Tech savvy?
Nearly 30 members of the House and the Senate have blogs on their official Web sites, but for about half of them, you’d never know it.
It turns out that only about 15 actually update them on a regular basis, i.e. at least once a week. Others post to their blogs far less frequently — as rarely as once every several months.
Rep. Jim Walsh’s, R-N.Y., blog, called “Jim’s Journal,” hasn’t been updated since May 7. Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who is running for president, has posted to his blog only three times this year, the last being on May 16. Among his Senate colleagues, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has updated “Dianne’s Journal” only once since she launched it in March; Pat Roberts, R-Kan., has updated “Roberts’ Journal” only once in June; and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., hasn’t touched his own “Jim’s Journal” since Feb. 13. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., hasn’t updated “Sam’s Blog” since Jan. 7, but that’s because he posts only when he travels abroad.
Ryan Thompson, Inhofe’s press secretary, says his boss is still getting the hang of blogging. He said, “It’s a new Web site, and he’s just getting used to it, but it will be updated more often.”
But typically, blogs are staff-written and staff-driven. Travis Windle, press secretary for Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., whose blog has not been updated since Feb. 2, said, “A staffer maintains the blog. I myself do most of the writing. We just had a turnover of staff. It probably should be more of a priority.”
