I blog, you blog, we all blog: state lawmakers are beginning to see the advantages of having a blog to record their views on issues and their experiences at the statehouse.Representative Ray Cox does not consider himself particularly computer savvy. In 2002, he had just won election to the Minnesota House by 20 votes in a very competitive race--his district leans Democrat and he's a Republican. He wanted a way to reach out and interact with his constituents, so he did what few others would have done in that situation--he started a blog. Blogs--short for "Web logs"--are online public journals documenting a person's daily thoughts, experiences and positions on issues. Cox, who didn't use the Internet much and thought most Web pages were cold and impersonal, heard about blogs from a friend who, after a bit of coaxing, got him up and running. He had expected his opponents might use his blog entries against him in the 2004 election, and indeed, "they were pretty brutal," Cox says. He won reelection re·e·lect also re-e·lect tr.v. re·e·lect·ed, re·e·lect·ing, re·e·lects To elect again. re , however, by 600 votes, which he considers a huge margin in his district. "In this kind of race it's even more important to use the blog to get the information out to voters, and to get it to them in a timely fashion." Blogs first appeared about a decade ago, but they gained prominence in the 2004 presidential elections as a vehicle for candidates and pundits reporting on the elections. Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and physician from the U.S. state of Vermont, and currently the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, the central organ of the Democratic Party at the national level. used the Internet, and his Blog for America Blog for America was the title of the official Howard Dean campaign weblog from March 2003 to March, 2004. It was previously known as the Dean Call To Action blog, the first presidential campaign weblog, founded by Mathew Gross on March 15 2003, but became BFA when it was rebuilt , to raise more money than any other Democratic candidate. Blogs are said to have influenced the stock market on election day, based on their (inaccurate) reporting of early exit poll results. The power of blogs also became evident when blogs exposed CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. News' false reporting about President Bush's National Guard documents. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, 32 million Americans were blog readers by the end of 2004. The survey also found that 62 percent of Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f were not quite sure what the term "blog" means. But that's changing: Blog readership grew 58 percent just during 2004. Seven percent of users--some 8 million people--have created their own biog. And there is some evidence that those who read and write blogs may be more politically influential than average citizens. State lawmakers are beginning to see the advantages of having a blog to record their views on issues and their experiences at the statehouse state·house also state house n. A building in which a state legislature holds sessions; a state capitol. statehouse Noun NZ a rented house built by the government Noun 1. . Although there's no official count of the number of state legislators with blogs, the Minnesota House may be able to claim more than any other state. Several House members were among the first in the nation to have blogs, including Representative Cox, who has been making weekly or more frequent entries since he started his blog in December 2002. Representative Stephen Urquhart of Utah, who started his blog in late 2004, like Cox, considered how it might affect his chances at reelection. "This site does create a record that any future political opponent can pick through to find choice nuggets Nuggets can refer to several branches of interest:
Urquhart's main purpose in maintaining a blog is to provide people friendly access to Utah government, to give them the "inside scoop" on the issues, and to get feedback from them. But blogs also can give legislators a chance for their voice to be heard on issues the media doesn't cover. When the Deseret News published an article about potential conflicts of interest by legislators, claiming that "not one" of the nine private practice attorneys in the Utah Legislature had filed disclosure forms that listed clients by name, he used his blog to rebut To defeat, dispute, or remove the effect of the other side's facts or arguments in a particular case or controversy. When a defendant in a lawsuit proves that the plaintiff's allegations are not true, the defendant has thereby rebutted them. TO REBUT. the claim and to list the names again in his blog, "for all the world to see." Blogs also serve as a forum for legislators to express their point of view at other times when they might not be given a voice. Maryland Delegate Sandy Rosenberg's blog relates an argument he wished he could have made on the floor in response to a fellow legislator's comment on a medical malpractice Improper, unskilled, or negligent treatment of a patient by a physician, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional. bill. There are numerous blogs that cover local politics or statehouse activities, such as the Blog for Iowa ("the official weblog See blog and Web log. (World-Wide Web) weblog - (Commonly "blog") Any kind of diary published on the World-Wide Web, usually written by an individual (a "blogger") but also by corporate bodies. of Democracy for Iowa, an Iowa grassroots progressive group"); The Buckeye buckeye: see horse chestnut. buckeye Any of about 13 trees and shrubs of the genus Aesculus (family Hippocastanaceae), native to North America, southeastern Europe, and eastern Asia. Institute Blog ("Up to the Minute Analysis of Ohio Public Policy"); Colorado Pols ("Colorado Politics, News, and Inside Information; The Hall Monitor, the Vermont Press Bureau's coverage of the State House; and Utah Policymaker ("a political blog A political blog is a common type of blog that comments on politics. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech. written by elected officials and opinion leaders"). There are also innumerable blogs by individuals commenting on political or legislative activities, ranging from insightful, informative and uplifting to juvenile, cynical or downright malicious. Some commentators speculate about whether blogs increase political partisanship and polarization. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times columnist Alan Wolf considers blogs to be "all 'gotcha' commentary and attributions of bad faith" with "no emotion ... [that is] too angry and no exaggeration too incredible." Daniel Drezner, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago who has explored blogs and their influence on politics, notes that some partisan bloggers focus on political events that reinforce their own opinions and ignore those that might undermine them. But Drezner and Henry Timber, co-authors of a recent paper, "The Power and Politics of Blogs," also note that blogging is "politically important in large part because it affects mainstream media, and helps set the terms of political debate ..." Urquhart also lauds Lauds is one of the two "major hours" in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. It is to be recited in the early morning hours, preferably near dawn. Structure of the hour the broader "universe of thought" that blogs open up for readers. "Though government keeps getting bigger and more complex, technology increasingly allows my constituents to inform themselves, contact me, monitor my votes, and support me or throw me out of office. And they can do all this by themselves--without relying on the traditional information filters of media and political consultants or interest groups." Assemblywoman Loni Hancock Loni Hancock is currently serving in her third term as the representative of California State Assembly District 14. The 14th Assembly District includes Albany, Berkeley, Canyon, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Kensington, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda Pleasant Hill, Richmond, San of California established her blog to communicate with constituents on major issues addressing her district, such as casino gambling, funding for reconstruction of the Bay Bridge, and public financing of elections. Hancock receives feedback on many of her blog entries, and highlights blog responses and news articles she feels are particularly relevant. Representative Cox also emphasizes that he receives feedback from constituents on all sides of the issues. The Internet has created many new ways of communicating, creating opportunities for lawmakers and citizens to feel their voices are being heard. Just what effect political blogs will have on civic participation and just how many state legislators will take advantage of this new medium is unclear. But to some, like Robin Cook, former leader of the British House of Commons Noun 1. British House of Commons - the lower house of the British parliament House of Commons house - an official assembly having legislative powers; "a bicameral legislature has two houses" British Parliament - the British legislative body , the outlook is optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op : "There is a connection waiting to be made between the decline in democratic participation and the explosion in new ways of communicating. We need not accept the paradox that gives us more ways than ever to speak, and leaves the public with a wider feeling than ever before that their voices are not being heard. The new technologies can strengthen our democracy, by giving us greater opportunities than ever before for better transparency and a more responsive relationship between government and electors electors, in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, the princes who had the right to elect the German kings or, more exactly, the kings of the Romans (Holy Roman emperors). ." TECHNOLOGY HELPS TRACK BLOGS Because blogs are updated so frequently, it can be time-consuming to visit favorite Web pages repeatedly to check for new blog entries. An Internet program called an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) A syndication format that was developed by Netscape in 1999 and became very popular for aggregating updates to blogs and the news sites. RSS has also stood for "Rich Site Summary" and "RDF Site Summary. (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) aggregator or news reader can make it easy for blog readers. The program checks Web pages automatically for new content and displays the headlines of new entries. Several state legislatures A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: BLOGS REACH INFLUENTIALS Those who wish to reach the people who influence everyone else must look to the Internet, says a study by the George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. The study, "Political Influentials Online in the 2004 Presidential Campaign," found that Americans who are politically active via the Internet are almost seven times more likely than the average American to serve as opinion leaders among friends, relatives and colleagues. Far more of these people read or post comments on political blogs than the average citizen does. These "online political citizens" also are more likely to write or call a politician; attend a political rally, speech or organized protest; attend a public meeting on town or school affairs; or write a letter to the editor or call a live radio or TV show to express their opinion. They are also more likely than average citizens to donate money to political candidates. SEE FOR YOURSELF Take a look at the blogs mentioned in this article. Representative Stephen Urquhart, Utah www.steveu.com Delegate Sandy Rosenberg, Maryland http://delsandy.com Representative Ray Cox, Minnesota http://raycox.net Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, California http://lonihancock.blogspot.com Blog for Iowa www.blogforiowa.com The Buckeye Institute Blog www.buckeyeinstitute.org Colorado Pols http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com The Hall Monitor www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=LEGISLATURE02 Utah Policymaker www.utahpolicymaker.com Links to other state legislators' blogs are listed on the NCSL NCSL National Conference of State Legislatures NCSL National College for School Leadership NCSL National Conference of Standards Laboratories NCSL National Council of State Legislators NCSL National Computer Systems Laboratory (NIST) Web site at www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/nalit/blogs.htm Pam Greenberg tracks legislative information technology issues for NCSL. |
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