Aim
This is a non-partisan blog aiming to analyse and centralise information circulating about the role and impact of blogs on corporate and political communication.

Blogs have been embraced as a PR tool both by the corporate and political sectors for quite a while now. The Blog Campaigning website will function as a collaborative forum for discussions and exchange of information on how politicians, organizations and corporations can integrate blogs as a tool in their overall communication strategy.

As the research on the topic to date is fairly limited, BlogCampingning will aim to analyze how effective blogs and other emerging forms of social media are as a communication tool and examine how the medium can impact public opinion and social behavior.

Objectives
The blog will aim to inform people about the latest studies, reports, news articles and blog-posts discussing the role of blogs and social media in political, public relations and marketing campaigns.

It will offer knowledge and ideas for Public Relations, Political strategists and Marketing advisors who consider using blogs as a communication tool as a part of a campaign, as well as offering analytic views on the topic in a balanced way.

We will work to make this blog a hub for people that are interested in discussing and learning more about online communication in the 21st century.

History
BlogCampaigning was originally started as a part of a research project by Espen Skoland in August 2006, designed to create an understanding of how electioneering via blogs can impact political campaigns and influence peoples voting behaviour.

The blog and the topic attracted further attention from Espen’s colleagues at Griffith University, Parker Mason and Jens Schroder, who joined the project and broadened the blog’s focus to look at the use and effects of social media tools on the Public Relations industry and society in general.

Achievements
Blog Campaigning will be mentioned in Dave Meerman’s soon to be released book: The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.

Blog Campaigning: The Thesis
Espen submitted his Blog Campaigning thesis focusing on the use of blogs in political campaigns as a part his degree; Master of Arts with Honours in Journalism and Mass Communication, at Griffith University June 1, 2007. The thesis is now available for download as a pdf here: Blog_Campaigning.pdf, and can also be read in a series of posts on this blog. To read the thesis as posts, follow this link: Blog Campaigning thesis: prologue.