Rep. Boozman Unveils New Blog

Rep. Boozman Unveils New Blog
Arkansas Congressman one of only a handful of Congressional offices to embrace new technology

Washington, Jul 22 - U.S. Representative John Boozman's (R-AR) award-winning website just improved with the inclusion of a new blog feature. The blog will allow Boozman to continue to reach out to his constituents via the internet and feature his commentary on Arkansas and Washington, D.C. news.

"I look at my web site as an extension of my office," said Boozman. "Therefore, my commitment is to provide my constituents with as much information as I can. The blog gives me the ability to express my thoughts on issues of importance to them."

A link to Boozman's blog appears at the bottom of his homepage at www.boozman.house.gov.

In recent years, blogs (also called weblogs) have become increasingly popular as people have turned to them as news sources. Boozman plans to use his blog to post commentary on everything from Arkansas and national news to summaries of committee hearings and his official travel.

Boozman intends to update his blog regularly, saying he "hopes to post at least once a day if not more."

"More and more Arkansans are going online to get their information," Boozman said. "The blog will help me reach out to those constituents with regular posts commentating on news in Arkansas and Washington, D.C."

Only a handful of lawmakers have established blogs on their Congressional websites making Boozman one of the first to embrace the new technology. The blog will enhance Boozman's website which has already reaped praise from experts in the field.

In 2003, Boozman's website was identified in a non-partisan, independent study as having one of the best websites in Congress. The site received a Congress Online Gold Mouse Award from the Congress Online Project, a joint research project of the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and the George Washington University, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

In 2004, Boozman's website was awarded a Pollie Award by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) who gave his congressional website first place overall in the House of Representatives category. AAPC, the world's largest organization of political and public affairs professionals, holds their Pollie Awards Ceremony every year to recognize the best media in political and public affairs.

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=30926