The Wardman Wire

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I’m not going to cover the pre-Budget Report in detail (although somebody else on the team might do so).

Instead I’m noting what I think is a significant development in the BBC approach - that of linking out systematically to Political Blogs, which are not all particularly well-known bloggers, either. For the BBC, this approach can add interest in what is a long session. There are links to around a dozen bloggers.

Also, the links are direct links which pass Google-juice, a practice that had been noted as missing on the BBC website recently. This is crucial for blogs to gain exposure.

The things missing from here are Northern Irish and Scottish blogs, and a Lib Dem MP, but the Lib Dems had an extra blogger linked.

A couple of mistakes. Twitter links should be to the individual message, as should blog links - and they quoted a paragraph from Richard Kelly including an inaccuracy.

Overall - probably 7 out of 10 in my view for this Live Blog. Not bad at all. I’ve listed all the blog links below the fold.

“Unfortunately the 2 groups with most airtime at the moment are Christian Voice (enough said) and the National Secular Society (who want everyone to think that all Christians are like Christian Voice).”

David Keen

A day after writing a piece about the Slugger Awards celebrating blogs as a tool for creating a greater involvement in politics by ordinary people, I have run across an example that is in the opposite direction.

There will be a debate about the value of political blogging organised by the Bevan Foundation in the Senedd on Tuesday 21st October:

To Blog or Not to Blog?

6.00pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday 21st October 2008

Conference Rooms C&D, Ty Hywel, National Assembly for Wales

You are invited to attend a debate on the value of political blogging.

Speakers are Peter Black AM and Betsan Powys, Political Editor of BBC Wales, and Eleanor Burnham AM and Annabelle Harle from the Electoral Reform Society. In the Chair is Victoria Winckler, Director of the Bevan Foundation

This event is being held in the Assembly with the support of Peter Black AM. Refreshments are provided with the support of Positif Politics.

I think that that list of names for this debate, comprising two professional politicians, a specialist in the political process and a big media journalist completely misses the point. It is also a symbol that the most important aspect of political blogging - the potential for engagement in the political convesation by those who would not do it otherwise - has not yet been absorbed by the political and media establishments.

Iain Dale posted last weekend that the Conservative Party were planning to launch a big new group blog.

This post is the first of several reflecting on blog strategy for political parties, using the new Conservative project as a thought experiment. In this first article I look at the pros and cons of launching a single group blog, and whether a more diverse strategy may be a better option as a way of encouraging multiple conversation points between the Conservatives and the public.

Yesterday I promised further first impressions of the new Total Politics website. Instead I have done a more detailed review. I have not seen a copy of the magazine yet, but I am likely to be a regular reader on the website so I’ve approached the review from this angle. This is a long piece, and I’ve reproduced my conclusions at the top.

Total Summary

Let’s not beat about the bush: I like it and I will read it, and in some ways Total Politics will be a unique resource - editorially and for some months at least until somebody else catches up with the resource centre.

With adjustments to the screen colours, I’d say it’s at about 80% of where a mature version of the site should be - very good indeed for a first day launch of a complex new website built from scratch. Throw in the site adjustments I’ve highlighted, and I’d take that up to about 85%.

Is it as a viable proposition and a viable business? I don’t know - look in 18 months time to see if it is still here and in what form.

What needs to be right for success? All the usual things - delivery on time, good writing, facts correct and all the other attributes that create a good editorial reputation.

The longer term future of the site will depend on the “free magazine for elected politicians” business model proving profitable, and the website a volume and mixture of traffic to promote the areas of the business which will generate cashflow.

The new Total Politics magazine has just launched their new website www.totalpolitics.com.

My very first impressions are that there are a lot of interesting features there, including a local politics blog - which is something British Politics is crying out for a least a year.