The answer to this post’s title may be so obvious that you wonder why it needs writing, but Jon Worth’s idea to get a Blogging Day for greater European Parliament transparency together got me thinking beyond the knee-jerk reaction. One of the tenets of transparency is full disclosure, so this is where I point out [...]

In September last year I wondered whether 2010 would be the year when someone poisoned the well for the use of social media by the EU (here and here). In the last few weeks I’ve been mentally preparing an update post, as it didn’t really look like it was going to happen. So is the [...]

I’ve decided to be a grouch until Spring fully arrives, which is why I am going to do the unthinkable and criticise the European Citizens Initiative against poverty. Like my previous post on the first ECI, my criticism is not about the content at all – who could criticise any initiative to reduce poverty? My [...]

Last week MEP Martin Kastler (EPP-CSU) launched the first European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI). Is this a slow-motion train wreck, or the dawn of a new era of democracy? Two things immediately caught my eye when I checked out “Mum and dad belong to us on Sunday” (via @Kosmopolit via @andrewjburgess. Update: Kosmopolito blogged on this [...]

More than one social media observer has taken their time to react to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer’s statistic that “people like me” has taken a tumble. What does it mean for EU communications? For those confused by the first sentence, let me explain that for many people involved in the early days of social [...]

The story of the Mr Bean “hack” of the Spanish Presidency website got me thinking. Not the story itself, which is just an amusing diversion. But Joe Litobarski’s excellent analysis led me to compare the way the story was covered by the mainstream media and by bloggers such as himself and Julien Frisch, who first [...]

One of the topics I’ve been developing on this blog for quite some time came up at last week’s get-together organised by the Belgian IABC chapter: the need (or not) for social media guidelines for EU staff. I actually think such guidelines are needed not just for EU staff, but for everyone serious about using [...]

PR firm interns posting fake reviews about iPhone apps for their clients. Ghost blogging and tweeting by just about everyone, including thought-leaders in social media.  Bloggers not disclosing sponsorship. It’s just a matter of time before someone poisons the well for EU social media. Over the past few months I’ve integrated For Immediate Release, a [...]

Over on the Belgian IABC’s thriving ‘web2eu’ site, Philip Weiss embedded a TED video of Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody, discussing the revolutionary impact of social media (more references on the be-IABC site). It’s really so good I thought I’d repost it here and add some observations (it takes some time to load):

An analysis of participation rates in the Obama Administration’s Open Government initiative provide a refreshing reality check for us in Europe. One would think, based on some of my posts, that I was a starry-eyed idealist when it comes to the potential of online communications to improve understanding and participation in the EU by Europeans. [...]