Governor Deval Patrick launched his first podcast today. Of the effort, Mark Bail of Granby 01033 cites Craig Sandler of State House News Service:
[P]odcasts exploit the exciting, evolving dynamic of New Media, where the go-betweens …are dispensed with, and communicators speak directly to their audience without the …bias and inaccuracy of media filters.
But at the same time, podcasts are extremely Web 1.0, in that they use the old one-way model of communication. …Web 2.0 is about exploring the possibilities of allowing everyone to join in—which, let us just add here, is the premise behind Democracy 0.0.
That’s why the truly eye-catching part of Patrick’s speech [this week] was the section in which he suggested his administration will soon begin a true blog, in which he and other administrators share their thinking and experiences in office, and citizens are invite to respond, suggest, debate. That idea is just as fraught with uncertainty, complexity and promise as the rest of the infinite Internet.
While the content of the podcast itself does not tell us anything we may not already have known from media reports, I think the offering is a wise step toward connecting people with their government, Web 2.0 or not. Just being able to subscribe to the podcast is an innovation.
Patrick’s administration has posted a new Web page offering sections like "Civic Engagement" and "Interactive Media Center." His podcast is streamed from a subdomain called media.mass.gov, hopefully a sign of more to come.
