The offices of the Congressional leaders now have staff members devoted to new media, primarily bloggers. Even if it isn't possible to have a blog yourself as Nancy Pelosi's office does, this article illustrates how important it is to be aware of what is being said about you online.
"The four congressional leadership
offices now all employ full-time staffers who serve as liaisons to the
political blogging world and help their party’s lawmakers stay in touch
with the ever-growing online activist community.
Campaign
and congressional offices have been testing the waters of this new
medium for a few years now, but lawmakers and their staff are still
learning the lessons of how bloggers and the traditional press differ."
If you're in an area like politics where discussion is
robust to say the least still "testing the waters" is
a bit slow.
"Many have already learned the hard lessons of how bloggers can complicate things
for a national figure such as Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., or even take
down a once-promising politician such as former Sen. George Allen,
R-Va., who saw his hopes for a presidential run dashed by the so-called
Macaca video
that made its viral rounds of the web. But they also are learning that
bloggers and online activists can play a crucial role in promoting each
party’s agenda on everything from the Iraq War to last year’s battle
over child health care legislation." (Image: from Pelosi office blog The Gavel)
