Blogging the in-thing for politicians

NST - It was once considered "rubbish, a waste of time and anti-government", but recent changes in the political landscape have catalysed many politicians -- the same ones who once shunned the blogosphere -- to jump on the blogging bandwagon.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's statement that one of the reasons Barisan Nasional did badly at the 12th general election was due to the coalition losing the "online war", has prompted the rush into blogging.

Barisan Nasional Youth is leading the charge into the blogosphere.

Political blogs are mushrooming wildly but without clear direction. A browse through the Internet by the New Straits Times revealed many of the politicians' blogs to be just 'cut and paste' jobs of news reports featuring the blogger in question.

Many blogs have also not been updated since March 8, when the election results were announced.
Many industry experts feel that the politicians-turned-bloggers "have got it wrong completely because it is the message and not the medium" that they should be focused on.

"The leaders should look into the content, the messages, and not the blogs," said Centre for Independent Journalism executive director V. Gayathry. more...