Where are all the female bloggers?
Wow! I've been ranked as the joint first female in Nich Starling's list of top 100 Lib Dem bloggers, alongside the venerable Lynne Featherstone MP. We're both at number 22, but there are very few other women in the list. Of course it's not Nich's fault - where are the other women?
Something similar happened over at Stephen Tall's list, where Lynne quite properly beats me this time. Again, there are only a handful of women amongst the 100 bloggers.
Both Nich and Stephen were asked to do an analysis of Lib Dem blogs by the Conservative Iain Dale, who is probably the most read political blogger in the UK. Iain wrote a comprehensive Guide to Political Blogging in the UK last year and has recruited others to help him compile the lists this year. It has hardly been a secret process, though I'm not sure that this merits the confidentiality of the Booker prize.
So why are there so few women bloggers, especially in the political realm? I've spent the last couple of years encouraging councillors to use this medium to communicate with their electorate. The National Project for Local eDemocracy set up ReadMyDay precisely for that reason, though I'm not too bothered which blogging platform people use. But even on ReadMyDay the gender balance is not - well - balanced.
A bias towards male bloggers may have been reflected in the early adopters, but we are long past the point when blogging was only taken up by the geeks - if you can write an email then you can blog.
I had some reservations myself before I began on Jan 1st 2005; for a start it did seem rather self-indulgent. But the truth soon revealed itself - a blog is a means of communication and a form of journalism, not a personal diary. I write almost exclusively for people who live in my ward (Chessington North and Hook), or in my Neighbourhood (South of the Borough) or in the Borough (Kingston upon Thames). In fact, this is a rare entry directed at women anywhere who are interested in politics, whether local or national.
Although not many comments are left on my blog, most days I meet people who tell me they have read it. I get between 6000 and 9000 visits per month, and those figures exclude search engine spiders. Of course, a number of these are repeat visitors, and they include my friends and relations who don't live in Kingston, but it still represents a sizable number of people from around here.
I've developed some simple rules about blogging for politicians:
1. Always express your own voice, not some corporate view.
2. Never write anything that you would not be happy saying in a public meeting.
3. Always moderate comments.
4. Don't be afraid of humour and personal stories.
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I am an avid reader of all blogs, but would I blog myself? Probably no - why? maybe because I feel I would touch on more feminine subjects, maybe because I feel this is male dominated 'sport', but mainly because between delivery, recruiting, being a councillor and raising my family I really don't have time - but I have been tempted!
Susan
On the question of time, it is a matter of effective use - I'd have to deliver an awful lot of leaflets to match the readership of my blog.
Give it a try!
And Nich - you speak the deep truths of life..... can't stop, just off to deliver some Focuses.
I might just give it a go, no idea where to start though!
Susan
You're welcome to register with ReadMyDay. Just click on the logo at the top left of this page.
Use the Contact Me link to get in touch if you'd like any help.
As a councillor, you are right that you have to be careful about what you cover - but I am often surprised by the number of local people I meet who have chanced upon my blog locally. I've met loads of people in the party through my blog.
That said - I have a young family to care for and a big pile of focuses to deliver so perhaps won't be blogging with the same frequency for the next week or so!
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