I really want to like Kevin Rudd’s new blog. I really do. For Australia’s sake I want to be able to say that government is finally getting Web 2.0. But I don’t. It’s got “fail” written all over it. It just isn’t what people expect from a blog in 2009.
The rules are wrong. The tone is wrong. The dynamic is wrong. And the content, at least for the first post, is wrong.
A blog isn’t just any bunch of words to which the punters attach comments, otherwise Amazon reviews and half of ABC News are blogs.
A blog is where a blogger leads an ongoing conversation with their audience. Often, a post presents a half-formed idea, and the resulting comment stream takes on its own life as that idea is explored.
Ruddblog’s restrictive commenting rules work against the natural flow of online conversation. All comments are moderated, and only approved during business hours with a turnaround up to 24 hours. Comments are only open for five days. That’s not much to and fro.
And as I told Fairfax, not allowing links to other websites is just dumb. Links are the currency of the web. They allow you to reference work that’s already out there. If you can’t do that, and you’re limited to 300 words, then the discussion won’t get much past slogans.
(Mind you, Fairfax doesn’t link to other websites either. Even pointing to the PM’s website at pm.gov.au was done begrudgingly: the address wasn’t a clickable link.)
The first Ruddpost reads like a speech. But I suppose that’s how Rudd speaks. Perhaps it is the blogger’s authentic voice.
The exhortation for “all Senators and Members of Parliament to support this vital legislation for our nation’s future” seems out of place, distancing the 21,847,300-odd Australians who don’t sit on green and red leather seats.
The final question seems an afterthought: “How do you think we can make Australians more aware that we need to act on climate change now?” Aren’t we past the awareness-raising phase and well into the doing-something phase?
But look, it’s a start.
A conservative control-freak organisation like the Prime Minister’s Office needs to loosen its sphincters slowly. Especially with a conservative control-freak Prime Minister.
It’s perhaps unfair to over-analyse the PM’s first blog post. I’ll bet, though, that his minions are analysing every reaction just as intently. @KevinRuddPM’s entry into the Twitterverse was awkward, but he’s slowly opened up to the point where he can tweet “Can’t believe Mozart didn’t get a guernsey in triple js hottest 100 of all time. KRudd” without the world interpreting it as some sort of prime ministerial directive.
A core question though, as Sean the Blogonaut puts it, is “Why is he really doing this?”
“Is he giving us an insight or is it just spin in different format? … I still have the feeling with this PM blog that we are to somehow feel grateful for being allowed to read the thoughts of the PM. Will he interact with commenters? It seems decidedly one way at the moment,” Sean writes.
“Besides he should be running the frigging country not procrastinating on the internet while at work.”
Just what can a prime ministerial blog offer in the way of political discussion that we, the citizens, can’t already find elsewhere on a hundred political blogs? That, Mr Rudd, is the question to ponder.
“A conservative control-freak organisation like the Prime Minister’s Office needs to loosen its sphincters slowly. Especially with a conservative control-freak Prime Minister.”
Yeah! Just like Howard!I believe, that any journalist who spoke ‘out of turn’ was given the cold shoulder – permanently; any not for profit organization that differed with Howard had their funds either removed or cut back, and as with George W’s visit a couple of years ago, Howard kept the invitation list, costs and who was taking care of security a secret. For the first time in our history, there were foreign agents in our national Parliament with loaded guns. Howard kept that close to his chest didn’t he, and as I recall, didn’t even get Parliamentary approval.
I’m not going in to bat for Rudd, but his “control freak” behaviour pales into insignificance compared to Howard’s. It would take many pages to list Howard’s contempt for open government, and history has shown, that most in his government didn’t have the guts to disagree with him, even if it meant they’d have a better chance in the last election – he controlled everything!
Wait a second while I fan myself 🙂
I personally can’t wait to see If he blogs about the filter. I really would like to know his personal perspective.
Though are we asking for too much honesty? Is the fact that heritage media and the opposition will exploit any honesty something that will stifle discussion?
Should we even be calling it blogging?
Will I stop talking in questions?
I think your being to hard on him Stil, at least they allow opposing POV, unlike…well, we all know who 😀
Bloggers often take awhile to get into their groove, you used to give me the shits 😉
“or is it just spin in different format”
Moderated comments during business hours, 24 hour turnaround, closing off of the comments?
I think the answer would be “yes”.
Hopefully future posts won’t be as cringe inducing as some of his recent musings on Twitter. They seem to have been written by a moronic 14-year old girl, not the Prime Minister of Straya.
@ Liz45 Agreed, Rudd’s government is doing some good work on openness and allowing critical opinion. Despite some more paranoid comments elsewhere, I don’t think the PM’s office would be so stupid as to moderate out al dissenting voices. It’s more that the dynamic of commenting is going to be stilted.
@ Keith is not my real name: I “used” to give you the shits? You mean I don’t any more? Bah. Must. Try. Harder. 😉