Every councillor to have a blog by 2012 ?

I read a quote by Municipal Association of Victoria president and local candidate Dick Gross¹ with interest in the local paper recently.  Many candidates for this upcoming council elections already have blogs.  While he didn't say every councillor, he did imply that those who didn't blog would be at a disadvantage in the elections.

There is some fantastic growth happening in this area, along with web community consultation, which for local communities is great to see. 

However most political bloggers fall into the trap of unreliable or inadequate blogging software or amateur looking templates to get their message across.  Many don't have the nouse or technical expertise to do it properly.  In fact in the article Gross admitted that his public Facebook page was set up by his children.  While his initiative is great to see, I've seen a number of these sites which look embarassing.  Then there are those who just really don't know what to say or how to say it.

Personally I think the smarter councillors will be investing in blogs that really work, and I predict they will be doing this almost immediately after this years elections when they realise that those already with blogs have the advantage. 

Over the years we have come to specialise in the local government market, having deployed a range of strategic and practical solutions from websites to online planning systems, voting systems, volunteer databases, lost animal registers, youth services portals, events management systems, best value systems and emergency portals.  Blogging is an area that we have also worked in quite extensively, deploying the sort of technologies and expertise used by CEOs of large organisations to blog, connect with their staff and shareholders to get their messages and opinions out, gather personal momentum and crucial feedback.  Our experience has helped us to advise clients on how to write in a persuasive, politically correct and Google friendly blogging style.

1 Pg 7. Emerald Hill Weekly.  October 22-28, 2008