Advocacy Avenue

I attended an interesting panel at last week’s Internet Caucus State of the Net conference. The speakers examined the growth of blogging and "self publishing" and the different means for spreading messages via the blogosphere, including vlogs.  Internet Caucus has video of some of the conference events, but unfortunately not this particular session yet.

The key issue of copyright in the blogosphere was discussed. While no one is suggesting that blog content be regulated by Congress or the FCC, there are some questions about the proper use of materials.  In the blogosphere, every links to everyone else.  We are sharing content and that’s great.  But, what if someone posts a picture that is copyrighted by the artist? Is compensation due? About.com has some basic information about blogs and copyright and here is a discussion among bloggers on copyright.

An example of a potential blog copyright problem was offered by one of the panelists.  Say there is a blog dedicated to collecting old diner menus.  Pictures of these menus are posted.  Some of the artwork, such as logos, could be copyrighted.  But what if no one has claimed the copyright in years? The panelist, a staff member from the House Judiciary Committee, said they are trying to find a solution for these types of copyright problems.  The quicker they do that, the better.

Quick aside, John Conyers, the Ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has a blog. It is good that politicians who are considering these issues are participating in the blog world.  A small but growing number of members of Congress are blogging.

It is going to be important to address the copyright issues for the blogosphere to continue to thrive. The free flow of information is critical.  Bloggers are typically very diligent about giving proper attribution to authors, photographers, and other creators of content. We need to keep it up, and work with policymakers to overcome some of the more complicated copyright questions.

Social Security reform. Dan Rather. Harriet Miers. What do these things have in common? They were all derailed by blogs. Beltway Blogroll runs a great story (that appeared first in National Journal – MSM beat the blogs on this one) on numerous instances where blogs drove the evolution of an political issue.

There is a theory called "issue evolution" developed in the book (appropriatedly titled) "Issue Evolution: Race and the Transformation of American Politics" by political scientists Edwin Carmines and James Stimson. While the book focuses on how racial issues developed from 1964 onward, the underlying theory is very relevant to the role of blogs today. Writing before the advent of the Internet, Carmines and Stimson examine how issues grow over time, gain understanding by political party elites, find champions, and finally led to public policy changes or political realignments. While blogs have not yet caused seismic shifts in the political parties, they have accelerated the issue process exponentially.

Bloggers today influence elections, legislation, nominations, product sales, etc. There is a "Blog Issue Evolution" process that now needs to be studied and understood. We know about blogstorms. We know how blogs are getting out in front of the MSM with increasing frequency. Now we have to develop some metrics. Is ten blog posts enough to start the issue evolution process? One hundred? We’re learning as we go. The fun part is that so many important things are happening via blogs as we learn.

It seems to me that the blog issue evolution process works well for short term issues.  It will be interesting to look back in several years to see how blogs affected the larger, long term issues.  Carmines and Stimson tracked racial issues over decades. Right now, we’re tracking blog issues over days or even hours.

Dear Bloggers,

I regret to inform you that in accordance to the law, as of January 5th, 2005 you are no longer allowed to flame others namelessly through email or blogs.

If you fail to identify yourself while annoying another on the Internet, you could face criminal penalties; including stiff fines and two years in prison.

Please consult the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act, Section 113, which amends Title 47 – Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs with any further questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Anonymous

Everywhere you turn on the Internet, there’s a link for a blog… On the site of my undergraduate University, my bank, my car manufacturer, even the sandwich shop I ate at yesterday.  That is not to say all of these blogs are successful.  Many corporate blogs fall victim to what is known as using wooden tongue language.

Wooden tongue language is the antithesis of the true sprit of blogs.  Many corporate blogs duplicate press releases into blog entries, maintaining the officialdom and standard dry tone which gives the reader a illegitimate inclination.

How to Spot a Wooden Tongue Blog:

• The blog claims to be written by someone high in the food chain, someone who most likely does not have a lot of free time.
• The topics covered are never contentious.  Everything is warm, fuzzy, and perfect.
• The blog reads like a dictionary.  Vernacular language is rarely used, and if it is, it seems strangely out of place due to the nature and context of the rest of the entries.
• The blog appears out of touch with the current world.
• The blog does not allow readers to comment.

Simply creating a blog does not harness the power blogs encompass.  Entries of successful blogs are written in a tone the reader can relate to, cover topics of substance without selling anything, and truly connect with the audience.  Company’s need to give their blogs a chance to truly show off their establishment’s personality by being genuine and candid with the readers.

Example of a Wooden Tongue Blog: Tadashi Kawamata, artistic director, Yokohama Triennale

Example of a Non-Wooden Tongue Blog: Pat Cleary, blogger-in-chief, National Association of Manufactures