BBC: Blogging trickle may soon flood
The perception of bloggers - almost always unfair - is that they are sad people sitting in their underwear rooted in front of a computer all day writing about how much worse their fungal nail infection is getting to an audience of three friends.
However, a number of Northern Ireland's politicians have been getting in on the act, with the blogging rather than the infection.
Further:
North Down Alliance Councillor Ian J Parsley is one of the few elected NI politicos venturing into the world wide web's diary, not on a mission to convert, but to explain.
"It is more of a narrative about what it is like to be a local, elected representative, a lot of people are not aware that it is unpaid," he said of his blog.
He said that blogging was something younger politicians should examine as a way of explaining what they do to their electorate.
Steering clear of too much politics is a key, turning a blog into a press release archive is unlikely to enhance its appeal to readers.
While planning issues in North Down and meetings of the local Alliance Association get a run out on Mr Parsley's blog, so does political humour.
But whether the DUP's Big Ian Paisley should join Ian Parsley in cyberdebate is a different matter.
Mr Parsely said blogging is probably not the right path for more senior party members.
"They should speak through the party," he added.
Judgement should always be used. A poorly thought-out comment may return to haunt the unsuspecting politician.
"You need to be watchful, but then again, it can be something you can reference back to later," Mr Parsley said.
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