Updates / Better use of the web - 4 comments
I've carried out the unenviable task of updating our list of blogging councillors.
A number of standing councillors were defeated, some had stood down, and there were a handful that were even more out-of-date, or else had broken links. As far as I know, the only two addititions are Antonia and Miranda, but please get in touch if you have more information.
The old total stood at 38; it is now 26. A few rather discouraging statistics:
- We have three blogging councillors in the South (outside London), only two of whom can be classed as active.
- We have five in London (population 7.4 million) - as many as we have in Wales (population 2.9 million).
- Unbelievably, we have none in Scotland.
Gareth and Stuart also have thoughts, and here's the BBC's coverage of Tony Blair's recent words on the matter.
All I have to say for the time being - have quite a lot on my plate...
Update (7th May): Make that 27 councillors (and three active in the South), as fellow B&H-er, East Brighton councillor Warren Morgan has joined our ranks. That's great. The slight concern is that - no, you may not think that Bloggers4Labour is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but - for the sake of consistency, and publicity, it makes sense that new Labour bloggers know about this resource sooner rather than later.
It still surprises me that I come across Labourites who have been loyally and assiduously blogging away for a considerable period of time without the support and the contacts we can offer. There ought to be a few people within Brighton and Hove who know both Warren and B4L, but the one organisation that really ought to know is our good friend, the Labour Party. We really need to work together so that (a) any elected representative can start out with our help from Day 1, and (b) we reach out to all elected representatives and ask for one good reason why they shouldn't take the blogging route.
Of course 2006's blogging technology isn't perfect. It may even be obsolete by the time we reach the next General Election, but the technology is a mere detail. The key factors are: communication - keeping up with an electorate that can't necessarily make a public meeting at 6 pm on a Tuesday evening, answering genuine questions and explaining issues; advocacy (of issues) and education; and establishing your own voice as a thoughtful, independently-minded, hard-working, and trustworthy figure in the community. Blogging can help, and B4L can help with that.
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4 comments so far...
The Cameron chameleon character is potentially a good idea, but it underdelivers. The 'blog' is a confusing combination of quotations and Cameron's 'own' words, with bewildering lists of Internet connection types.
I also found the site confusing to navigate, as though I were going round in circles and continually seeing the same clips. Downloads would happen without warning, and some wouldn't open in any case. It seems like a rush job, a too-early release, or a work in progress.
As for the content, I think I may have chuckled at first, and then actually blushed with embarrassment the first time I saw the video clip. The voiceover was overdone. The tenor was immature, overly complacent, and simplistic. It's also quite hard for a wrinkly chameleon to convey a feeling of youthful naivete and inexperience, or any emotion for that matter. The soundtrack, though apt, was old hat.
And as for the larger question of our use of the web, and our resources, this is not a pressing question, it is an urgent one.
I'd agree that the Party needs to think about the way we use the internet and our websites; and I'm pleased that Blair has made it a priority for Hazel Blears. My fear is that we'll fall into solutions that will mirror all the things that many members of the public find unlikeable about how we organise.
If the tone of our campaigning comes across as defensive and unwilling to engage with the public I think we'll find it difficult to win the trust that is the lifeblood of good politics and good governance.
The lovely thing about blogging is the converstation; and to develop that you need to make people want to talk with you. One of the things that is clear about it all though is that without some sense of authenticity and a little willingness to take risks it comes across very badly.
One final thought; being on-line isn't anywhere near enough to make the difference - at least as yet. Its still leaflets, canvassing and all the traditional campaigning materials that make the difference.
I think Hazel Blears should give you a full time job, you seem to have made a pretty good go of it till now on the cheap!
B4L is the way forward.
This analysis is absolutely spot on - both here and in the two articles that you linked to on other blogs. I did the website design for Miranda Grell's blog and it has proven to be an enormous success - it's a surprise that less people have followed the blogging route.
The UK is really in stark contrast to other EU member states on this - have a look at the Swedish Social Democrats' S-Info system - it's a whole blogging platform for party members, run and paid for by the party.
In terms of technology, the Labour website runs on Typo3, but they have not got close to using 10% of the excellent features the system offers... The basis is there, but the question is what they want to do with it.
For sure B4L gives us an excellent starting point - I hope Hazel Blears is ready and listening!
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