I’ve put a Government Blog Directory page up here. The rules are fairly simple - if you are not on it, and you want your government blog to be on it, email me (Andrew Boyd) via facibus AT gmail DOT com. If you are on it and you don’t want to be, email me.
I’d like to reiterate that this is a directory of government blogs, not blogs on government.
Thanks, Andrew
facibus.com is moving! The blogs need more room to grow and a bigger traffic allowance, which is a good thing.
What this means is that until the DNS change propagates around the world, this blog will appear to be off the air. All going well this will only be a day or two - at the most.
Thanks for reading - it is because of your interest that this move is possible.
You may be in a position to influence the formation of a corporate blog in your organisation.
To find out if there is a solid business case, you need to write some kind of plan. There are a dozen ways or more to put a project proposal together, but they generally contain:
Note: They do not have to be in this format or this order.
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll put out articles addressing each of these points, based on what I have seen work to date in 20 years plus in and around government.
One of the things that government bloggers share with their equivalents in industry is that both may face objections within the organisation. A big policy issue for any corporate blog is around control - some questions that need to be asked are:
Chances are that there are clear cut answers within your organisation for question number 2: you probably have a corporate communications/public affairs/corporate web area that sees themselves as having ownership of the dissemination process. In plain language, any outward-facing content has to be in a form that they are happy with. Perhaps they control the process directly.
If you are not in this area, and are seeking a way to work with rather than against various stakeholders, rest assured that there are resources available.
One of my favourites is a book called Cubicle Commando - and I am happy to recommend it in accordance with my advertising and affiliation policy (in other words, if you buy it, I will not make a cent off the sale). Cubicle Commando is about being an intrapreneur - someone who wants to make a difference in their organisation. Chances are, if you are reading this post, you are an intrapreneur. Cubicle Commando has tips and tricks for engendering change within large organisations - one of my favourite parts is “Sleeping with the enemy” that talks about working positively with people who have negative perceptions of your work. It applies itself beautifully to the needs of the would-be corporate blogger, and doubly so to those of us who work in and around government. It is one of those books that is both inspiring and powerful. One of the authors, Zern Liew, has his own blog over at eicolab, and the other, Lisa Messenger, is working on getting one going.
If you have a “dealing with difficult people” success story that you’d like to share, please leave a comment.
There is a lot of interest in government blogging here in Australia (and throughout the world) - the advantages, the issues, the change in mindset required.
An article on Gary Nairn’s speech on Wednesday 02 May mentioned:
Blogs could be the next frontier for governments to discuss plans and policies with citizens, according to special minister of state Gary Nairn.
Nairn told the CeBIT conference in Sydney this morning that blogs could represent a “new era” in community interaction as the government develops more online services.
“Blogs could split up consultation and enable government and others to analyse and debate issues in reasonable detail,” he said.
“This could then lead to more informed policy and program development.”
This could not just be the government talking to its citizens, but also citizens talking amongst themselves about policy issues, according to Nairn.
“Blogging could lead to a new era of community interaction.
“For example, Australians in the city might learn more about life in the bush from people that live there.”
Localised blogs and other online technologies could help bridge the rural-city communication divide in Australia, according to Nairn.
Nairn discussed the blogs in a roundup of the “significant progress” of the e-government strategy, which he launched at the same event 12 months ago.
I was privileged to be present at CeBIT Australia 2007’s eGovernment conference to witness this historic speech. This is what BlogDotGov is about: discussing government blogs and the issues around government blogging.
