Poliblog Perspective

Jon Worth’s Euroblog (with a nice, elegant design) has an interesting post some time ago:Getting to grips with the Euro-Blogosphere, where Jon had “attempted to group together all the different EU blogs I read into some sort of categories”. A useful summary.

There has been an slow rolling discussion in the comments, which I’ve mined for interesting nuggets:

How should a Parliamentary Group use a blog?

Kerry:

You mention rightly that the Socialist Group in the European Parliament is developing its blog presence. We are trying! What we would like to do is provide interesting insight and useful info whilst listening to what people are thinking about Europe and social democracy. Any constructive comments about how a political group could get more involved in the world of blogs would be really welcome. Thanks.

Jon:

I reckon there are a few things a political group should bear in mind…

(1) What is the point of the blog, above and beyond the press and comms work done already? The blog should not just be a summary of what has been written elsewhere.

(2) It needs to be updated often. That’s more important than who it is that writes the entries. However with a large number of MEPs getting some contributions should not be too hard.

(3) Don’t be afraid to be informal - the style you need to use is very different from most other forms of writing for politics.

How did you choose ‘em, guvnor?

Martin Keegan:

Are you really only familiar with three Eurosceptic weblogs? Or is there just some selection criterion I’ve not spotted which is excluding others?

Jon:

The selection criteria are no more advanced than these are EU-related blogs that I have come across and have felt have decent content. If you think others should be added the please just write them here in a comment and I’ll incorporate them.

The Economist

Just a shameless plug to say The Economist now has a European blog, Certain Ideas of Europe.

If you are really, really, really EU-focussed:

Florian:

Can you add to the list blogs which deal with European communications and European institutions and procedures in general? I’d like to read and discuss more on that, e.g. on the comitology reform or the clash between Kallas and public affairs organisations on lobbying. (ed: “!!)

Jon:

I reckon there are a few things a political group should bear in mind…

(1) What is the point of the blog, above and beyond the press and comms work done already? The blog should not just be a summary of what has been written elsewhere.

(2) It needs to be updated often. That’s more important than who it is that writes the entries. However with a large number of MEPs getting some contributions should not be too hard.

(3) Don’t be afraid to be informal - the style you need to use is very different from most other forms of writing for politics.

How did you choose ‘em, guvnor?

Martin Keegan:

Are you really only familiar with three Eurosceptic weblogs? Or is there just some selection criterion I’ve not spotted which is excluding others?

Jon:

The selection criteria are no more advanced than these are EU-related blogs that I have come across and have felt have decent content. If you think others should be added the please just write them here in a comment and I’ll incorporate them.

The Economist

Just a shameless plug to say The Economist now has a European blog, Certain Ideas of Europe.

If you are really, really, really EU-focussed:

Florian:

Can you add to the list blogs which deal with European communications and European institutions and procedures in general? I’d like to read and discuss more on that, e.g. on the comitology reform or the clash between Kallas and public affairs organisations on lobbying.

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