Archive
Year: 2007
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The magnificent 7 of EU Tech Blogs
November 5, 2007
We have been a little quiet on the blogging front in the last few weeks as we have a quite a few projects on the boil at present. Thankfully, some of these projects involve using some of the tactics and tools we have been discussing here in recent months and weeks. After we have finished the said projects, we hope to be able to share the non-confidential parts of what has been keeping us away...
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Commissioner Dimas to participate in Blog Action Day
October 12, 2007
The Commission announced today in a press release that the latest Commissioner to join the blogging trend, the Greek Commissioner Stavros Dimas, will be joining bloggers the world over in blogging for the environment on Monday October 15th. You can join Stavros in a live chat on his blog between 2-5pm CET on Monday in English, French, German and of course Greek. The blog action day asks bloggers in any field to make an environmentally...
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PES launch online manifesto debate for 2009
October 10, 2007
The Party of European Socialists are proudly trumpeting the fact that they will be the first European party to develop their manifesto through an open dialogue using web-based tools. Their manifesto website features blogs, buttons, video, photos using flickr and links to events. Party activists can register to get involved both online and offline. Party leader, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, features in the opening teaser YouTube video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNm1EdBbIQ] No doubt the PES hope that these activities...
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Should public opinion play a greater role in EU policymaking?
October 10, 2007
Last week saw two developments in the European Commisson's Communications activities. Firstly, Commissioner Dimas joined the blogosphere. Secondly, Commissioner Wallstrom produced the latest in a series of policy documents about the way in which the Commission and indeed the Union communicates to the outside world. Both developments have much to commend them. Margot's document has a lot of good things in it. Amongst the suggestions are more cooperation between the different institutions, a greater focus...
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Providing new energy for EU policy debates
October 1, 2007
Will blogs on EU politics and policy always simply reflect legislative debates or will they at some point come to drive them? Certainly, evidence from the US has shown that impact bloggers can have on the policymaking process. Will we ever move to a similar state of affairs here in Brussels? Certainly, the low level of party politics coupled with the issue focus of Brussels would suggest more rather than less room for informed commentators...
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Burma and the net
September 28, 2007
Are we witnessing a digital revolution in Burma? Clearly the bravery of those protesting and risking their lives to press for an end to the rule of the junta in Burma is the driving force and necessary condition for change in Burma. As recent history teaches us, democracy can seldom be forced on a country by external actors. It has to grasped by those in the country, if democracy is to be more than an...
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EU Top of the Pops
September 24, 2007
A week or so ago we did a round up of the institutions, parties and MEPs we had found surfing the EUtube. We also mentioned a site we had come across called TubeMogul, which allows you to compile and contrast traffic to videos on YouTube and 8 other video sharing platforms. Well a week on we thought we'd share some of the graphs that the tool can create for you. It's free of charge at...
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The summer may be over but Italy continues to shout Vaffa
September 18, 2007
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OakgK8R0GQ] In the early summer we mentioned Italian comic turned online political activist Beppe Grillo and his efforts to gather the signatures needed to introduce a popular law in Italy. From all the attention he has been getting in recent days in the Italian media, it seems Beppe is causing a few sleepless nights for the elected politicians as he continues his campaign to rock the political establishment of the country. Especially as it has...
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Big Friday: surfing the eutube
September 14, 2007
It has been a while since we looked at the YouTube activities of our elected and non-elected officials here in Brussels. As its Friday, we thought we do a round robin of the EU actors we have come across with audiovisual content on YouTube. If you know of more, please do let us know. EU Institutions European Commission - sweaty from the sex sells success, they still lead the way in populating the web with...
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Why it is better that public affairs is public
September 7, 2007
Amidst the continuing discussions over transparency here in Brussels, a blog entry on the advocacy activities of eBay on the European Parliament Blog reminds us that whatever position an organisation advocates towards policymakers, they should be prepared for it to become public. Brussels is, so the cliche goes, a small town. You'd be amazed how willing people are to talk about who is saying what on any given issue. Its part of the unwritten rules...