had written,
2004).
which is very much what blogging is about.
For years I had been trying to address the
•
“Usually a parade of the author’s private pecca-
fact that the web for most people wasn’t
dilloes” (Johnson, 2005, n.p.)
a creative space; there were other editors,
•
A collection of “private journals and diaries
but editing web pages became difficult and
exposing what should rather have been kept in
complicated for people. What happened
a drawer” (orlowski, 2003, n.p.).
with blogs and with wikis, these editable
web spaces, was that they became much
And bloggers have been called “an online lynch
more simple. When you write a blog, you
mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel, and
don’t write complicated hypertext, you
invective” (Lyons, 2005, n.p.).
just write text, so I’m very, very happy
to see that now it’s gone in the direction
Chris Anderson is the author of The Long Tail,
of becoming more of a creative medium
which speaks to the fragmentation of the market-
(quoted in Lawson, 2005, n.p.).
place and mass audiences with the advent of the
Internet. He recently commented that blogs are an
Gillmor (2003) spoke of the rise of the so-called
extension of this overall trend, as they are an excel-
“Semantic Web,” driven by blogging as “a cross
lent way of communicating with microaudiences,
between self-expression and journalism.” this is
with blogs like his own being “exactly what four
akin to the earliest days of the Internet, as “the suc-
people want” (quoted in Schechner, 2006, p. W2).
cess of the web was due not to mass production and
Yet, whatever the size of the blogger’s audience
economies of scale, but rather to distributed devel-
and to what extent, if any, the blog is linked to
opment of local content and economies driven by
other blogs and websites, the real importance of
individual passion” (n.p.).
the most typical blog—one that more resembles a
personal diary—is in the mind of the blogger him-
Blogs have been categorized as a transformational
self. As Lampa (2004) put it, blogging produces
catalyst, one in which the traditional web roles of
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
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content creator and content reader are blurred. In
be thought of as “a sort of intercontinental coffee-
the view of Blood (2004), the new roles become:
house buzzing with discussion and debate” (quoted
in Hiler, 2002, n.p.).
Audience
Public
the statistics on blogging are indeed mind-boggling.
Consumer
Creator
According to the blog analyst firm technorati, a new
blog is created every second of every day. Every
Mortensen (2004) chronicled that blogging is now
hour, 54,000 posts are made to blogs, for a total of
following the same development pattern as the
1.3 million new blog posts each day. All told, the
Internet itself. Whereas in the early days of the
blogosphere continues to double in size every six
Internet, access was difficult and limited to acade-
months. With approximately 60 million blogs in
micians, researchers, government officials, and
existence today, the blogosphere is an astonishing
other elites, the development of browser technolo-
60 times larger in size than it was a mere three years
gies enabled the Internet to widen its audience and
ago (see Figure 15 on page 52) (Sifry, 2006).
reach, while greatly changing—and perhaps
Approximately half of all blogs are “active,” in that
decreasing—the quality of the content and interac-
they have been updated in the last 90 days, with
tions online. With the wide availability of blog
approximately 13 percent having been updated on a
creation software tools and blog hosting services,
weekly basis (Perrone, 2005). the blogosphere is
no longer does one need specialized computer
also a very international environment, as evidenced
knowledge and resources to create content online.
by the linguistic data presented in Figure 16 on page
Dan Hunter of the University of Pennsylvania main-
52. As can be seen, while English is the leading lan-
tains that blogging “is not a fad.… It’s the rise of
guage of blogging, 61 percent of blogging is being
amateur content, which is replacing the centralized, done in a variety of other languages.
controlled content done by professionals” (quoted
in Knowledge@Wharton, 2005, n.p.). Indeed, it has
the true accuracy of analysts’ projections of the
been observed that “the heart of the blogging
actual size of the blogosphere has generated
movement has been always been driven by ama-
intense controversy. the blogosphere has been
teurism” (Drezner and Farrell, 2004, n.p.). Indeed,
characterized as an “iceberg,” in which the vast
blogs have been categorized as the rise of easily
majority of blogs either are “one day wonders” that
self-created web content. According to a recent
are created and then never updated or added to by
report from the Pew Internet & American Life
their creators, or are written for “nanoaudiences,”
Project: “one of the earliest observations about the
largely composed of a blogger’s friends and family
Internet turns out to be true: Anyone can be a pub-
(Henning, 2003). there are also serious concerns
lisher on the web. the online commons is full of
about spam blogs and spam posts, which clutter
virtual chatter and teeming with self-made content.
the blogosphere (though technorati has refined its
It ranges from the simplest vanities like pictures of
tracking methodology to try to eliminate automated
‘me and my puppy’ to the most profound kinds of
postings and blogs) (Sifry, 2006). Burton (2006)
political argument—and everything in between”
observed that technorati, the leading source of
(Lenhart, Fallows, and Horrigan, 2004, n.p.).
blog statistics, is counting a large number of inac-
tive blogs in the millions of blogs it counts as being
Touring the Blogosphere
part of the blogosphere. thus, he and other observ-
ers believe that we are seeing more linear, as
the totality of all blogs is commonly referred to as
opposed to exponential, growth in the size of the
the “blogosphere.” Blogging reached its “tipping
blogosphere. Can the trend lines continue? Surely,
point” in 2002, when the blogosphere grew from a
any reasonable person looking at the charts real-
self-contained community to a wider, global marvel
izes there must be a topping-out point (else, would
(Manjoo, 2002a). today, as Drezner and Farrell
we all have our own personal blog by 2015, and if
(2004) observed, the blogosphere has become “a
so, who would be reading them?). According to
new medium” that is “an elaborate network with
Gartner, the total number of bloggers will peak at
agenda-setting power” (n.p.). According to Glenn
around 100 million sometime in 2007, and over
reynolds, the blogger behind the popular Instapundit time there will be “a steady state” of at least 30
(http://instapundit.com/) site, the blogosphere may
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Figure 15: Growth in the Cumulative Number of Blogs Tracked by Technorati, 2004–2006
60,000,000
50,000,000
40,000,000
30,000,000
20,000,000
10,000,000
0 January 2004
October 2006
Source: eMarketer (2006) and Sifry (2006).
million active bloggers and 30 million frequent
there is general agreement, however, that the demo-
commenters/contributors worldwide (Garrett, 2006). graphics of the blogosphere are intriguing. As can
Whatever the actual growth of blogging, the per-
be seen in table 12, the most recent study on the
centage of the web that is composed of blogs is still
subject from the Pew Internet & American Life
minuscule. Branscombe (2005) recently commented Project has found that the blogosphere is a younger,
that “even the large numbers of blogs are a drop in
more diverse environment than the Internet and
the ocean compared to the rest of the web” (n.p.).
society in general. Bloggers are also more likely to
this is true when one considers that the number of
have broadband access and to be urban dwellers
web pages, as opposed to web domains and web-
(Lenhart and Fox, 2006). this makes bloggers (and
sites, is in the billions and growing every day.
blog readers) particularly of interest to advertisers,
marketers, and, yes, political candidates.
Figure 16: The Languages of the Blogosphere,
October 2006
Why Blog?
Other, 5%
Farsi, 1%
Bloggers blog for a wide variety of reasons, profes-
German, 1%
English, 39%
sional and personal. A recent report from the Pew
Portuguese, 2%
French, 2%
Internet & American Life Project found a variety of
Russian, 2%
motivations, which are listed in table 13.
Italian, 2%
Spanish, 2%
Yet, the most important part of blogging may not
be obvious to the blogger himself, as the very exer-
Chinese, 10%
cise of writing the blog raises one’s self-awareness.
And by virtue of its being in the public sphere, “these
fragments, pieced together over months, can provide
an unexpectedly intimate view of what it is to be a
Japanese, 33%
particular individual in a particular place at a partic-
ular time” (Blood, 2000, n.p.). According to a recent
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 12: The Demographics of Bloggers vs.
Table 13: Reasons Why Bloggers Blog
Internet Users in General
Percent in
Demographic
All Internet
Motivation
Agreement
Groups
Bloggers
Users
to express yourself creatively
77%
Sex
to document your personal
Men
54%
49%
experiences or share them with
76%
others
Women
46%
51%
to stay in touch with friends
Age
and family
59%
18–29
54%
24%
to share practical knowledge
30–49
30%
45%
or skills with others
64%
50–64
14%
24%
to motivate other people to
action
61%
65+
2%
7%
to entertain people
61%
Race/Ethnicity
to store resources or informa-
White (non-
tion that is important to you
49%
Hispanic)
60%
74%
to influence the way other
Black (non-
people think
51%
Hispanic)
11%
9%
to network or to meet new
Hispanic (English-
people
50%
speaking)
19%
11%
to make money
15%
Location
Suburban
51%
54%
Source: Lenhart and Fox (2006).
Urban
36%
30%
What do bloggers write about? As can be seen in
rural
13%
16%
Figure 17 on page 54, a recent survey of 600 blog-
other
10%
6%
gers found that they pontificate on a wide variety of
Access Speed
topics. the blogosphere is filled with blogs on just
about every subject by just about everyone imagin-
Dial-up
20%
34%
able—and some that seem unimaginable. Witness
Broadband
79%
62%
the blogs of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
(see the sidebar “Iran’s Blogging President” on page
Source: Lenhart and Fox (2006).
54) and space tourist Anousheh Ansari (see the side-
survey of bloggers, approximately half of them view
bar “Blogging from Space” on page 55).
their blogging activity as a form of therapy (eMar-
keter, 2005b). Indeed, writing has been shown to be
an extremely powerful activity; the more one writes,
the better one thinks (Manjoo, 2002b). this can be an
important method of self-development for everyone.
For executives or public officials, this means they can
use the blog as a means of self-analysis; at the same
time, the organization’s stakeholders can gain a better
awareness of the individual in the office. In the view
of Dave Sifry, CEo of technorati, a blog can be looked
upon as “the record of the exhaust of a person’s
attention stream over time.” He continued, “You
actually feel like you know the person. You see their
style, the words they use, their kids, whatever there
is” (quoted in Penenberg, 2005, n.p.).
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53
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Figure 17: Subjects That Bloggers in the U.S. Write About in Their Blogs
Subjects That Bloggers in the U.S. Write About In Their Blogs
Celebrities/Entertainment
School
Gossip
News
Job
Self-esteem/Self-help
Hobbies
Friends
Family
Anything and Everything
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Source: Adapted from eMarketer (2005a).
Iran’s Blogging President
one of the most curious blogs in the entire blogosphere
belongs to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, available
at http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/. Launched in August 2006, the
blog contains the musings of Iran’s president on everything from
the current nuclear crisis with the United States and Israel to his
childhood and university days. the move is viewed as curious
for the leader, based on his anti-Western and anti-modernism
rhetoric, and especially because the Iranian government had
itself recently cracked down on bloggers (Colby, 2006).
Bogle (2006) commented:
“With Iran maintaining its relatively isolationistic stance in the world, the last thing you’d expect to see is their
outspoken president reaching out via a social software application; and yet you’d be wrong. But then again, if
you take a moment to consider the implications of this move, it really shouldn’t be that surprising. With few
exceptions, Ahmadinejad’s fiery speeches go largely unnoticed by the rest of the world. not because of lack of
interest, but because they are meticulously filtered and edited down by both the traditional media and politicians
alike. Use of a blog, by contrast, enables him to circumvent these filters and circulate his unedited statements to
the entire planet. Guerrilla media is nothing new certainly, but its use by such a predominant figure is (n.p.).”
His blog features both online polling (the first asked blog readers if they believe that the United States and
Israel are “pulling the trigger for another world war”) and allows for comments back to the blogger (which
Ahmadinejad claims he spends much time reading). the blog displays very favorable comments ostensibly made
by readers of Ahmadinejad’s often lengthy writings, many of whom claim to be from the United States.
Whatever may transpire between Iran and the rest of the world, his blog is, as one keen observer put it, “proving
that the blogosphere is indeed an ocean teeming with an endless assortment of wildlife” (Colby, 2006, n.p.).
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Blogging in Space
In September 2006, Anousheh Ansari, a 40-year-old naturalized
American citizen from Iran, became the first person to blog from
space. Ansari, a former telecom executive from Dallas, who also
sponsored the x Prize for the first private spaceflight, paid approxi-
mately $20 million for her spaceflight. Ansari shared her thoughts
and experiences before, during, and after her flight on a russian
Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station on her personal
blog (http://spaceblog.xprize.org) (Koenig, 2006; Piquepaille, 2006).
Ansari (2006) wrote on her blog:
“A long, long time ago, in a country far, far away … there was a
young girl who had her eyes fixed on the twinkling stars of the night
skies over tehran. Back then the air was not so polluted and you
could see many stars in the night skies. Summertime, when they
would set up the beds outside on the balcony to sleep, she would lay
in her bed and look deep into the mysterious darkness of the universe
and think to herself, What’s out there? Is someone out there awake in
her bed, and gazing at her in the night sky? Will she ever find her…
See her… Will she fly out there and float in the wonderful, boundless
freedom of space?
Well, as fate would have it, yes.…” (n.p.).
During her spaceflight, Ansari blogged frequently. She posted photos from Flickr and videos from Youtube on the blog.
Ansari reported emotionally not only about what she was seeing and doing (including washing your hair in space, feeling
ill, and receiving a cell phone call from her husband), but also about some of the quite often vicious comments that she
read on her blog. In fact, at one point she was driven to tears from reading the comments to her blog.
www.businessofgovernment.org
55
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Corporate Blogging
Introduction
blogs can enable their executives to be viewed as
real people and leaders. As Dale Borland, the presi-
Probably the foremost parallel to blogging in govern-
dent and CEo of Marqui, a Canadian blogging and
ment can be found in corporate America. today, busi-
marketing consultancy, put it: “A blog by Jack Welch
nesses are having to consider blog strategies for their
or Warren Buffett would garner a lot of interest if it
organizations, and their leaders are having to person-
revealed what they cope with day-to-day, rather
ally decide whether or not to enter the blogosphere.
than what we hear about from the canned commu-
they are also having to make tough decisions in
nications we get from their organizations” (opinion
regards to both blogging policies and their personnel
cited in Holloway, 2007, n.p.). Blogging expert ted
who are blogging. through their own corporate blogs, Demopoulos believes “that people just don’t want to
organizations are finding that blogging gives their
read this dry, sterile corporate and marketing speak”
company a voice in this important new medium
that is the primary content of corporate websites. He
(Evans and Stroll, 2005). Even professional sports
predicts that there will be less formality to organiza-
teams and their owners are seeing blogs as a new
tional websites and that blogs will be an important,
platform (see the sidebar “Sports teams and Blogs”).
less formal component of most corporate sites (opin-
ion cited in Garrett, 2006, n.p.).
For organizations and their leaders, blogging pres-
ents an interesting proposition. For companies and
Yet, corporations should be careful about entering the
other large organizations, including government
blogosphere, as prominent firms already have learned
agencies and nonprofit groups, blogging promotes a
painful lessons about how not to engage in corporate
new sense of openness with an organization’s stake-
blogging. one of the principal lessons is to be genu-
holders, including employees, customers, the pub-
ine. take the experience of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, for
lic, and the media. Such an environment of
instance. the company created a blog aimed at pro-
openness and Glasnost is especially valuable in an
moting a new flavored milk product called “raging
era of intense scrutiny and mistrust of large institu-
Cow,” in which a cow character made comments on
tions. As such, many leading organizations—for
a blog titled “Pasteurize this,” chronicling his fictional
example, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Intel, Quark, and
cross-country trip in search of the ultimate milkshake.
SAP—have begun using a whole range of social net-
the effort was universally scorned; the site, which
working tools, including blogs with text and audio/
was aimed at targeting 18- to 24-year-olds, was per-
video, to promote communications between peers
ceived as being highly juvenile (Wreden, 2004). Dr
and to allow a forum where “employees can talk
Pepper/Seven Up’s Pr firm, richards Interactive,
back to their bosses” (vara, 2006, p. B1).
offered cash and in-kind gifts to a half-dozen influen-
tial 18- to 24-year-old bloggers for pushing the drink
Surveys have shown that individuals are far more
in their blogs. However, the company’s plan back-
trusting of blogs written by the executives and
fired when bloggers instead wrote in protest about
employees of an individual company, as opposed
the Pr firm’s plan, labeling it a “scam,” ridiculing Dr
to an official corporate blog (eMarketer, 2005b).
Pepper/Seven Up, and calling for a product boycott
For companies, this offers the very real prospect that (ochman, 2004).
56
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Sports Teams and Blogs
the Phoenix Suns are the first professional
sports team to embrace blogging. While count-
less teams, ranging from the pros to colleges
and even high schools, have fan blogs, the Suns
are the first to have an official team blog (http://
suns.marqui.com/blog/default.aspx). According
to Jeramie McPeek, the Phoenix Suns’ vice
president of interactive services, “We’re always
trying to do things that other teams aren’t—and
experiment with new online initiatives.” McPeek
believes that the team’s blog “gives us a chance
to communicate to our fans in a number of
different ways from different voices within
the organization” (quoted in Holloway, 2007,
n.p.). And since the blog’s inception at the start
of the 2006–2007 season, regular contribu-
tions have been made by several players, team
executives, coaches, broadcasters, and even the
Suns Dancers. Could there be any correlation
between the blog and the team’s 61-21 record
this past season?
the Suns are “blogoneers,” who undoubtedly
will be quickly followed by other sports teams
to create a trend. Already, two very prominent
owners in the world of sports are renowned
bloggers: ted Leonsis of the Washington
Capitals and Wizards, who blogs on ted’s take
(http://ted.aol.com/), and Mark Cuban of the
Dallas Mavericks, who blogs on BlogMaverick
(http://www.blogmaverick.com/).
Some large companies have run into trouble for
remarked that good blogs work when they are
similar marketing efforts, including Wal-Mart for its
based on:
fake blog “Wal-Marting Across America.” the blog,
which was supposedly created by a man and a
•
Candor
woman traveling the country in an rv and staying
•
Urgency
in Wal-Mart parking lots, turned out to have been
blogged by their public relations firm (Gunther,
•
timeliness
2006). A term has been coined to capture such
•
Pithiness
efforts—“astroturf marketing” (or “astroturfing”),
which refers to an attempt to artificially create
•
Controversy
grassroots buzz for a company’s product or service.
•
Utility
Astroturf marketing has a negative connotation,
primarily because of the deceptive tactics used
Unfortunately, as Godin pointedly commented:
(Whatis.com, 2007).
“Does this sound like a CEo to you?” (n.p.).
The Blogging CEO
Yes, there is skepticism about the ability of executives
Solomon (2005) observed: “A blog written at the
and companies to effectively communicate in the
top has the potential of providing news straight from free-wheeling blog environment. Paul Argenti, profes-
the decision makers” (n.p.). However, Godin (2004)
sor of corporate communications at Dartmouth’s tuck
www.businessofgovernment.org
57
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
School of Business, recently observed: “It’s naive to
randy Baseler, vice president of marketing for Boeing
think these [executive] blogs are anything other than Commercial Airplanes, recently commented about
carefully planned communications. Because of regu-
blogging: “It helps you fine-tune how you’re going to
lation and the possibility of attacks from antagonists, use your messages. If we say it this way, do people
companies can’t be off the cuff in their communica-
understand, or will they look at us glassy-eyed? It gives
tion…. [But] it’s a good thing that there’s more com-
you an idea how to shape your other communica-
munication from senior executives, because people
tions” (quoted in Larson, 2005, n.p.).
don’t want these folks sitting in an ivory tower”
(quoted in Larson, 2005, n.p.). Solomon (2005)
Yet, despite this hesitancy, more and more top execu-
characterized the downside of blogging for CEos
tives, both in the United States and around the world,
and other senior executives in that they “are wary
are launching their own blogs (the author’s compila-
of stockholders’ perceptions and don’t provide the
tion of top-blogging U.S. executives is provided in
bare honesty expected of a decent blog” (n.p.). Indeed, table 14, see pages 60–61). they are posting fre-
there are also serious legal considerations to anything quently (see Figure 18), and largely they are able to
that a CEo or other high-ranking executive might
do so with limited need for assistance (see Figure 19).
say. Consider the example of Sun Microsystems’
For top executives, the repeated refrain is that, quite
CEo Jonathan Schwartz, who told readers of his
often, it is the unintended benefits from blogging that
blog that he abandoned an April Fool’s Day practi-
are the most important (Panepento, 2006). thus,
cal joke entry because it would have caused “seri-
while we may speak in terms of bettering corporate
ous engagement from the corporate legal team”
communications (both internally and externally) and
(quoted in Graybow, 2005, n.p.).
bottom-line benefits to companies, the fact is that
blogging, with the chance for introspection and feed-
For blogging executives, the activity asks them to be
back, may make one a better executive.
spontaneous, raw, and controversial, adjectives not
typically associated with corporate success. From
As can be seen in Figure 20, top executives do rec-
the perspective of Michael Smith, professor of com-
ognize the power of blogs for their organizations.
munication at La Salle University, “In some respects, Still, blogging executives are relatively rare. In a sur-
the image of an executive blogging is akin to the
vey of 131 prominent CEos, researchers found that
image of a portly person in a Speedo bathing suit—
only 7 percent of them currently had an executive
something doesn’t quite fit” (op. cited in Larson,
blog and only 8 percent of their firms had a blog at
2005, n.p.). Bob Parsons, CEo of GoDaddy.com, an
all. this was despite the fact that approximately two-
Internet domain name registration firm, believes that thirds of the surveyed CEos reported that they had a
blogging is antithetical to the executive mind. He
familiarity with blogs (eMarketer, 2005c).
commented: “the blog is unsanitized. Most execu-
tives are too conservative, and too play-it-safe to do
Figure 18: Frequency of Posting on a Corporate Blog
this” (quoted in (Graybow, 2005, n.p.). Bob Lutz,
vice chairman of Global Product Development for
Once a week, 14%
General Motors, blogs about the GM cars he drives
and designs on his executive blog at http://www.
Several times
fastlane.gmblogs.com. He recently weighed in that
Several times per
per week, 39%
while blogging seems right for him personally, the
month, 8%
activity is not for every executive. Lutz observed:
“Most senior executives rise to the top by being very
analytical and buttoned up and left-brained. that
Less often, 2%
very careful executive is probably not going to be a
good blogger” (op. cited in Larson, 2005, n.p.).
Several times
per day, 10%
one of the appeals of blogging to senior corporate
executives is that it affords them a richer, more interac-
tive medium than a static press release or web posting,
allowing for comments, dialogue, and feedback.
Source: Adapted from Hirsch and Nail (2006, p. 6).
58
Once a day, 27%
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Blogging and Internal
Figure 19: The Total Number of Personnel
Communications/Operations
Responsible for Maintaining a Company’s
Corporate Blog
Blogs can be used for internal communication and
collaboration within an organization. they, along
Two, 18%
with wikis and even video and audio blogs, can
present intriguing new ways to engage in knowledge
management (Burns, 2005; Li, 2004). robin Hopper,
CEo of iUpload, pointed out: “Blogs are a drop-
dead simple way to get content from people who we
Three, 6%
couldn’t get content from otherwise. What is impor-
tant in terms of corporate adoption is to stop thinking
about blogs as a technology or blogs in and of them-
selves, but think of them as a tactic to empower a
One, 60%
Four, 10%
whole new level of authors in or outside your com-
pany. And through the aggregation process, you have
the ability to deliver the right content to people at
Source: Adapted from Hirsch and Nail (2006, p. 6).
the right time and in the right context” (quoted in
Five or more, 6%
Mcnamara, 2005, n.p.). As communication between
than e-mail. For instance, while a corporate blog site
workers within a unit or workers in different shifts or
can be looked upon as a destination site, pulling in
locations is shifted from e-mail to blogs, the result-
audience, in-boxes today are jammed with both
ing work is more easily accessible and searchable,
wanted and unwanted e-mails. thus, an important
making it a more permanent and user-friendly
corporate communication or a company newsletter
communications medium. In essence, blogs become can be easily lost in a sea of spam (Weil, 2004).
a way for individuals to narrate their work and
communicate better within the company (Manjoo,
How can blogging help in speeding up corporate
2002b). A blog today can also garner more attention communications and elevating operational
Figure 20: CEO Views on the Benefits of Blogging
To express yourself creatively
To document your personal experiences
or share them with others
To stay in touch with friends and family
To share practical knowledge
or skills with others
To motivate other people to action
To entertain people
To store resources or information
that is important to you
To influence the way other people think
To network or to meet new people
To make money
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Source: eMarketer (2005c).
www.businessofgovernment.org
59
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 14: Top Corporate Executives with Blogs as of April 2007 (continued on next page)
Company
Executive
Blog Site
Advanced Human Technologies ross Dawson, CEo
http://www.rossdawsonblog.com/
Architel
Scott ryan, CEo
http://blog.architel.com/
Berkshire Publishing Group
Karen Christensen, CEo
www.berkshirepublishing.com/blog
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Paul Levy, CEo
http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/
Center (Boston)
BetterPPC
Joe Agliozzo, CEo
www.disruptivebusiness.blogspot.com/
Bluebill Advisors, Inc.
Frank Gilbane, President and
www.gilbane.com/blog/
CEo
Bluehost.com
Matt Heaton, President and
http://www.mattheaton.com/
CEo
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
randy Baseler, vP of Marketing www.boeing.com/randy/
Burton Group
Jamie Lewis, CEo and
http://www.burtongroupblogs.com/
research Chair
jamielewis/
Cheskin
Darrel rhea, CEo
http://weblog.cheskin.net/perspectives/
rhea.html
Chumby Industries
Steve tomlin, CEo
http://chumby.wordpress.com/
Conference Calls Unlimited
Zane Safrit, CEo
http://zane.typepad.com/
Craigslist
Craig newmark, Founder and
http://www.cnewmark.com/
Chairman
Dallas Mavericks
Mark Cuban, owner
http://www.blogmaverick.com
Edelman
richard Edelman, President
http://www.edelman.com/speak_
and CEo
up/blog/
EVDB, Inc.
Brian Dear, CEo
www.brianstorms.com/
Exodus Capital Advisors
tom o’neill, CEo
www.buyoutblog.com
General Motors
Bob Lutz, vice Chairman
www.fastlane.gmblogs.com
Godaddy.com
Bob Parsons, President
http://www.bobparsons.com/
Hitachi Data Systems
Hu Yoshida, Cto
http://blogs.hds.com/hu/
Homestead.com
Justin Kitch, CEo and Founder http://ceounplugged.homestead.com/
ICP Solar
Sass Peress, President and CEo http://www.sassperess.com/
Ipswitch, Inc.
roger Greene, CEo
http://blogs.ipswitch.com/greene/
JetBlue Airways
David neeleman, Founder and http://www.jetblue.com/about/
CEo
ourcompany/flightlog/
Jobster
Jason Goldberg, CEo
http://jobster.blogs.com/blog_dot_
jobster_dot_com/2007/01/a_ceos_
blog.html
Jupitermedia
Alan Meckler, CEo
http://weblogs.jupitermedia.com/
meckler/
Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
richard Charkin, CEo
http://www.charkinblog.
macmillan.com
Mark Logic Corporation
Dave Kellogg, CEo
http://marklogic.blogspot.com/
Marriott International
Bill Marriott, Chairman and
http://www.blogs.marriott.com/
CEo
60
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Table 14: Top Corporate Executives with Blogs as of April 2007 (continued)
Company
Executive
Blog Site
N2growth
Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy
http://www.n2growth.com/blog/
officer
Nobscot
B.n. Carvin, CEo
http://nobscot.blogspot.com/
The Norwich Group
Anne Stanton, President and
www.thenorwichgroup.blogs.com
CEo
Paessler
Dirk Paessler, CEo
http://www.paessler.com/blog/
PGP Corporation
Phillip M. Dunkelberger,
http://www.pgp.com/newsroom/
President and CEo
ceoblog/index.html
Pheedo
Bill Flitter, CEo
www.pheedo.com
Socialtext
ross Mayfield, CEo
http://ross.typepad.com/
Spotfire
Christopher Ahlberg, CEo
http://www.spotfire.com/about/ceo_
blog.cfm
The Staubach Company
roger t. Staubach, Chairman
www.roger.staubach.com
of the Board and CEo
Sun Microsystems
Jonathan Schwartz, CEo
www.blogs.sun.com/jonathan
SYNNEX
Jim Estill, CEo
http://www.jimestill.com/
Technorati
David Sifry, CEo
www.sifry.com/alerts/
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Michael S. Hyatt, President
http://michaelhyatt.blogs.com/
and CEo
fromwhereisit/
TSC Solutions
Jeff Dyck, CEo
http://www.tscsoftware.com/AboutUs/
CEosBlog/tabid/332/EntryID/8/Default.
aspx
Unity
David Helgason, CEo and
http://unity3d.com/blogs/david/
Cofounder
UserLand Software
Scott Young, President and
www.scott.userland.com
CEo
Versant
Will ruch, CEo and Managing http://www.versantblogs.com/ceo/
Partner
Wayne County Airport
Lester W. robinson, CEo
http://www.metroairport.com/Site/
Authority
Blogtemplate.asp
WhatCounts
David Geller, CEo
www.whatcounts.com/companyblog/
Whole Foods Market
John Mackey, CEo
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blogs/jm/
Wilson EduTech, Inc.
Lamarr Wilson, President
http://www.lamarrwilson.com/blog/
Windber Research Institute/
F. nicholas Jacobs, President
http://windberblog.typepad.com/
Medical Center
and CEo
Zaadz
Brian Johnson, Philosopher
http://brian.zaadz.com/blog
and CEo
capacities? Mcnamara (2005) spotlighted the example
weeks to two to three days. McDonald’s has begun
of Stillwater national Bank in Stillwater, oklahoma.
an internal corporate blog that it believes will be the
this financial institution wanted to speed up its
groundwork for a public blog for the company and
internal paperwork processing in its commercial
its executives. Yet, even behind the corporate fire-
loans operations. through the use of blog technol-
wall, McDonald’s believes that blogging is vital to
ogy, the bank was able to cut the documentation
the management of the far-flung organization today.
and review process in commercial lending dramati-
Steve Wilson, McDonald’s senior director of global
cally, lowering the processing time from four to six
web communications, observed that blogging is
www.businessofgovernment.org
61
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
viewed as an integral part of the company’s man-
(Mcnamara, 2005). Such service failures are the stuff
agement strategy, in that: “If your task is to move the that negative blog entries are made of.
culture of a company, you’re not going to move it by
the flip of a switch. You have to show that an open
Services are already available today that will for a
dialogue can occur, and create an ongoing dialogue fee monitor the blogosphere for what is being said
to move from point A to point B” (quoted in
about you and your organization. However, there
newcomb, 2005, n.p.). Companies like Microsoft
are two prominent free services that offer an easy,
and Sun have developed a “culture of blogging,”
do-it-yourself way of monitoring blogs. technorati
with each having perhaps thousands of bloggers in
(http://www.technorati.com) and BlogPulse (http://
their midst (Solheim, 2005).
www.blogpulse.com) both offer monitoring services
similar to a search engine such as Google or Yahoo.
Blogs have been aptly described as “primitive and
At either site, you can type in your name or your
esoteric”; yet, over time, we are likely to see blogs
organization’s name and instantly see a listing of all
evolve into, quite simply, “the way things are done”
posts made on blogs making mention of that
(Panepento, 2006, n.p.). And, from the viewpoint of
name—at no charge.
Mike Dover, who serves as vice president of syndi-
cated research for new Paradigm in toronto, “As the Employee Blogging
’net generation moves into the workforce, they’re
going to expect that [social networking, blogging,
According to a late 2005 study conducted for Adver-
forums, etc.]” (quoted in Harvey, 2007, n.p.). this
tising Age, blogs cost American business greatly in
means workplace issues must be addressed, along
lost productivity. It found that 1 in 4 American
with ways of monitoring what is being said about
workers—approximately 35 million in all—read
and by employees of the organization.
and write on non-job-related blogs while at work.
the study found that, on average, a personal-blogging
Monitoring the Blogosphere
employee will spend 3.5 hours a week in such
activities, making it the equivalent of a daily 40-
Even if some companies are hesitant about starting
minute blog break. Employees who blog at work
their own blogs, al organizations—public or private,
have been found to do so in addition to their web
for-profit or nonprofit, small or large—should care a
surfing time, not in lieu of it. thus, blogging means
great deal about what bloggers are saying about their
less working. In fact, all together, blogging has been
firm. Instantly, a firm—and, indeed, an individual
estimated to annually cost American business the
executive or manager—can come under what is often equivalent of a staggering 551,000 years of time,
an unwarranted assault from bloggers (see the sidebar 4.8 billion hours of working time, and 2.3 million
“Blogging Can Be Kryptonite”). Blake rhodes, CEo
jobs in 2005 (Johnson, Bradley, 2005a).
of Icerocket, a blog services firm, squarely framed
the issue by recently commenting: “If you’re a busi-
the evidence is clear that blogging at work is a
ness owner and you don’t care about what bloggers
burgeoning activity, both for job-related and personal
are saying, you don’t care about your business”
reasons. In fact, traffic at both blogs and advertising
(quoted in Branscombe, 2005, n.p.).
and media sites linked to blogs tends to spike during
American daytime working hours. According to
For a prominent company, the simple fact is that the
Christopher Batty, sales director for the blog-focused
organization is being blogged about on a daily basis,
Gawker Media, his company’s target market is “an
whether or not the company is engaged in any blog
at-work, leisure audience— a.k.a., people screwing
activity itself on a corporate basis. take McDonald’s,
off on the job” (quoted in Johnson, Bradley 2005b,
for instance. Its internal analysis found that in a single n.p.). Blog traffic also tends to spike at times when,
90-day period in 2005, there were 675,000 blog
as McGann (2004) put it, “certain web-communica-
entries made about the company by its customers, its
ble events occur” (n.p.). recent examples of such
employees, and its franchisees. Executives soon real-
events include:
ized that in a company that serves 50 million cus-
tomers on a given day, even if a service failure
•
Howard Dean’s infamous “scream”
happens only once in a million interactions, this
•
Election night 2004 and 2006
means that it happens 50 times each and every day
62
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Blogging Can Be Kryptonite
Why is it critical to monitor what is being said about your organization—or yourself—in the blogosphere? Ask
several prominent companies, and they’ll tell you tales from cyberspace that have cost them millions of dollars
and perhaps unquantifiable costs to their brands and reputations.
take Kryptonite, for example. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, the company, which makes locks for bicycles,
is a subsidiary of Ingersoll-rand. In 2004, Kryptonite found itself in the middle of a blogstorm. Bloggers posted
videos showing how, using a ballpoint pen, one could easily break open a specific model of Kryptonite bicycle
lock—which was true. However, bloggers also spread erroneous information that all Kryptonite locks had this
vulnerability and that the company was covering up the problem. the company spent millions replacing locks
and countering the negative publicity over the past year. Steven Down, Kryptonite’s general manager, said from
experience: “A blogger can go out and make any statement about anybody, and you can’t control it. that’s a dif-
ficult thing” (quoted in Lyons, 2005, n.p.).
Jeff Jarvis is a prominent blogger. In fact, his blog, the Buzz Machine (http://www.buzzmachine.com/) is a con-
stant on lists of the top 100 trafficked blogs. In June 2005, he began complaining (in strong, r-rated terms) about
the poor quality of his new Dell computer and the even worse service he received from the company, a condi-
tion he coined “Dell Hell.” Analysis of Dell’s stock price and financial performance has demonstrated that Jarvis’
blogging about the company had a direct impact on the firm’s financial performance and stock price. In fact, as
Market Sentinel (2005) concluded, “It is clear that one person’s perception of a brand, if it chimes with that of
others, can materially damage that brand” (n.p.).
the packaged seafood company Gorton’s came under attack by the activist group Greenpeace in March 2006.
Greenpeace flamed the seafood merchant, claiming that it was linked to whale hunting in Antarctica. In fact,
nissui, the parent company of Gorton’s, has a one-third ownership of the company that manages the Japanese
whaling fleet that hunts in Antarctica. After a month of being attacked in the blogosphere, nissui announced that
it was selling its ownership share in the Japanese whaling operation. After winning, Greenpeace noted that, in
effect, “we moused them into submission” (quoted in Parry, 2006, n.p.).
All told, the ranks of companies that have had their corporate images and brands damaged by product tales and
customer service woes circulating through the blogosphere reads like a “who’s who” of the Fortune 500, includ-
ing firms such as Microsoft, McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, and Google (Barbaro, 2006).
•
the capture of Saddam Hussein
•
Exposure of trade secrets
•
Hurricane Katrina
•
trade libel
•
Securities law violations
Companies are increasingly concerned about the
prospect of employees ‘blogging off the cliff,’ so to
•
Unauthorized use/posting of protected intellec-
speak (Mcnamara, 2005, n.p.). Companies are
tual property
especially concerned about employees’ personal
blogs and the risks that are entailed with these activ-
Diane Clarkson, the lead author on the recent
ities, both from a security and a securities law per-
report, “Content technologies: Identifying Marketing
spective (see the sidebar “Getting ‘Dooced’ for
Potential of Corporate Blogs, Podcasts, and rSS/xML
Blogging” on page 64). Is there a need for a specifi-
Feeds,” commented that in today’s legal and invest-
cally focused blogging policy? David Carter, chief
ing environment, the risk is indeed great for compa-
technology officer and vice president for strategy for nies: “It’s very, very easy to have good intentions
iUpload, cautioned against being blog-specific,
and inadvertently say something that could expose
holding that “any code of conduct you have for
a publicly traded company to some issues around
communicating to the public should apply to blog-
security fraud, for example. All you have to do is
ging” (quoted in Burns, 2005, n.p.). However, there
make one material statement” (quoted in vaas,
are unique potential legal risks that the freedom and 2005, n.p.).
immediacy of blogging brings:
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Getting ‘Dooced’ for Blogging
What does getting “Dooced” mean? Well, in the blogosphere, this is the term used when workers are fired
by their employer for their blogging activities. the origin of the phrase comes from Heather Armstrong, who
blogs under the pseudonym “Dooce” online at (http://www.dooce.com). In 2002, Armstrong was fired from
her job as a web designer for discussing her co-workers and satirizing her employer in her personal blog. A
number of high-profile cases in which employees have been fired for their blogging activities include anony-
mous employees at Starbucks, Microsoft, and even Harvard University. the following are some of the more
publicized cases:
• Delta Air Lines. A flight attendant, Ellen Simonetti, contended that she was suspended and then fired after she
was discovered to have posted pictures of herself wearing her uniform on her personal blog. Subsequently,
the woman filed a sexual discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment opportunity Commission
(EEoC), contending that the airline had not fired men for similar conduct (Graybow, 2005).
• Wells Fargo. In 2002, after David Corby complained on his personal blog about a department policy that
mandated that all employees wear American flag pins to show support for the victims of the September 11,
2001, attacks, he was fired from the bank (Wyld, 2006).
• The Houston Chronicle. the newspaper fired Steve olafson, a seven-year veteran political reporter, because
his editors felt that his personal blog, which contained poking criticisms of some of the politicians he cov-
ered, compromised his ability to be an objective journalist in his “day job” (Gallo, 2004).
• Google. the company fired Mark Jen for blogging about life inside the firm, not for being critical but for being
too open about life inside the fast-growing company (Utter, 2005).
• Friendster. Joyce Park (aka “troutgirl” on her personal blog) was fired from Friendster because she discussed
the rationale behind the company’s technology conversion from J2EE to PHP on her blog (Caslon Analytics,
2006).
• Waterstones. In the United Kingdom, Joe Gordon was fired after criticizing the firm on his personal blog
(tench, 2005).
According to Lewis Maltby, president of the national Workrights Institute in Princeton, new Jersey, at pres-
ent, “If your boss should see your blog and be offended by something there, you have virtually no protec-
tion against being fired” (quoted in Gilbert, 2005, n.p.). As the courts begin to consider cases of employees
fired for what they say and do on their personal blogs in reference to their employers, management should
strive to stay informed on developments in this area. According to Paul Arne, co-chairman of the technology
group at law firm Morris Manning & Martin LLP, “there’s very, very little case law at this point” (quoted in
Graybow, 2005, n.p.).
the public sector is not immune from the “Doocing” phenomenon. recent examples include:
• The CIA. Christine Axsmith, a software tester working for BAE Systems, was terminated in July 2006 for posts
she made to Intelink. Posting under the pseudonym “Covert Communications,” or “CC” for short, Axsmith,
who liked to think of herself as “the Erma Bombeck of the intel world,” was fired and her security clearance
revoked for posts she made on the internal blog. While she routinely posted on such things as the food in the
CIA commissary, what got her fired were posts she made regarding the use of torture on prisoners in Iraq and
the Geneva Conventions (Priest, 2006).
• The Commonwealth of Virginia. the virginia Department of Business Assistance suspended Will vehrs, a
business services manager for the agency in richmond, for 10 days without pay for blogging on agency time
in April 2006. vehrs, who blogged on his own private conservative blog and on blogs of area papers, was
suspended for submitting 34 suggested captions to a photo caption contest between 12:51 p.m. and 3:40
p.m. on a workday from his office computer (Whitley, 2006). Delegate Chris Saxman defended vehrs, stating:
“Honestly, if every time a state employee takes a cigarette break and says something negative about their job,
vents, makes a joke, will they be called out and asked to resign? How do we expect our employees to per-
form if we intend on overpoliticizing a blog post? It was not anonymous. It was a joke. It was wrong. the man
has apologized. Let it go” (opinion cited in Glover, 2006g, n.p.).
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Blogging Policy
(currently this is prohibited, leading members of
Congress to engage in blogging on external sites
For all these collective reasons, organizations today
where commenting is allowed) (terdiman, 2006).
would be well advised to establish a blogging pol-
icy. It is imperative that such corporate policies spe-
Finally, we have already seen the first cases of
cifically spell out what can and can’t be said by
employees being fired or severely punished for their
employees and executives in blogs on corporate
blogging activities at work. these have occurred in
sites. the blogging policy should also go further to
both the private and public sectors, due to employees’
establish ground rules for employee comments
blogs and blog comments on both personal and
about the firm and its clients, customers, suppliers,
organizational sites (see the sidebar “Getting
and so on, on their own personal blogs.
‘Dooced’ for Blogging”).
there will likely be an intense focus on the need
for blogging policies in government as well, both
for employees and for elected representatives.
Surveys have consistently found that organizations
are severely behind the technology curve in devel-
oping corporate and organizational policies to deal
with blogging activities (Sarkar, 2005). this is an
area that all organizations should look at; a good
place to start is to benchmark the policies of lead-
ing organizations and then adapt them to your par-
ticular situation.
A good example of such is the IBM corporate blog-
ging guidelines (IBM, 2005), which were developed
internally through a wiki involving bloggers within
IBM (available at http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/
guidelines.html). other prominent organizations that
have published blogging guidelines for their organi-
zations and employees include:
•
Harvard Law School (2007): http://blogs.law.
harvard.edu/home/terms-of-use
•
Hill & Knowlton (2005): http://blogs.
hillandknowlton.com/blogs/niallcook/
archive/2005/05/19/279. aspx.
•
Sun Microsystems (2007): http://www.sun.com/
aboutsun/media/blogs/BloggingGuidelines.pdf
•
thomas nelson (2007): http://blogs.
thomasnelson.com/pages/BloggingGuidelines.htm.
Bev Godwin of USA.gov recently stated: “Some
rules about government information apply to blogs
as they would for any information the government
distributes.” At present, however, “there are no
government-wide, blog-specific rules” (quoted in
Sternstein, 2006, n.p.). Certainly, as rules are inevi-
tably developed, provisions will have to be made
to allow for comments on blogs on federal sites
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Conclusion
In Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes
wandering around,” as a key to leadership excel-
Everything, Don tapscott and Anthony Williams
lence. When this idea was proposed in the 1980s,
(2006) propose that we are seeing the development
wandering meant physically being someplace—a
of a new economic model whereby the whole
factory floor, a store, a cafeteria, a distribution cen-
notion of organizations and companies may be
ter, or an employee or constituent’s office. Fast for-
being revised and upended by mass collaboration
ward two decades to today. More and more, as one
capabilities. Using the wiki model that underlies
wanders around the local coffeehouse, the local
Wikipedia, permanent, temporary, or one-time col-
university, the park, city streets, or your own offices,
laboration between individuals and companies of all we see living proof that more and more of our lives
sizes, outside the boundaries of traditional hierar-
are being spent online. thus, to be an effective
chies and located anywhere on the planet, can join
leader today, we must wander online.
forces to produce content, goods, and services.
And now, with the advent of a whole host of tech-
Wikis, blogs, video, and audio files that can be dis-
nological advances, we are not just surfing the web,
tributed for free in seconds to millions—these col-
we are engaging it. We can create and control our
laborative tools may make possible a future that one own content through user-generated media technol-
observer has noted “will require the greatest change
ogies, which allow us to do so without sophisticated
in management thinking since the likes of General
computer programming knowledge. In fact, it only
Motors invented the corporation in the early 20th
takes one finger at a time to type, and typing is the
century” (Maney, 2006, n.p.). What we may indeed
foundation of blogging, the foremost technology of
be seeing is the birth of a whole new management
what is being hailed as the “Web 2.0 revolution.” By
style: “management by blogging.” In fact, rich
exercising our fingers and our minds, blogging will
Marcello, a blogging senior vice president for HP,
provide unique opportunities for promoting engage-
views his own blog, read widely by both HP
ment and “managing by wandering around” in the
employees and interested observers, as a way of
digital age.
promoting a better relationship between manage-
ment and employees. Marcello recently observed:
“A lot of the traditional Management 101 you might
have read 10 years ago doesn’t apply anymore.
today, it’s much more about leading in a way that’s
a good balance between who you are as a person
and what you’re doing at work, showing that you’re
just as comfortable dealing with poetry as with
profit and loss” (quoted in Larson, 2005, n.p.).
noted management guru tom Peters (2001) advo-
cated that all executives, whether in the private or
public sector, practice MBWA, or “managing by
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
Part III: Future Research on
Public Sector Blogging
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67
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Directions for Future Research
Blogging Research Overview
feedback generated by such. there also will be
opportunities to examine elected officials’ use of
the evolution of the Web 2.0 phenomenon will be
campaign blogs versus official office blogs, which
of intense research interest as it takes shape over the are of necessity distinct and different. there will be
next decade. As Paul Saffo, founder and director of
opportunities to measure the “outcomes” of blogging
the Institute for the Future, noted: “In the early stage for public officials in terms of outcome measures
of any revolution, power goes to the people, but as
such as their popularity ranking in polls, effectiveness
it matures, those in power grab it back. that’s what
ratings, and, ultimately, their ability to be re-elected.
happened with the Internet” (opinion cited in
In both public and private enterprises, there will be
Kornblum, 2006, n.p.).
opportunities to map and measure the viral nature
Specifically, as the blogging trend develops, there will
of blogging to understand how leaders can influence
be ample opportunities for research into how this phe-
others in their organizations not only to engage in
nomenon impacts a wide variety of communications
blogging, but also to make use of tools such as rSS
and practices. one example of such is Wyld (2006),
and podcasting. Finally, it has been predicted that
who examined the state of blogging among college
best practices for organizational blogs will evolve
and university presidents and chancellors. From an
over time (Payne, 2003). this will be an area of
organizational communications and management
intense interest, as there will be a ready audience
perspective, there will be opportunities for research
for practical answers to the questions of highly
into how blogging impacts the effectiveness of both
placed officials who will want to know how and
private and public sector executives in areas such as
why they should engage in this new medium. In
communications effectiveness and knowledge
short, because this is a communications practice
management. there will be specific opportunities
and technology in its infancy, there will be vast
for communications researchers to examine the
opportunities for important and interesting research
use of blogging, both versus and in tandem with
to be carried out over the next decade.
other means of communications, with audiences
internal to and outside of the organization. In the
The ROI of Blogging
public sector realm, there will be opportunities to
What is the return on investment, or roI, of blogging
examine specifically how public executives use blogs
for public sector executives and organizations?
in ways similar to and in contrast with leaders in for-
Holloway (2007) observed that even from a corporate
profit and nonprofit organizations.
perspective, blogging’s roI is “less straightforward”
than the roI of traditional marketing techniques,
Further, in the specific case of elected officials, there
which, he added, is quite “un-straightforward.”
will be opportunities to study officeholders’ use of
However, it has been demonstrated that a well-format-
blogging as a means of staying in touch with their
ted, frequently updated, and informative blog will:
constituencies, looking at the overall trends of the
practice and, through case study approaches, at best
•
Generate buzz and interest
practice leaders and innovators. With elected office-
holders, there will be opportunities to examine the
•
Encourage repeat visits to the blog and associ-
subjects about which they blog and the frequencies
ated websites
of their blogging activities, as well as the interest and
•
Increase page ranks with the major search engines
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IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE
tHE BL
B o
L GGI
o
n
GGI G
n
G rEv
rE o
v LU
o
t
LU I
t on
I
For public sector organizations and lead officials,
drawn from their non-blogging brethren in similar
the roI calculation from blogging can be even
positions. through such research, the specific factors
more indirect and incalculable. With a for-profit
that may motivate an official to begin a blog could
company, blogging can be seen as producing direct, be delineated and, conversely, the factors that may
tangible results (i.e., increased traffic to the corpo-
lead one to blog less frequently or to discontinue
rate website, rSS and other subscriptions to updates
the blog entirely. Finally, consider the case of the
of the site and the associated executive blogs) and
British city of Ampthill, where (as noted in table 5
making indirect improvements in corporate image
on page 24) the current mayor, Penny Foster, is
and/or personal reputations, company and brand
continuing to blog, following the lead of her direct
awareness, and even product sales and service
predecessor, Mark Smith. As instances of “successor
utilization levels. Even with a nonprofit organiza-
blogging” occur, it will be interesting to investigate
tion, many of the same visibility and awareness
both the motivations behind the official’s continuing
measures could be applied, with contributions
the practice and the expectations and reactions of
and fund-raising serving as the proxy for sales
citizens and public workers.
results. In the public sector, bright lines can be
drawn between blogging metrics for the campaign
Blogging Behavior Research
blogs of officials and the blogs they use as they
administer their area or agency. Lenhart and Fox
Going forward, it will also be interesting to see
(2006) suggest using what they term “on-blog” and
applied, analytical research conducted on the blog-
“off-blog” metrics for assessing the amount of atten-
ging behaviors of public officials. Such longitudinal
tion being garnered by a blog. the former category
research could examine the blogging behaviors of
includes the number of comments made on a spe-
public officials in quantifiable terms, such as:
cific blog post and the postings made on the blog’s
tagboard (which is a general space that is available
•
Frequency of their posting activities
for viewers to comment on the entire blog or web-
•
Average number of days between posts
site). off-blog metrics may include all mentions of
the blog outside of the blog itself, including:
•
topics covered in posts (personal, travel, news,
and issues)
•
news articles or stories regarding the blog in
•
Comments allowed (yes/no) and number of
any media outlet (or on another blog or website)
comments
•
E-mails about the blog and the forwarding of
•
number of links to the blog posts of the official
blog posts
•
Amount (if any) of video/audio content posted
•
Conversations about the blog
•
official versus personal blogging activities
While campaign blogs have an ultimate metric for
success (election), blogs used in public administration It would be interesting to then compare the blogging
have less defined roI metrics. Certainly, discussions
behaviors of public officials at similar levels of gov-
about roI must always include “soft” aspects like:
ernment (for example, congresspersons, state legisla-
tors, and mayors) and among different ranks of public
•
Did blogging bring personal satisfaction to the
officials. one could develop a variety of hypotheses
official?
that seek to study the blogging behaviors of the pub-
lic official in relation to characteristics such as:
•
Did blogging enable the official to get insightful
comments and timely feedback from constituents?
•
rank of the official
•
Did blogging contribute to the official’s deci-
•
Size of the constituency population
sions to remain (or retire) from office?
•
Demographic characteristics of the population
Insights on these soft metrics can be garnered only
•
Internet usage and blogging behaviors of the
through intensive surveys and/or interviews with the
population
blogging public officials, with comparisons to be
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Finally, over time, it will be interesting to compare
Peter Fader of the Wharton School of Business predicts
both the penetration of blogging in general and the
that a rating system for blogs will soon emerge. In the
blogging behaviors and perceptions of public offi-
marketplace of ideas, Fader sees the blogging commu-
cials with comparable groups. Since this is a global
nity self-policing credible versus non-credible blogs
phenomenon, one can envision research projects
and bloggers based on a system operating much like
comparing blogging between different countries
the eBay community’s rating system for buyer and sell-
(for example, members of Parliament in the United
ers (op. cited in Knowledge@Wharton, 2005).
Kingdom with members of the U.S. Congress;
mayors of cities of comparable size in the U.S. with
those in other countries). other projects could com-
pare the blogging penetration and blogging activities
of top officials in the public versus private sectors.
For instance, in comparing members of Congress
and Fortune 500 CEos, which group blogs more,
who blogs more often, who uses trackbacks and
pings, and who responds to readers’ comments?
As can be seen, many interesting studies on blog-
ging and the use of other Web 2.0 forums and tools
can be conducted in the coming years by university
researchers, consulting firms, and independent
researchers, such as the Pew Internet & American
Life Project. What will emerge from their work will
be snapshots that will evolve into a mosaic of how
these new tools are being used to foster better com-
munication and new methods of online engagement
between public officials and the governed, who are
themselves increasingly living online lives. Such
research will provide critical feedback for those
making personal decisions on whether to engage in
blogging and help in setting blog strategies for both
their organization and themselves.
We also will see research on how blogs and other
Web 2.0 tools are being increasingly integrated into
organizational homepages, as the line between what
is a blog and what is a homepage quickly begins to
blur. As the penetration of text, audio, and video
blogging elements increases, we may well see the
distinction between blog and homepage disappear,
resulting in one site.
Payne (2003) foresees that best practices for corpo-
rate, executive, and public official blogs will evolve
over time. She believes that the innate tension
between legal and business concerns and the desire
of the blogger to be authentic will prevent business
blogs from truly matching the freewheeling, raw,
and personal style of individual blogs. thus the chal-
lenge will be to keep the freshness and authenticity
of blogging while maintaining corporate propriety.
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Appendix: Glossary of Terms
Used in Blogging and Web 2.0
Above the fold: the content on a blog that can be
relations firm create a fake blog, called “Pasteurize
read by the viewer without having to scroll down in
this,” to promote a new milk-flavored drink called
the open window. this term is borrowed from news-
“raging Cow,” following the adventures of a ficti-
paper terminology.
tious cow criss-crossing America).
Aggregator: Software that pulls information from vari-
Atom: A type of web feed, written in xML
ous web feeds that you have selected and displays any (Extensible Markup Language), which allows a user
updates made to them, using rSS. Aggregators make
to download any updates made to the website or
it possible to have updated content automatically
blog using a feed reader. Information on Atom can
downloaded for viewing in a web browser, without
be found at http://atomenabled.org/.
having to view the source website. Popular aggrega-
tors include Feed reader, Feed Demon, Bloglines,
Audioblog: A blog where the blogger posts record-
newsgator, and rojo. Also known as a newsreader.
ings of voice, music, or other audio content, often
with textual annotation, in order to identify the
A-Lister: the top rung of bloggers who command
content for indexing. Also referred to as an MP3
the largest audiences and generally carry the most
blog or musicblog.
clout in the blogosphere.
Autocasting: An automated form of podcasting that
Anonoblog: A blog maintained by an anonymous
allows bloggers and blog readers to generate audio
author, often under a pseudonym. Also referred to as versions of text-only blogs from rSS feeds.
an anonyblog, a faux blog, and a ghostblog. It is a
portmanteau of “anonymous” and “blog.”
Blacklist: A list of UrLs that have been identified as
spam UrLs; these sites are eliminated (or “black-
Archives: A collection of all posts on a blog, catego-
listed”) from comments and trackbacks on a blog.
rized by month, topic, author, etc.
Blargon: A term coined by William Safire that
Astroturf marketing: An attempt to artificially create encompasses the lingo of blogging. It is a portman-
grassroots buzz for a company’s product or service.
teau of “blog” and “jargon.”
Astroturf marketing has a negative connotation, pri-
marily because of the deceptive tactics used. Some
Blaudience: the audience, or readership, of a blog.
large companies have run into trouble for such
It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “audience.”
astroturf marketing efforts, including Wal-Mart (for
having created a fake blog, “Wal-Marting Across
Blawg: A blog about the law, most often written by a
America,” which was supposedly created by a man
lawyer, law school professor or student, or law
and a woman traveling the country in an rv and
review. It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “law.”
staying in Wal-Mart parking lots, but turned out to
have been blogged by their public relations firm)
Bleg: the practice of writing a blog entry or com-
and Dr Pepper/Seven Up (for having its public
ment for the sole purpose of asking the readers for
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tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
something (ideas, e-mails, donations, commentary,
Blogiversary: the birthday of one’s blog.
etc.). Doing so is referred to as “blegging.”
Blogoneer: A blogger who engages in the practice
Blego: Bloggers who write as a means of promoting
with an expert or pioneering attitude. It is a port-
their own self-worth. It is a portmanteau of “blog”
manteau of “blog” and “pioneer.”
and “ego.”
Blogorhhea: A blog on which the blogger engages
Blog: An online journal that can be updated regu-
in an overly verbose and excessively wordy posting
larly, with entries typically displayed in chronologi-
style. often such a blog appears to be written in an
cal order. While blogs now encompass not only text unedited, stream-of-consciousness style. It is a port-
but video and audio as well, it is generally accepted manteau of “blog” and “diarrhea.”
that if the individual posts/items/articles that cannot
be linked to separately via a permalink (rather than
Blogorific: Describes something that is pleasant or
just linking to the whole site), then the site in ques-
agreeable to the blogger. Another spelling is
tion is not a blog. Also referred to as a weblog or
“blogerific.” It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “ter-
web log, with “blog” actually being the short form
rific.”
of these terms. “Blog” is also a verb, meaning to
write an article on such an online journal.
Blogroll: A list of links to other blogs or websites
made by the author of the blog. these tend to have
Blog ecosystem: the ability to map the relationships
similarities to the original blog and/or be favorites of
between different blogs online, similar to mapping
the blog’s author. the blogroll generally is placed as
trophic levels or interrelationships in nature.
a sidebar on the blog.
Blogerati: People who are sophisticated in operating Blogsit: the practice of maintaining and/or publishing
blogs. It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “literati.”
entries to a blog temporarily for the blog’s owner while
he or she is away or taking a hiatus from blogging.
Blogfolio: An online journal created to display the
author’s or creator’s work, including an author’s
Blog site: the web address (UrL, or Uniform
multiple blogs.
resource Locator) of a blog. this blog site may be a
dedicated domain, a sub-domain, or embedded
Blogfriend: Someone you know and consider a friend within a larger website.
solely through reading and interacting with his or her
blog. It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “friend.”
Blogsnob: Bloggers who refuse to respond to com-
ments on their blog from people outside their imme-
Bloggable: Describes an item worthy of being
diate circle.
posted on a blog.
Blogstorm: An instance when a large amount of
Blogger: the person who writes and/or maintains
activity, information, and opinion erupts around a
the blog. It is the truncated name for weblogger.
particular subject or controversy in the blogosphere.
Also referred to as a “blog swarm.” oftentimes, blog-
Blogging: to maintain a blog by posting text, links,
storms entail others going after (and, in many cases,
images, or other content, often using blogging soft-
attacking) a particular company or person who has
ware.
done something that is perceived to be particularly
egregious in the mind of the blogger. Perhaps the
Blog hopping: the practice of moving from one blog most well-known blogstorm to date involved vincent
after another to read the entries and/or to leave
Ferrari and AoL. When Ferrari became upset over
comments, with related side trips to various articles,
how his attempts to cancel his AoL account were
sites, discussion forums, etc.
thwarted at every turn, he released his tape-recorded
conversation with an AoL customer service represen-
Blogiday: A holiday from blogging, a day when you
tative. this instigated a blogstorm in which many
don’t blog.
other bloggers and consumers swarmed AoL.
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Blogvertisement: Either an advertisement placed
Comment: A response left on the author’s blog
by a blogger or an advertisement listed, or solely
regarding one of his or her blog entries or posts.
shown, on blogs. A popular form of blogvertise-
ment is contextual ads such as Google’s AdSense
Commentariat: the commenters on a particular
and BlogAds. It is a portmanteau of “blog” and
blog. the term has alternately been applied to the
“advertisement.”
blogosphere as a whole.
Blooger: A blogger who exhibits adolescent tenden-
Commenter: A person who posts a comment on
cies and lacks basic social graces or good manners.
a blog.
It is a portmanteau of “blog” and “booger.”
Comment spam: the blog equivalent of spam.
Blook: A book that has been created from a blog.
Specifically, the term refers to a comment that has
nothing at all to do with the content of the blog
Blurker: A person who reads many blogs but makes
entry on which the comment is made. Most often,
no comments, thereby leaving no evidence of his or
these off-topic comments contain links to promote a
her presence.
product or service (quite often to sites associated
with pornography, gambling, erectile dysfunction
Boreblogging: the practice of writing on a blog
drugs, etc.). Most comment spam is automatically
about personal matters that are barely interesting,
entered by spambots, rather than by real people.
even to the writer.
Consumer Generated Media (CGM): An umbrella
CAPTCHA: the acronym for “Completely Automated term encompassing a variety of new sources of
Public turing test to tell Computers and Humans
online information that are created, initiated, circu-
Apart.” this is the technology that generates random lated, and used by consumers intent on educating
words and letters that a user must type in when car-
each other about products, brands, services, person-
rying out a variety of functions online, such as mak-
alities, and issues. CGM includes, but is not limited
ing reservations, buying tickets, and today, in many
to, consumer-to-consumer e-mail, postings on pub-
cases, making comments on a blog. A common type lic Internet discussion boards and forums, consumer
of CAPtCHA requires that the user type the letters
ratings websites or forums, blogs, moblogs, social
of a distorted image, sometimes with the addition of networking sites, personally made videos and audio
an obscured sequence of letters or digits that
files, and individual websites.
appears on the screen. the CAPtCHA verification is
done to ensure that it is a real person online and not Corporate blogs: Blogs that are created and spon-
a spambot. the technology was developed by
sored by corporate entities. these blogs provide
Carnegie Mellon University and IBM.
postings from employees of the organization deliv-
ering information and insight relating to the com-
Carpetbombing: the practice of commenting anony-
pany, its products, and issues that impact the
mously in blogs.
company. Most allow users to post comments,
since this provides valuable feedback and a means
Categories: A method of organizing blog entries by
for open discussion between the company and its
assigning each entry to a predetermined topic. Each
consumers. Also referred to as a “business blog” or
topic (category) will link to a list of entries, all with
“biz blog.”
related content.
Dark blog: A blog that is unavailable to the public,
Celeblog: A blog focused on a celebrity. these blogs
often hidden behind a firewall or registration barrier.
typically detail the lives of movie stars, musicians, and
other celebrities, much like tabloid magazines, often
Dashboard: the first screen that is seen when one
featuring embarrassing or revealing paparazzi photos.
logs in to a blogging software program, with the
controls, tools, and functions needed to create,
Celebriblog: A blog maintained by a celebrity.
maintain, and update the blog.
www.businessofgovernment.org
73
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Del.icio.us: A social bookmarking service (available
to be updated on developments of interest to the user.
at http://del.icio.us/) that allows users to share their
Examples of hyperaggregators include Doggdot.us
bookmarked sites with others. When used as a verb
(http://www.doggdot.us/), original Signal (http://
(to del.icio.us someone), it means that you have
web20.originalsignal.com), Popurls (http://www.pop-
added them to your del.icio.us bookmarks.
urls.com), Spokeo (http://www.spokeo.com/), and
viral videos (http://www.viralvideos.com).
Dooced: to be fired from your job for a posting you
made on your blog. the term is credited to Heather
Journal blog: A personal, diary-like blog. Journal
B. Armstrong, who was fired for satirical postings
blogs are the most common type of blog by far, but
about her employer and her co-workers that she
most have extremely small, yet often very loyal,
made to her blog at http://www.dooce.com. “to
daily readerships.
dooce” someone would mean to fire them.
K-log: Usually an internal blog (i.e., on an intranet
Entry: Each individual post made on a blog.
and not visible to the general public outside an
organization). they are used for purposes of inter-
Fisk: the practice of deconstructing an article on a
nal company communication, project manage-
point-by-point, highly critical basis. the term is
ment, and/or knowledge management. Also
derived from the name of British journalist robert
referred to as a “knowledge log,” “Klog,” “K-blog,”
Fisk, a frequent target of such critical articles in the
or “knowledge blog.”
blogosphere. to be “fisked” would mean to be the
victim of such a deconstruction.
Klogger: Someone who blogs on a k-log.
Flame: to make a hostile, intemperate remark on a
Linklog: A blog that consists simply of links to web-
blog, usually of a personal nature. “Flaming” is to
sites/blogs of interest to the blog’s author.
engage in this practice.
Meme: A website, video, band, concept, etc., that
Flog: A false blog (the word is a portmanteau of
suddenly becomes popular due to a number of
“fake” and “blog”), created by a public relations
bloggers posting about it. Also known as an Internet
firm or a corporate marketing unit to promote a ser-
phenomenon.
vice, product, or brand. Astroturfing is the practice
of creating such flogs.
Milblog: A blog on the war in the Middle East, writ-
ten by soldiers or battlefield journalists.
Froglogs: Francophone blogs.
Misting: the practice by which a blogger tries to
Ghost blog: A blog that is run and managed by an
refute the views of another. It is similar to a fisk or
anonymous author(s). A ghost blog can also be a
fisking, but misting is typically done in a less aggres-
blog written by a company or person on behalf of
sive manner and usually in a humorous way.
another company or person.
Meta-blogging: the practice of writing blogs or mak-
Group blog: A blog that has more than one regular
ing blog posts about blogging and/or the blogo-
contributing writer. Also referred to as a “group-
sphere in general.
blog.”
Moblog: A blog that is updated primarily from a
HTML: the acronym for Hyper text Markup
mobile device, and generally (but not always) while
Language, which is the language used to construct a the author is on the road or traveling. Moblogs are
web page.
usually photo and video rich, rather than text inten-
sive. Moblogs are generally run from a phone, but
Hyperaggregation: Software services that aggregate
they can also be run from a laptop or web-enabled
information from other websites (that are themselves
PDA; the defining element of a moblog is that it is
aggregators of websites, blogs, photo and video-shar-
used to “blog away from the desk.” It is a portman-
ing sites, etc.) into one central dashboard from which teau of “mobile” and “blog.”
74
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
Mothball: to stop regularly posting to one’s blog and Post: A single unit of content on a blog, usually con-
archive the blog for posterity.
sisting of at least a title and text. A blog is composed
of a collection of posts (or entries). the term also
MSM: Acronym for the so-called mainstream media, can be used as a verb, meaning to publish such an
which encompasses newspapers, magazines, and
individual blog entry.
major network television. Also referred to as the
“old media,” “conventional media,” “dead-tree
RSS: the initials used to refer to the following
media,” and “mediasphere.”
standards: “really Simple Syndication,” “rich Site
Summary,” and “rDF Site Summary.” this family
Perl: the acronym for Practical Extraction and
of web feed formats is used to publish frequently
report Language, a programming language that is
updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds,
used by some types of blogware for processing text.
or podcasts. Users of rSS content use programs
called feed “readers” or “aggregators.” the user sub-
Permalink: Because a blog’s front page changes reg-
scribes to a feed by supplying to their reader a link
ularly, older posts will eventually “fall off” the front
to the feed, and the reader can then check the user’s
page and be placed into the blog’s archives. In order subscribed feeds to see if any of those feeds have
to make it easier to link back to old posts, each sin-
new content since the last time it checked, and, if
gle post on a blog is given its own unique UrL. By
so, retrieve that content and present it to the user.
using a permalink, any person (including the blog’s
rSS delivers its information as an xML file called an
author) can link to a specific post on a blog, rather
“rSS feed,” “webfeed,” “rSS stream,” or “rSS chan-
than to the most recently updated page of a blog.
nel.” Such syndicated content can include, but is by
no means limited to, data such as news feeds, blog
Photoblogging: A blog that predominantly consists
postings and/or comments, events listings, news sto-
of photographs and images.
ries, headlines, project updates, excerpts from dis-
cussion forums, or even corporate information. rSS
Photoblogger: A person who creates and maintains
was originally developed by netscape.
a photoblog.
Shocklog: A blog that is intended to produce shock-
PHP: the acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor,
ing discussions by posting various forms of shocking
which is an HtML-embedded scripting language
content.
that allows the creation of dynamic web pages, used
by some types of blogware.
Sidebar: one or more columns that appear on one
or both sides of the main page of most blogs. these
Ping: the alert in the trackBack system that notifies
are usually used to display links, contact informa-
the original poster of a blog post when someone
tion, archives, photos, etc.
writes an entry concerning the original post. the
word “ping” is actually an acronym for “Packet
Sideblog: A smaller blog usually placed in the side-
Internet Grouper.”
bar of a blog.
Podcast: A podcast is an audio file, usually in MP3
Skins: A set of pre-designed templates for a blog that
(MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) format, that can be down-
allows users to give their blog a customized design
loaded and listened to on any compatible audio
but make use of predetermined choices of images,
device, such as an iPod, MP3 player, itunes, or
fonts, layouts, etc.
Windows Media Player. the term “podcast” is
derived from the iPod, the popular portable media
Social Networking Site (SNS): A website that pro-
player made by Apple. to post a podcast is referred
vides a forum for individuals to exchange opinions,
to as “podcasting.”
create personal profiles, and receive and/or initiate
direct interaction with peers. Members communi-
Political blog: A blog containing mainly politically
cate by voice, chat, instant message, videoconfer-
oriented material. Also referred to as a “plog.”
ence, and blogs, and the service typically provides a
way for members to contact friends of other members.
www.businessofgovernment.org
75
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
the SnS is the 21st century term for “virtual com-
another entry concerning it. the system works by
munity,” a group of people who use the Internet to
sending a “ping” between the blogs, thereby provid-
communicate with each other about anything and
ing the alert.
everything. Popular social networking sites include
Friendster (http://www.friendster.com), MySpace
TrackBack Ping: the ping that signals a blog’s server
(http://www.myspace.com), Facebook (http://www.
that a post on that blog has had a comment entered
facebook.com), Classmates.com (http://www.class-
on it.
mates.com), and xanga (http:// www.xanga.com).
video sharing sites such as Youtube (http://www.
Troll: Someone who leaves comments on a blog
youtube.com) and photo sharing services such as
solely to antagonize the blog’s author. “trolling” is
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com) are also considered to
the practice of doing so.
fall under the domain of social networking sites.
Vlogger: A person engaged in vlogging (see
SOVO: the acronym for Silent online video object. next entry).
Sovo refers to the practice of using a video clip(s)
in a blog or other online environment, where a print Vlogging: the practice of adding video to a written
publication would instead use a still photograph.
blog or, alternatively, creating a blog that is com-
posed mainly of videos. Also referred to as “video
Spam blog: A blog that is composed of spam. or it
blogging” or shortened to “vlog” or “vblog.”
can refer to comments that are composed of non-
sensical text that are automatically generated in an
Vorage: the practice of searching for video online
attempt to clog blogs and/or to game search engines and sharing it with others. It is a portmanteau of
for higher rankings. Also referred to as “splogs” or
“video” and “forage.”
“zombie blogs.”
Warblog: A blog focused on war in the Middle East.
Warblogs that are written by soldiers or battlefield
Spambot: online code that automatically generates
journalists are commonly referred to as “milblogs.”
large numbers of unwanted messages and directs them
at the comment sections of public blogs, creating large Web 2.0: According to tim o’reilly, founder of
numbers of unwanted and unsolicited comments. A
o’reilly Media and the originator of the Web 2.0
spambot can enter hundreds of unwanted spam com-
concept: “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the
ments in a matter of minutes. to guard against spam-
computer industry caused by the move to the Internet
bots and comment spam, some bloggers and blog
as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules
services will exclude comments per se, restrict particu-
for success on that new platform. Chief among those
lar users and addresses from commenting, or require
rules is this: Build applications that harness network
registration in order to make comments.
effects to get better the more people use them.”
Sping: A ping that is sent from a spam blog to make
Wiki: From the Hawaiian term for “quick,” this type
recipients think content of interest has been updated of website allows readers to edit and contribute to
on a site of interest and/or that they have subscribed it. It is an open, collaborative site on the web, which
to via rSS.
may be publicly available (as in the best known
wiki, Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) or, alter-
Template: the blog presentation design.
natively, may be a wiki on an intranet or limited to
invited users. In the latter case, the wiki can be used
Thread: A series of posts on a specific topic in a blog. by organizations as an internal collaborative tool for
knowledge and information exchange.
Thread drift: What happens when off-topic posts in
a thread devoted to a specific topic take the conver-
XML: the abbreviation for Extensible Markup
sation off course.
Language, a scripting language commonly used for
blog feeds.
TrackBack: the system that allows a blogger to see
who has seen his or her original post and has written
76
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
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89
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
A B o U t t H E A U t H o r
David C. Wyld is the robert Maurin Professor of Management at
Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, where he
teaches courses in business strategy and e-commerce. He is the director
of the College of Business’ Strategic e-Commerce/e-Government
Initiative, the founding editor of the Journal of Strategic e-Commerce,
and a frequent contributor to both academic journals and trade publi-
cations. In the past six years, he has established himself as one of the
leading academic experts on emerging applications of technology in
both the public and private sectors, including rFID, Web 2.0, blogging,
reverse auctions, online surplus auctions, and e-procurement. He has
been an active consultant, a prolific writer, and an invited speaker on
the management of technology to both trade and academic audiences,
as well as an invited panelist on technology issues on the Discovery
Channel and other media outlets. His october 2005 report on rFID,
entitled “rFID: the right Frequency for Government,” is the most
downloaded report ever for the IBM Center for the Business of Government. For his work in the public
sector arena, he was named a rising Star in Government Information technology by Federal Computer
Week in 2006.
Professor Wyld has written over a 100 refereed journal articles on a wide variety of subjects dealing with
contemporary management issues. these have appeared in many leading business, technology, public pol-
icy, healthcare, and education journals. He has also been a frequent contributor to widely read publications
in the popular and trade press, including Computerworld and the Washington Times. In recognition of his
research accomplishments, Wyld has been awarded the campus-wide “President’s Award for Excellence in
research,” while also having been recognized as the outstanding teacher in the College of Business.
In addition to his traditional teaching duties and research efforts, Professor Wyld has served as a consultant
to major corporations on a wide range of topics. He has participated extensively in delivering college
classes to non-traditional students in divergent settings, teaching in executive MBA programs, and working
with emerging online teaching technologies. He was also president of the Faculty Senate of Southeastern
Louisiana University from 2003 to 2005.
Professor Wyld earned his doctorate in management from the University of Memphis in 1993.
90
IBM Center for the Business of Government
tHE BLoGGInG rEvoLUtIon
K E Y C o n t A C t I n F o r M A t I o n
To contact the author:
David C. Wyld
Maurin Professor of Management and
Director of the Strategic e-Commerce/e-Government Initiative
Southeastern Louisiana University
Department of Management
College of Business
SLU - Box 10350
Hammond, LA 70402-0350
office phone: (985) 549-3972 or (985) 542-6831
fax: (985) 549-2019
cell: (985) 789-2127
e-mail: dwyld@selu.edu
www.businessofgovernment.org
91
CENTER REPORTS AVAILABLE
COMPETITION, CHOICE,
Implementing Alternative Sourcing
Federal Intranet Work Sites: An
AND INCENTIVES
Strategies: Four Case Studies (2004)
Interim Assessment (2002)
Edited by Jacques S. Gansler and
Julianne G. Mahler and Priscilla M.
Determining a Level Playing Field for
William Lucyshyn
regan
Public-Private Competition (1999)
Designing Competitive Bidding for
The State of Federal Websites: the
Lawrence L. Martin
Medicare (2004)
Pursuit of Excellence (2002)
Implementing State Contracts for
John Cawley and Andrew B. Whitford
Genie n. L. Stowers
Social Services: An Assessment of
International Experience Using
State Government E-Procurement
the Kansas Experience (2000)
Outsourcing, Public-Private
in the Information Age: Issues,
Jocelyn M. Johnston and Barbara S.
Partnerships, and Vouchers (2005)
Practices, and trends (2002)
romzek
Jón r. Blöndal
M. Jae Moon
A Vision of the Government
Effectively Managing Professional
Preparing for Wireless and Mobile
as a World-Class Buyer: Major
Services Contracts: 12 Best Practices
Technologies in Government (2002)
Procurement Issues for the Coming
(2006)
Ai-Mei Chang and P. K. Kannan
Decade (2002)
Sandra L. Fisher, Michael E.
Jacques S. Gansler
Wasserman, and Paige P. Wolf
Public-Sector Information Security:
A Call to Action for Public-Sector
Contracting for the 21st Century:
CIos (2002, 2nd ed.)
A Partnership Model (2002)
Don Heiman
Wendell C. Lawther
E-GOVERNMENT
The Auction Model: How the Public
Franchise Funds in the Federal
Sector Can Leverage the Power of
Government: Ending the Monopoly
Supercharging the Employment
E-Commerce through Dynamic
in Service Provision (2002)
Agency: An Investigation of the Use
Pricing (2002, 2nd ed.)
John J. Callahan
of Information and Communication
technology to Improve the Service
David C. Wyld
Making Performance-Based
of State Employment Agencies
The Promise of E-Learning in Africa:
Contracting Perform: What the
(2000)
the Potential for Public-Private
Federal Government Can Learn from
Anthony M. townsend
Partnerships (2003)
State and Local Governments (2002,
norman Larocque and Michael Latham
2nd ed.)
Assessing a State’s Readiness for
Lawrence L. Martin
Global Electronic Commerce: Lessons
Digitally Integrating the Government
from the ohio Experience (2001)
Supply Chain: E-Procurement, E-
Moving to Public-Private
J. Pari Sabety and Steven I. Gordon
Finance, and E-Logistics (2003)
Partnerships: Learning from
Jacques S. Gansler, William
Experience around the World (2003)
Privacy Strategies for Electronic
Lucyshyn, and Kimberly M. ross
trefor P. Williams
Government (2001)
Janine S. Hiller and France Bélanger
Using Technology to Increase Citizen
IT Outsourcing: A Primer for Public
Participation in Government: the
Managers (2003)
Commerce Comes to Government
Use of Models and Simulation (2003)
Yu-Che Chen and James Perry
on the Desktop: E-Commerce
Applications in the Public Sector
John o’Looney
The Procurement Partnership
(2001)
Seaport: Charting a new Course for
Model: Moving to a team-Based
Genie n. L. Stowers
Professional Services Acquisition for
Approach (2003)
America’s navy (2003)
Kathryn G. Denhardt
The Use of the Internet in
Government Service Delivery (2001)
David C. Wyld
Moving Toward Market-Based
Steven Cohen and William Eimicke
E-Reporting: Strengthening
Government: the Changing role of
Democratic Accountability (2004)
Government as the Provider (2004,
State Web Portals: Delivering and
Mordecai Lee
2nd ed.)
Financing E-Service (2002)
Jacques S. Gansler
Diana Burley Gant, Jon P. Gant,
Understanding Electronic Signatures:
and Craig L. Johnson
the Key to E-Government (2004)
Transborder Service Systems:
Stephen H. Holden
Pathways for Innovation or threats
Internet Voting: Bringing Elections to
to Accountability? (2004)
the Desktop (2002)
Measuring the Performance of
Alasdair roberts
robert S. Done
E-Government (2004)
Genie n. L. Stowers
Competitive Sourcing: What Happens
Leveraging Technology in the
to Federal Employees? (2004)
Service of Diplomacy: Innovation in
Jacques S. Gansler and William
the Department of State (2002)
Lucyshyn
Barry Fulton
92
to download or order a copy of a report, visit the IBM Center for the Business of Government website at: www.businessofgovernment.org
Restoring Trust in Government:
Using Activity-Based Costing to
Managing Telecommuting in the
the Potential of Digital Citizen
Manage More Effectively (2000)
Federal Government: An Interim
Participation (2004)
Michael H. Granof, David E. Platt,
report (2000)
Marc Holzer, James Melitski, Seung-
and Igor vaysman
Gina vega and Louis Brennan
Yong rho, and richard Schwester
Audited Financial Statements:
Using Virtual Teams to Manage
From E-Government to M-
Getting and Sustaining “Clean”
Complex Projects: A Case Study of
Government? Emerging Practices
opinions (2001)
the radioactive Waste Management
in the Use of Mobile technology by
Douglas A. Brook
Project (2000)
State Governments (2004)
Samuel M. DeMarie
M. Jae Moon
An Introduction to Financial Risk
Management in Government (2001)
A Learning-Based Approach to
Government Garage Sales:
richard J. Buttimer, Jr.
Leading Change (2000)
online Auctions as tools for Asset
Barry Sugarman
Management (2004)
Understanding Federal Asset
David C. Wyld
Management: An Agenda for reform
Toward a 21st Century Public
(2003)
Service: reports from Four Forums
Innovation in E-Procurement: the
thomas H. Stanton
(2001)
Italian Experience (2004)
Mark A. Abramson
Mita Marra
Efficiency Counts: Developing the
Capacity to Manage Costs at Air
Labor-Management Partnerships:
Computerisation and E-Government
Force Materiel Command (2003)
A new Approach to Collaborative
in Social Security: A Comparative
Michael Barzelay and Fred
Management (2001)
International Study (2005)
thompson
Barry rubin and richard rubin
Michael Adler and Paul Henman
Federal Credit Programs: Managing
Winning the Best and Brightest:
The Next Big Election Challenge:
risk in the Information Age (2005)
Increasing the Attraction of Public
Developing Electronic Data
thomas H. Stanton
Service (2001)
transaction Standards for Election
Carol Chetkovich
Administration (2005)
Grants Management in the 21st
r. Michael Alvarez and thad E. Hall
Century: three Innovative Policy
A Weapon in the War for Talent:
responses (2005)
Using Special Authorities to recruit
Assessing the Impact of IT-Driven
timothy J. Conlan
Crucial Personnel (2001)
Education in K–12 Schools (2005)
Hal G. rainey
Ganesh D. Bhatt
Performance Budgeting: How nASA
and SBA Link Costs and Performance
A Changing Workforce:
The Blogging Revolution:
(2006)
Understanding Diversity Programs in
Government in the Age of Web 2.0
Lloyd A. Blanchard
the Federal Government (2001)
(2007)
Katherine C. naff and J. Edward
David C. Wyld
Transforming Federal Property
Kellough
Management: A Case for Public-
Bridging the Digital Divide for
Private Partnerships (2007)
Life after Civil Service Reform:
Hard-to-Reach Groups (2007)
Judith Grant Long
the texas, Georgia, and Florida
Heike Boeltzig and Doria Pilling
Experiences (2002)
Jonathan Walters
Can Governments Create Universal
Internet Access? the Philadelphia
HUMAN CAPITAL
The Defense Leadership and
Municipal Wireless network Story
Management Program: taking Career
(2007)
MANAGEMENT
Development Seriously (2002)
Abhijit Jain, Munir Mandviwalla,
Joseph A. Ferrara and Mark C. rom
and rajiv D. Banker
Results of the Government
Leadership Survey (1999)
The Influence of Organizational
Mark A. Abramson
Commitment on Officer Retention:
Profiles in Excellence: Conversations
A 12-Year Study of U.S. Army
FINANCIAL
with the Best of America’s Career
officers (2002)
MANAGEMENT
Executive Service (1999)
Stephanie C. Payne, Ann H. Huffman,
Mark W. Huddleston
and trueman r. tremble, Jr.
Credit Scoring and Loan Scoring:
Human Capital Reform: 21st
tools for Improved Management of
Reflections on Mobility: Case
Century requirements for the United
Federal Credit Programs (1999)
Studies of Six Federal Executives
States Agency for International
thomas H. Stanton
(2000)
Michael D. Serlin
Development (2003)
Anthony C. E. Quainton and
Amanda M. Fulmer
to download or order a copy of a report, visit the IBM Center for the Business of Government website at: www.businessofgovernment.org
93
CENTER REPORTS AVAILABLE
Modernizing Human Resource
An Assessment of Brownfield
Using Evaluation to Support
Management in the Federal
Redevelopment Policies: the
Performance Management: A Guide
Government: the IrS Model (2003)
Michigan Experience (1999)
for Federal Executives (2001)
James r. thompson and Hal G. rainey
richard C. Hula
Kathryn newcomer and Mary Ann
Scheirer
Mediation at Work: transforming
San Diego County’s Innovation
Workplace Conflict at the United
Program: Using Competition and a
Managing for Outcomes: Milestone
States Postal Service (2003)
Whole Lot More to Improve Public
Contracting in oklahoma (2001)
Lisa B. Bingham
Services (2000)
Peter Frumkin
William B. Eimicke
Growing Leaders for Public Service
The Challenge of Developing Cross-
(2004, 2nd ed.)
Innovation in the Administration of
Agency Measures: A Case Study of
ray Blunt
Public Airports (2000)
the office of national Drug Control
Scott E. tarry
Policy (2001)
Pay for Performance: A Guide for
Patrick J. Murphy and John Carnevale
Federal Managers (2004)
Entrepreneurial Government:
Howard risher
Bureaucrats as Businesspeople (2000)
The Potential of the Government
Anne Laurent
Performance and Results Act
The Blended Workforce: Maximizing
as a Tool to Manage Third-Party
Agility through nonstandard Work
Rethinking U.S. Environmental
Government (2001)
Arrangements (2005)
Protection Policy: Management
David G. Frederickson
James r. thompson and Sharon H.
Challenges for a new Administration
Mastracci
(2000)
Using Performance Data for
Dennis A. rondinelli
Accountability: the new York City
The Transformation of the
Police Department’s CompStat
Government Accountability Office:
Understanding Innovation: What
Model of Police Management (2001)
Using Human Capital to Drive Change
Inspires It? What Makes It
Paul E. o’Connell
(2005)
Successful? (2001)
Jonathan Walters and Charles
Jonathan Walters
Moving Toward More Capable
thompson
Government Management of
Government: A Guide to
organizational Design (2002)
Designing and Implementing
Information Mega-Technology:
thomas H. Stanton
Performance-Oriented Payband
Lessons from the Internal revenue
Systems (2007)
Service’s tax Systems Modernization
The Baltimore CitiStat Program:
James r. thompson
(2002)
Performance and Accountability
Barry Bozeman
(2003)
Seven Steps of Effective Workforce
Lenneal J. Henderson
Planning (2007)
Advancing High End Computing:
Ann Cotten
Linking to national Goals (2003)
Strategies for Using State Information:
Juan D. rogers and Barry Bozeman
Measuring and Improving Program
The Challenge of Innovating in
Performance (2003)
Shelley H. Metzenbaum
INNOVATION
Government (2006, 2nd ed.)
Sandford Borins
Linking Performance and Budgeting:
Managing Workfare: the Case of the
A Model for Increasing Innovation
opportunities in the Federal Budget
Work Experience Program in the new
Adoption: Lessons Learned from the
Process (2004, 2nd ed.)
York City Parks Department (1999)
IrS e-file Program (2006)
Philip G. Joyce
Steven Cohen
Stephen H. Holden
How Federal Programs Use Outcome
New Tools for Improving
Information: opportunities for
Government Regulation: An
Federal Managers (2004, 2nd ed.)
Assessment of Emissions trading
MANAGING FOR
Harry P. Hatry, Elaine Morley, Shelli B.
and other Market-Based regulatory
rossman, and Joseph S. Wholey
tools (1999)
PERFORMANCE AND
Gary C. Bryner
RESULTS
Performance Management for
Career Executives: A “Start Where
Religious Organizations, Anti-Poverty
Corporate Strategic Planning in
You Are, Use What You Have” Guide
Relief, and Charitable Choice: A
Government: Lessons from the
(2004, 2nd ed.)
Feasibility Study of Faith-Based
United States Air Force (2000)
Chris Wye
Welfare reform in Mississippi (1999)
Colin Campbell
John P. Bartkowski and Helen A. regis
Staying the Course: the Use of
Performance Measurement in State
Business Improvement Districts and
Governments (2004)
Innovative Service Delivery (1999)
Julia Melkers and Katherine
Jerry Mitchell
Willoughby
94
to download or order a copy of a report, visit the IBM Center for the Business of Government website at: www.businessofgovernment.org
Moving from Outputs to Outcomes:
The Challenge of Coordinating “Big
Government Reorganization:
Practical Advice from Governments
Science” (2003)
Strategies and tools to Get It Done
Around the World (2006)
W. Henry Lambright
(2004)
Burt Perrin
Hannah Sistare
Communities of Practice: A new
Using the Balanced Scorecard:
tool for Government Managers (2003)
Performance Management for
Lessons Learned from the U.S. Postal
William M. Snyder and xavier de
Political Executives: A “Start Where
Service and the Defense Finance
Souza Briggs
You Are, Use What You Have” Guide
and Accounting Service (2006)
(2004)
nicholas J. Mathys and Kenneth r.
Collaboration and Performance
Chris Wye
thompson
Management in Network Settings:
Lessons from three Watershed
Becoming an Effective Political
Performance Leadership: 11 Better
Governance Efforts (2004)
Executive: 7 Lessons from
Practices that Can ratchet Up
Mark t. Imperial
Experienced Appointees (2005,
Performance (2006, 2nd ed.)
2nd ed.)
robert D. Behn
The Quest to Become “One”: An
Judith E. Michaels
Approach to Internal Collaboration
Performance Accountability:
(2005)
Getting to Know You: rules of
the Five Building Blocks and Six
russ Linden
Engagement for Political Appointees
Essential Practices (2006)
and Career Executives (2005)
Shelley H. Metzenbaum
Cooperation Between Social Security
Joseph A. Ferrara and Lynn C. ross
and Tax Agencies in Europe (2005)
Implementing OMB’s Program
Bernhard Zaglmayer, Paul
Six Trends Transforming Government
Assessment Rating Tool (PART):
Schoukens, and Danny Pieters
(2006)
Meeting the Challenges of Integrating
Mark A. Abramson, Jonathan D.
Budget and Performance (2006)
Leveraging Collaborative Networks
Breul, and John M. Kamensky
John B. Gilmour
in Infrequent Emergency Situations
(2005)
Reflections on 21st Century
Donald P. Moynihan
Government Management (2007)
Donald F. Kettl and Steven Kelman
NETWORKS AND
Public Deliberation: A Manager’s
Guide to Citizen Engagement (2006)
The Management of Regulation
PARTNERSHIPS
Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer and Lars
Development: out of the Shadows
Hasselblad torres
(2007)
Leveraging Networks to Meet
Cornelius M. Kerwin
National Goals: FEMA and the Safe
A Manager’s Guide to Choosing
Construction networks (2002)
and Using Collaborative Networks
William L. Waugh, Jr.
(2006)
H. Brinton Milward and Keith G.
SOCIAL SERVICES
Applying 21st-Century Government
Provan
to the Challenge of Homeland
Delivery of Benefits in an Emergency:
Security (2002)
The E-Government Collaboration
Lessons from Hurricane Katrina (2007)
Elaine C. Kamarck
Challenge: Lessons from Five Case
thomas H. Stanton
Studies (2006)
Assessing Partnerships: new Forms
Jane Fedorowicz, Janis L. Gogan,
of Collaboration (2003)
and Christine B. Williams
robert Klitgaard and Gregory F.
treverton
From Forest Fires to Hurricane
STRATEGY AND
Katrina: Case Studies of Incident
TRANSFORMATION
Leveraging Networks: A Guide for
Command Systems (2007)
Public Managers Working across
Donald P. Moynihan
The Importance of Leadership: the
organizations (2003)
role of School Principals (1999)
robert Agranoff
Paul teske and Mark Schneider
Extraordinary Results on National
PRESIDENTIAL
Leadership for Change: Case Studies
Goals: networks and Partnerships in
in American Local Government (1999)
the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s
TRANSITIONS
robert B. Denhardt and Janet
100%/0 Campaign (2003)
vinzant Denhardt
John Scanlon
The President’s Management
Council: An Important Management
Managing Decentralized
Public-Private Strategic Partnerships:
Innovation (2000)
Departments: the Case of the U.S.
the U.S. Postal Service-Federal
Margaret L. Yao
Department of Health and Human
Express Alliance (2003)
Services (1999)
oded Shenkar
Beryl A. radin
to download or order a copy of a report, visit the IBM Center for the Business of Government website at: www.businessofgovernment.org
95
CENTER REPORTS AVAILABLE
Transforming Government: the
Efficiency Counts: Developing the
RFID: the right Frequency for
renewal and revitalization of the
Capacity to Manage Costs at Air
Government (2005)
Federal Emergency Management
Force Materiel Command (2003)
David C. Wyld
Agency (2000)
Michael Barzelay and Fred thompson
r. Steven Daniels and Carolyn L.
Clark-Daniels
Managing the New Multipurpose,
Multidiscipline University Research
Transforming Government: Creating
Centers: Institutional Innovation in
the new Defense Procurement
the Academic Community (2003)
System (2000)
Barry Bozeman and P. Craig Boardman
Kimberly A. Harokopus
The Transformation of the
Trans-Atlantic Experiences in Health
Government Accountability Office:
Reform: the United Kingdom’s
Using Human Capital to Drive
national Health Service and the
Change (2005)
United States veterans Health
Jonathan Walters and Charles
Administration (2000)
thompson
Marilyn A. DeLuca
Transforming the Intelligence
Transforming Government: the
Community: Improving the
revitalization of the veterans Health
Collection and Management of
Administration (2000)
Information (2005)
Gary J. Young
Elaine C. Kamarck
The Challenge of Managing Across
Executive Response to Changing
Boundaries: the Case of the
Fortune: Sean o’Keefe as nASA
office of the Secretary in the U.S.
Administrator (2005)
Department of Health and Human
W. Henry Lambright
Services (2000)
Beryl A. radin
Ramping Up Large, Non-Routine
Projects: Lessons for Federal
Creating a Culture of Innovation:
Managers from the Successful 2000
10 Lessons from America’s Best run
Census (2005)
City (2001)
nancy A. Potok and William G.
Janet vinzant Denhardt and robert B.
Barron, Jr.
Denhardt
The Next Government of the United
Transforming Government: Dan
States: Challenges for Performance
Goldin and the remaking of nASA
in the 21st Century (2005)
(2001)
Donald F. Kettl
W. Henry Lambright
Reforming the Federal Aviation
Managing Across Boundaries: A
Administration: Lessons from
Case Study of Dr. Helene Gayle and
Canada and the United Kingdom
the AIDS Epidemic (2002)
(2006)
norma M. riccucci
Clinton v. oster, Jr.
Managing “Big Science”: A Case
Improving Service Delivery in
Study of the Human Genome Project
Government with Lean Six Sigma
(2002)
(2007)
W. Henry Lambright
John Maleyeff
The Power of Frontline Workers
in Transforming Government:
the Upstate new York veterans
SUPPLY CHAIN
Healthcare network (2003)
timothy J. Hoff
MANAGEMENT
Making Public Sector Mergers
Enhancing Security Throughout
Work: Lessons Learned (2003)
the Supply Chain (2004)
Peter Frumkin
David J. Closs and Edmund F.
McGarrell
Investing in Supply Chain Security:
Collateral Benefits (2005, 2nd ed.)
James B. rice, Jr., and Philip W. Spayd
96
to download or order a copy of a report, visit the IBM Center for the Business of Government website at: www.businessofgovernment.org
BOOKS
Collaboration: Using Networks and
Managing for Results 2002
Partnerships
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2001)
Inc., 2004)
Mark A. Abramson and John M.
John M. Kamensky and thomas J.
Kamensky, editors
Burlin, editors
Managing for Results 2005
Competition, Choice, and Incentives
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
in Government Programs
Inc., 2004)
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
John M. Kamensky and Albert
Inc., 2006)
Morales, editors
John M. Kamensky and Albert
Morales, editors
Memos to the President:
Management Advice from the
E-Government 2001
Nation’s Top CEOs
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2000)
Inc., 2001)
James J. Schiro, editor
Mark A. Abramson and Grady E.
Means, editors
Memos to the President:
Management Advice from the
E-Government 2003
Nation’s Top Public Administrators
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2002)
Inc., 2001)
Mark A. Abramson and therese L.
Mark A. Abramson, editor
Morin, editors
New Ways of Doing Business
Human Capital 2002
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2003)
Inc., 2002)
Mark A. Abramson and Ann M.
Mark A. Abramson and nicole
Kieffaber, editors
Willenz Gardner, editors
The Procurement Revolution
Human Capital 2004
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2003)
Inc., 2004)
Mark A. Abramson and roland S.
Jonathan D. Breul and nicole
Harris III, editors
Willenz Gardner, editors
Transforming Government Supply
Innovation
Chain Management
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2002)
Inc., 2003)
Mark A. Abramson and Ian Littman,
Jacques S. Gansler and robert E.
editors
Luby, Jr., editors
Integrating Performance and
Transforming Organizations
Budgets: The Budget Office of
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Tomorrow
Inc., 2001)
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Mark A. Abramson and Paul r.
Inc., 2006)
Lawrence, editors
Jonathan D. Breul and Carl
Moravitz, editors
Leaders
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Inc., 2002)
Mark A. Abramson and Kevin M.
Bacon, editors
Learning the Ropes: Insights for
Political Appointees
(rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
Note: rowman & Littlefield books
Inc., 2005)
are available at bookstores, online
Mark A. Abramson and Paul r.
booksellers, and from the publisher
Lawrence, editors
(www.rowmanlittlefield.com or
800-462-6420).
97
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