I know, we're all so jaded and web 2.0 and social connectors and on to the next big communications thing and all, but Joe Sharkey in today's NYT reminds us (or me, at least) of the simple power of the blog -- to foster two way communications in an honest way.
Holy cow kudos to the TSA who I never would've thought enlightened enough to even consider such a thing. Here are great guidelines for use by almost any government entity for private corporation.
The T.S.A. blog has links to independent bloggers and real news reports, including negative ones. It also has personal blogs by five employees of the agency. But its most notable feature is the lively give-and-take, without refereeing, except for monitoring for obscene language and egregious crack-pottery.
The blog was intended to harness “the amount of energy that’s out there, and our need to get the passenger and us on the same side,” Mr. Hawley said.
Most corporate or government blogs are just another form of news release — top-down, promotional, awe-struck by the wonders of the company and the manifest virtues of the boss. The T.S.A. blog was deliberately designed to keep the brass at bay. And it isn’t shy about getting into a dust-up.
Great piece, great reminder that tools are useful even when they are not trendy...