CIAN Forum CIAN Forum 6 September 20056 September 2005

Blogging & e-advocacy:Using online technologies for communication and action

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

What is a blog?

From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A weblog (or blog) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order).

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

About blogs

Blogs range in scope from individual diaries to political campaigns, media programs, and corporations.

They range in scale from the writings of one occasional author, to the collaboration of a large community of writers.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

More about blogs…

Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and other social issues, and links to other relevant sites.

The essential characteristics of the blog are its journal form and its informal style.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

A blogger is the author of a blog.

Many blogs syndicate their content to subscribers using RSS, a popular content distribution tool.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Who is blogging?

There are now more than 9 million blogs, and growing.

It’s estimated that a new blog is created somewhere in the world every 7 seconds.

Source: ABC Radio National

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Some famous blogs

www.dooce.com – by Heather B. Armstrong of Salt Lake City, Utah

dear_raed.blogspot.com - by Salam Pax, aka Baghdad Blogger

guruann.blogspot.com - blog from Bali on Schapelle Corby court case

margokingston.typepad.com – no longer with SMH

johnquiggin.com – ‘One of the elder statesmen of the Oz blogosphere’ - Age Media Blog

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

rebecca's pocket, one of the most popular blogging sites on the internet.

Rebecca is also the author of The Weblog Handbook: practical advice on creating and maintaining your blog and articles on blogging including Ten tips for a better weblog

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Blogging - so what?

Can blogging be dismissed as the ramblings of ordinary people talking about nothing much or is it a new form of journalism unfettered by the constraints of the traditional press with the power to influence public opinion?

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Blogs create forums for debate. Blogs offer interactivity. Blogs link people with common

interests.Blogs can be customised and/or

personalised.Blogs are quick, easy and inexpensive

to set up.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Blogging is having a big impact on American journalism. Bloggers are using their posts both to leak to the media and to challenge it directly.

In Australia blogs have not achieved such a high profile as there hasn’t been a local blog scandal yet.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Blogging for organisationsWeblogs capture knowledge otherwise

lost Weblogs help managing and

developing ideas Weblogs promote knowledge sharing

between individuals

www.roell.net/materialien/introducing-weblogs-gurteen-2003.shtml

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Blog vs bulletin board

Weblogs are individual or small group resources- the control of content and value is driven by a single person or small group.

Bulletin Boards are group resources- the control of content and value is shared equally across all users.

www.commoncraft.com/archives/000768.html

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Wikis

Often mentioned in connection with blogs.

A wiki allows visitors to edit the content of a site, create new content and change the organisation of existing content from their own computer.

Blogs - reflect an individual voiceWikis - blend many voices

See www.wikipedia.com

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

10 Reasons to start a weblog1. Updating is easy.2. Links are valuable to your readers.3. You can become a trusted

information source. 4. A Weblog gives readers a reason to

visit your Web site regularly. 5. Weblogs provide a more personal

communication vehicle.

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

6.Google loves weblogs.7.Reverse chronological order is

wonderful. 8.It's easy to be topical. 9.You can use a variety of media.10.The sum is more than the parts.

From Marnie Webb, Director of Consulting Services, Compumentor

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Set up your blog

www.smartyhost.com.au/blog.html - Australian provider offering interface for personal and corporate blogs

www.blogger.com – free - owned by Google

www.typepad.com www.whitepage.com.au – ‘ free Blog

Provider designed specifically for Australians’

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Information & resources

• Tech Soup – introduction to w eblogs• EdNA online - blogs & wikis• NetAlert – about blogs• e-Learning Centre – blogging & RSS•

Electronic Frontiers Foundation: Fighting for bloggers rights

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

What is e-democracy?

It’s about active citizenship, civic engagement, community participation using online technologies and communication.

It can be any one or more of the following:politics online, e-governance, e-government, online advocacy and activism, citizen e-participation

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

You can do…

Email messaging – communicating with your consituency

Online advocacy - petitions, letter-writing campaigns

Online fundraising - raising money from donors

Online surveys – find out what people think

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Growing fast in the US

www.moveon.org

dowire.orgwww.e-democracy.org/us

www.groundspring.orgwww.getactive.comwww.actionstudio.org

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

In Australia…

Things are just getting underway…

www.getup.org.au - a new political movement to build a more progressive Australia. Members use the latest online tools to act on the most important issues facing the country

www.acoss.org.au

www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org

www.greenpeace.org.au

6 September 2005 CIAN Forum

Read more…

You may as well start here:

www.publicus.net

Steven Clift is an online strategist and speaker on the use of the Internet in democracy, governance, and community. He seeks to change the world one email at a time

A recent paper on e-democracy practices:

Saving Democracy from the Information Age