Republicans Embrace New Media Strategies.
March 5th, 2006 by Jack
On Friday, more than 50 Republican staffers attended a Theme Team blog workshop to learn more about a new communication tool: blogging.
You can check out more pictures of the event HERE.
The workshop was divided in to three panels to help answer three basic questions: 1. What is a blog? Who are bloggers? And how can Republicans interact with bloggers better?
To help us answer those questions, we were joined by two National Journal bloggers, five conservative bloggers, and five Republican staffers who are currently engaging the blogosphere. You can see who participated on the agenda. (Due to technical difficulties we were unable to video conference with Captain Ed.)
Theme Team distributed two documents at the event which you can access. These include a one-pager on why and how Theme Team suggests Members could interact with the blogosphere, and the agenda of the event and a suggested blog roll.
Here is a wrap-up of some of the coverage the event received.
In the 1990s, talk radio was crucial to disseminating the ideas of the Republican revolutionaries. Today, House GOP Conference Vice Chairman Jack Kingston (Ga.) believes that the blogosphere is poised to become the next big thing in the GOP communication machine’s armada.
“If you look at what blogs have impacted, from the Swift Boat situation to the Dan Rather retirement, they are very effective,” Kingston said. In the past three years, 100,000 Web logs have grown into 29 million, according to Kingston. GOP to hold seminar on mastering the blogosphere, Bree Hocking.
National Journal’s Beltway Blogroll:
All of the panelists sang the praises of blogs. One said that blogs are the best way to stay informed these days. They report the news more quickly and the links to various articles via blogs serve as a reader’s “personal editor.” That blogger added that the personal connections bloggers have with their readers, as well as the personalities they develop online, make them effective movers of people in ways that newspapers never could.
�Another expert predicted that blogging actually will seem “primitive” sometime soon, as innovations like personal Web television shows spread. But he also said, “Blogging is the future. It’s good for the country.” A Fly On The Blog, Danny Glover, National Journal.
House Republican Conference Vice Chairman Jack Kingston of Georgia sponsored an informational blogging seminar today that brought together conservative bloggers and GOP aides on Capitol Hill. Kingston, a blogger himself, not only deserves credit for embracing this new medium, but also for making sure other Hill staffers utilize it.
As one of the panelists, I found the whole event very useful for myself, but I think it was equally valuable for the Republican press secretaries and other staffers who spent two hours listening and asking questions. GOP Aides Get Briefed on Blogging, Robert Bluey, The Right Angle, Human Events Online.
It is the politician who recognizes this ability to shape and move messages as an advantage instead of a hindrance who will do well in the blogosphere and in the future of political communication. The blogosphere is a world in motion, and deliberative bodies aren’t always comfortable with how it moves. Hence, panels like this one.
We had a good time. Things were learned, hackneyed metaphors employed, Rathergates lauded, and bottled water drunk. I Get Blog With A Little Help From My Friends, Mary Katharine Ham, HughHewitt.com and BeyondTheNews.com.
Just returned from Washington, where I took part in a GOP seminar on “mastering the blogosphere”, hosted by Rep. Jack Kingston’s Theme Team. Alongside primobloggers Mary Katherine Ham, Tim Chapman, Robert Bluey, and Ben Domenech, we were joined by dozens of press secretaries of Republican House members, eager to learn the way of the blog, share best practices, etc.
All in all, it was a very insightful day. There’s a formidable blogward movement afoot among Republican legislators, which could have exciting implications. Blogging Above My Paygrade, Philip Pidot, Suitably Flip.
I would like to thank all of the bloggers and staff who helped make this event a success, including those bloggers that couldn’t be with us but who have helped flesh out ideas and offer perspective and guidance, including John at Right Wing News, Captain Ed of Captain’s Quarters, Matt at Blogs For Bush, Ian at Expose The Left, and Mike and Blanton at RedState.