Blogs

1
Blogs are there applications for statistical
agencies?

• Jessica Gardner
• Washington DC, 12 September 2006

2
What are blogs?

• Term is derived from weblog
• Online diary personal tone
• Dated entries (posts)
• Reverse chronological order
• Comments
• Links to other blogs
• Profile of the blogger
• Categories and tags

3
State of the Blogosphere (August 2006)

• 52 million blogs
• Doubling in size every six months
• 18.6 new blog posts per second
• One third of blog posts are in English
• 5.8 of Fortune 500 companies are blogging (April
  2006)

Sources State of the Blogosphere (Technorati)
(http//www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/000436.html)
Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki
(http//www.eu.socialtext.net/bizblogs/index.cgi)

4
Weblogs Cumulative March 2003 - July 2006
Source Technorati State of the Blogosphere
Report (http//www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/00043
6.html)
5
June 2006 Posts by language
Source Technorati State of the Blogosphere
Report (http//www.sifry.com/alerts/archives/00043
6.html)
6
Profile of a blogger

• 54 are under 30
• 54 are men
• 37 have a degree
• 38 are students
• 51 have been blogging for less than one year

Source Bloggers A portrait of the nations new
storytellers, Pew Internet, July 2006
(http//www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP20Bloggers20
Report20July2019202006.pdf)
7
Business applications

1. Source - use blogs as a source and filter of
   information

1. Internal blogs communicate, collaborate and
   manage knowledge

1. External blogs - communicate and build
   relationships with customers

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9
New technologies used within the BBC

• 298 bloggers blogging for 10,000 staff
• Value of blogs
• Re-establishing the authentic voice of the
  individual
• Creating an culture of knowledge sharing
• RSS for subscribing and receiving automatic
  updates
• Easy to set-up

10
Business applications

1. Source - use blogs as a source and filter of
   information
2. Internal blogs communicate, collaborate and
   manage knowledge
3. External blogs - communicate and build
   relationships with customers

11
CEO Executives General Motors http//fastlane.g
mblogs.com/ Since January 2005
12
Randy Baseler, Vice President, Marketing Boeing h
ttp//www.boeing.com/randy/ Since January 2005
13
Graduates Cadbury Schweppes http//www.cadburysch
weppes.com/ukgraduates Since September 2005
14
Lynne Featherstone British MP http//www.lynnefeat
herstone.org/blog.htm
15
Issues and challenges

• Responsible publishing
• Create a blog policy
• Managing content
• Choosing the right technology

16
Create a policy on blogging

• Whether you have a corporate blog or not
• Employees have personal blogs
• Clarify boundaries and expectations
• References
• Feedster corporate blogging policyhttp//feedster
  .blogs.com/corporate/2005/03/corporate_blogg.html
  
• Article on legal risks (August 2006)
  http//www.pcadvisor.co.uk/blogs/index.cfm?entryid
  322blogid4

17
Applications for statistical agencies

• Use blogs to communicate
• Monitor the blogosphere

18
Use blogs to communicate

• Share expertise
• Network
• Capture knowledge and conversations
• Improve relations with media
• Education programs

19
Blog about Stats Swiss Statistical
Office http//blogstats.wordpress.com/ Since
May 2006
20
Victorian Public Sector Continuous Improvement
Network (Australia) http//www.vpscin.org/
Since July 2006
21
World Bank Group Private Sector Development
Blog http//psdblog.worldbank.org/ Since
November 2005
22
Singapore National Heritage Board http//www.yest
erday.sg Since August 2005
23
Carole Brown Chair, Chicago Transport
Authority http//ctachair.blogspot.com/ Since
April 2005
24
Health Marketing Director US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention http//www.cdc.gov/healthm
arketing/blog.htm Since July 2006
25
US National Crime Prevention Council http//ncpc.
typepad.com/ Since July 2006
26
Facilities Division California Department of
Boating and Waterways http//www.dbw.ca.gov/Proje
ctBlog/
27
http//www.corporateblogging.info/europe/
28
Monitor the blogosphere

• Source of information
• Filter vast content of the web
• Find posts and comments about your products and
  services
• RSS feeds and readers make it easy to receive
  updates
• Search the blogosphere
• www.blogdigger.com
• www.technorati.com
• blogsearch.google.com

29
http//neweconomist.blogs.com/new_economist/2006/0
7/job_wars.html
30
http//blog.ddiction.com/?p1117
31
http//www.engadget.com/2006/04/04/census-bureau-t
o-use-htc-handhelds-in-2010/
32
http//www.zefamedia.co.nz/blog/2006/3/5/holding-t
he-online-census-to-account.html
33
http//connectinglibrarian.blogspot.com/2006/08/au
stralian-census.html
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Conclusions

• More than a passing fad
• Personalized, interactive communication
• Inexpensive
• Quick results
• Requires management
• Blogosphere is a source and filter information

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Thank you