In a potentially cool development, Verizon has launched a policy blog. More surprisingly, at first blush it doesn’t seem like a pathetic corporate attempt to shovel lobbying or PR materials at non-existent readers. It’s called PoliBlog and in the first posting, Verizon honcho and former Congressman from Iowa Tom Tauke explains why Verizon has taken to blogging.
Before I get hit with a blogswarm, I want you to know that we understand that the blogosphere is naturally dubious of a blog with a corporate pedigree. While this may seem a bit counterintuitive, PoliBlog is not intended as a “corporate” blog. Instead, it is our effort to find a place in the universal town square. We are players in the communications and broadband worlds. What we do or don’t do has real impact. So we think we should offer our perspectives and positions on issues and subject them to scrutiny, comment, and debate. It’s good for us. And it’s healthy for the policymaking process.
Now, it’s entirely possible that Verizon is being slicker-than-slick by saying “we’re not a typical, biased corporate blog” and by not barging out the door and banging all of us on the head with a bunch of one-way arguments on, say, net neutrality or video franchising. It’s possible that the telco has a devious master plan to pass off PoliBlog as a more or less legitimate blog, albeit a corporate-backed one, in order to lure people in…only to mess with our heads or spew forth lobbying or PR materials later.
If Verizon doesn’t give in to this putative master plan, however, kudos to the telco for at least trying to join the conversation. It’s time that big telecom and media companies explain themselves in a more open, enlightened way and a blog like PoliBlog is a good place to start…so long as Verizon keeps the spin to a minimum.
Cynthia Brumfield at 5:47 PM|Comments(0)
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