GLAAD’s Justin Cole has some good advice for how local politicians and organizations should interact with state blogs. I’m embedding Part 2, because it’s more relevant, but click the link to watch the whole thing.
The gist of it? Don’t fear bloggers, call them up and invite them over for coffee. This is doubly true for local issue-based organizations. There are lots of agendas that we can work together on, being far more effective, but that only happens when organizations recognize that bloggers bring a lot to the table and can be a great asset, thus deciding to form that relationship. (Watching Part 1 of that interview has more on how blogs can impact stories.)
So if anyone who represents interests from housing to glbt to education to health care – and you want the blogosphere’s involvement and energy – make a personal contact. Bloggers are much more likely to write about your issues if they know what your issues are, and they’re much more likely to open up your emails if they know who you are.
The bulk of this also appears at RyansTake.net.
