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Blogs finally catch attention
of government

How do you know a fad is more than just a passing fancy? When the government gets involved. A couple of weeks ago, the Federal Election Commission announced it was considering imposing rules on blogs that would require disclosure if a blogger receives political funding.

By now, most folks know that blogs, short for Web logs, are Web sites that allow its author, or blogger, to post his or her thoughts on just about any subject. The vast majority of blogs are full of inanities that no one really cares about. But since there are nearly 10 million blogs on the Web (with nearly 50,000 new blogs started each day!), some of them are actually quite good.

The first noteworthy blog with wide appeal was purportedly authored by an Iraqi citizen at the start of the war in 2003. Blogs really took off in last year's presidential election, breaking stories on the forged Bush papers, for example. Since then, overall blog readership has declined somewhat. Blogs based on politics, however, are still the most popular type out there.

Why has blogging become so popular? For one, it's simple. You don't need a lot of technical skills to get a blog going. Some blog sites allow you to simply e-mail in your update and it is automatically posted.

It's also cheap. Free public blog sites include Google's Blogger (www.blogger.com) and MSN Spaces (spaces.msn.com). If you have a computer and Internet access, you too can be a blogger.

Another reason for the popularity of blogs is the ability to remain relatively anonymous on the Internet. Sure, there are ways to determine the identity of the blogger, but not many folks can actually do that. This anonymity allows bloggers to post just about anything he or she wants with impunity.

Businesses and corporations are starting to take advantage of the blogging craze as well. At GM, a company typically known for its stodginess, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently came out with a blog of his own. In this blog, Lutz and other GM executives extol the virtues of their cars and trucks. They also take the time to respond to consumer complaints and suggestions, often very candidly.

Other businesses prefer to disseminate information via anonymous blogs. While this may seem a little sneaky, proponents of this practice claim that it promotes frank and honest discussion.

Of course, blogs also present a danger to some businesses. Company secrets can be easily leaked via employee blogs. A few months ago, Google fired one of its employees, not for leaking company secrets, but complaining about company practices. Many companies now updating their employee handbooks to deal with blogs.

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