Blogs have become a regular source of information in this age of new media, and the governor of Tennessee has taken notice. Gov. Phil Bredesen now receives a weekly round up of Tennessee topics from the blogosphere, dubbed his ‘New Media Hotsheet’.

Bredesen believes that bloggers’ (often opinionated) pieces offer another dimension by which to gauge public sentiment on issues. The acknowledgement of blogs as an important information source is a great step for the Governor to take.

But only once a week? Those of us who religiously check our favorite blog readers and blogrolls know that a lot can be covered over one day in the blogosphere, much less an entire week.

Good job to the Governor on recognizing the growing influence of blogs, but he should understand their rapid fire approach to news, and it’s hard to cover that if you only check in one day a week.

Seth Godin inspires my upmost respect as a marketing thinker. So it’s been interesting to watch him turn his attention to politics lately. But when he tried to refute legendary former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, I had to take another look.

In a recent post about an intensive online grassroots lobbying effort in Canada, Godin included this line: “Because as readership grows and issues start attracting loyal readers, what this proves is that Tip O’Neill was wrong. All politics isn’t local. All politics is about permission.”

While that may be a complementary statement to O’Neill’s timeless observation, it certainly doens’t refute the former Speaker.

Online political activism has not replaced local politics, but merely redefined what is local. On Facebook, you can have friends all over the world, but you can reach them quickly through one message, wall post, or group invite. Likewise, you can walk across the street and ask your neighbor to sign a petition or discuss your favorite candidates with a fellow church-goer.

Both sets of friends are your “local.”

O’Neill’s lasting legacy is the recognition that we learn, communicate, and act in a political context with that which is familiar. Godin’s attempt to replace this veritable law of political activism with the new media jargon of “permission” is inaccurate.

Do we give permission to candidates to communicate with us the minute we turn on our TV in the instance we might see a political ad? Except for a very few political junkies most people do not turn on their TV to watch political or any other sorts of ads. They tune in to watch the programs which those ads support.

Reading a blog or joining a Facebook group carries that same sort of coincidental permission. I’m on Facebook, and I’m friends with Jim. So when Jim sends me a Causes invite, I’m likely to join even if I don’t necessarily care about the Cause. Jim may also knock on my door and ask me to sign a petition or donate to his favorite candidate. I am influenced by Jim not because I gave him permission but because he is part of my “local.”

And a word of caution to those who think online activism is the new political silver bullet: just ask former presidential candidate Howard Dean how he fared in Iowa without a traditional, local ground game. It was a disaster.

So while Mr. Godin may think he sees “the new politics” the reality is that new technologies have not altered the fundamental way we react to political influencers, even if they have exploded the potential size of our sphere of influence. I hope that as he continues to look at politics through his marketing lens, he’ll try harder to bring the same thoughtful, eye-opening ideas to this industry as he has to so many others.

Last Wednesday (11/7/07), we put a post on Notes from Flat Creek discussing the continuing decline of print newspaper subscriptions, while internet usage and broadband subscriptions are on the rise. This shifting trend might not leave out the newspapers, though. CNET’s News.com is reporting that the online readership for newspapers, and their online subscription numbers, are climbing. The technology news website reports that the number of people visiting U.S. newspaper web sites rose 3.7 percent, over the same period last year, during the third quarter. Translated into total numbers, this increase means more than 59 million people, 37.1 percent of all active internet users, visited a newspaper website in the third quarter.

Maybe this is why Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of The New York Times isn’t worried about declining print subscriptions:

“I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care, either,” he says.

Don’t misunderstand him, though. He knows that the Times’ readership is moving to the internet, and he is preparing his paper for the change. Citing the merging of the venerable newspaper’s print and online news desks, and development of online media readers, Sulzberger is leading his empire into the internet age. It is a sign of changing times when barons of printed news respond to a shift in the communications industry.

Communication is becoming increasingly digital. Make sure your message is not going to be left behind in the newsprint world.

Today Flat Creek launched www.nvgopcaucus.com, an information resource from the Nevada Republican Party that will provide Nevadans resources, news and details about the GOP Presidential Caucus taking place on January 19, 2008.

Full details are in our press release, found here.

The Washington Post today has an article on the impact of the Internet on the 2008 presidential campaign. In short: for good and bad, it is having a huge impact.

In many ways, the Web is more effective than television advertising and direct mail, the traditional methods campaigns and independent groups have used to try to define their opponents, political analysts say. It’s cheaper, and it spreads information more quickly. But so far, anyway, its potential for affecting a presidential campaign is relatively untested.

At Flat Creek, we recognize that the Web isn’t the only tool that should be used by a campaign, but it is a powerful tool that should be given more respect. With numbers like the ones we pointed to yesterday, we have to ask a simple question - are you paying attention?

On Monday (11/5/07) the Rocky Mountain News ran a story that announced the declining subscription numbers of their paper, as well as sister publication, the Denver Post.

This is further evidence of shifting trends in communications. Print subscriptions are declining, while internet usage and broadband subscriptions are on the rise. These rising numbers have important meaning to communicators who want to reach the masses with their message.

Attention has to be paid to digital communication. Take advantage of this digital rise by incorporating a blog or RSS feed into your website. People want to be communicated with when it is convenient for them, and tools like blog readers allow them to do that. In our world, news presses only run once a day, but the internet is always on. Stay ahead of the game and take advantage of digital communication.

It’s okay, we understand. In a billable, 80-hour work week world, redesigning your website is not a top priority.

We know you want to refresh the look of your website, but it’s an easy project to push to the bottom of your to-do list.

So as our holiday gift to you, Flat Creek is offering a deal with a deadline - a brand new, custom website suited for you and your audiences by December 31, 2007.

Gear up for a campaign year. Reach out to new clients. Enhance content for donors. Whatever your organization does, with a new, compelling, and interactive website from Flat Creek, you can do it better.

Contact us today to get started. To get your site done by December 31, we’ll need to get started by December 1. First come first serve.

Kick off the New Year with a new website from Flat Creek. It’s a great project to check off your list.

A recap of recent blog posts and news from the digital marketing agency Flat Creek.

When it comes to atypical, insightful management advice, I typically turn to Jim Collins. But for a marketing guy, what Seth Godin serves up is crystal clear. In an information economy and especially in a creative industry, is there possibly a more important asset than our people?

“As soon as management starts conflating people with tasks, they’ve  guaranteed that the organization is going to get stuck. Probably soon. A better plan: rotate your people and continually reward and promote and challenge them. Make a big deal when someone makes the case for shutting down her task. Make it really clear through your actions that tasks come and go, but good people stay.”

Just a quick tidbit with a profound quote all professionals should consider:

“The natural state of communication is misunderstanding.”

The quote is from Larry Wilson and the hat tip goes to Kevin Stirtz, who has more context on AllBusiness.com.