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Islington Tribune - by RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 23 January 2009

Council leader James Kempton’s blog that died

Too few hits so leader gives diary a miss

Politician accused of ‘not trying very hard’ after abandoning blog launched with fanfare

IT may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but council leader James Kempton’s first foray into online blogging has died a dismal death.
Councillor Kempton’s internet diary was launched with much fanfare and a glowing Town Hall press release in November 2007.
But only three months later – after just 12 entries and a disappointing number of hits – it was abandoned. And just weeks ago it mysteriously disappeared into the ether.
Cllr Kempton has now been accused by one of the country’s leading political bloggers of “not trying very hard”.
Tim McLoughlin – named by historian Tristram Hunt as one of the 10 cleverest men in Britain in an article for Arena magazine last year – believes Cllr Kempton should have taken advice from his own councillors, whose blogs have become celebrated successes.
Mr McLoughlin, a PR consultant from Highbury, whose political blog – timmymc.blogs
pot.com – has led to invitations to appear on radio, said: “To me it looked the same sort of thing you get in a council newspaper through the door. It wasn’t that interesting.
“It takes time to get people to listen and read it. They needed to spend time on it. There’s plenty of examples of his own colleagues who’ve been successful. I just think he didn’t try very hard.”
He added: “Leaders should be encouraged to write blogs. A lot of the time it’s not about the hits. You get important people reading it and it becomes very useful.”
Cllr Kempton’s last entry was a belated New Year message, dated January 10, 2008, which remained online for most of last year.
The Tribune has tracked down the last-known version of the page, which begins with an introductory promise from Cllr Kempton: “Every day I have the opportunity to do things that make a real difference to our borough, and I want to share some of them with you through this diary.”
Cllr Kempton explained this week why he gave up the online diary. “It got so few hits I decided not to do it anymore,” he said.
“We ran it for a trial period and it didn’t seem to be worth the effort of maintaining it.
“I don’t think people are bothered about knowing day by day what the leader of the council is doing. They are more interested in what we’re achieving so now instead we’re giving me a column in [council magazine] Islington Now.
“I do keep up my Facebook page so if anyone wants to know what I’m up to they are welcome to be my friend. It’s better than an online diary.”
Other Islington councillors appear to have had more success with their blogs.
Rebel Lib Dem councillor Andrew Cornwell regularly updates his cyclingcouncillor.com
page, Lib Dem councillor Meral Ece’s page was last updated on January 5 and Labour councillor Martin Klute has a regularly updated blog.
Lib Dem prospective parliamentary candidate Bridget Fox’s blog has led to a column in the Guardian newspaper.

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