Monday, September 19, 2005

It was a good idea while it lasted

Less than a month after it started, MetroBlogOrlando has been shut down. The blog was supposed to provide Metro Plan Orlando with a forum for public input on upcoming projects and listen to suggestions from the general public on how to better provide for the transportation needs of the area.

And it was the first blog started by a metropolitan planning organization in the country.

The MetroBlogOrlando site says that issues such as questions about Sunshine laws, liability and inappropriate comments put an end to the blog for “the foreseeable future.” The unofficial word is that the blog was shut down because Metro Plan’s Board of Directors was unhappy with malicious comments and personal attacks against political leaders. There’s also talk that the reason was overwhelming negative response to commuter rail.

Whatever the reason, it’s too bad. Blogs can be a great tool for public involvement and communication.

5 Comments:

At 7:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks, Jacqueline. We thought it was a good idea, too. We're disappointed. Hopefully, one day we'll be able to get it back up and running. Thanks for your support and comments.

Jennifer Wakefield
http://www.metroplanorlando.com

 
At 7:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 8:05 PM, Blogger Jacqueline Dowd said...

I remove only spam comments. You can agree or disagree and I won't delete it.

Jackie

 
At 11:13 AM, Blogger Jacqueline Dowd said...

I hope so, too. The explanation they gave was kinda cryptic, so I'm not really sure what the perceived problem was.

 
At 2:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jacqueline, thank you for your support. I am very disappointed by this. I thought it was a great way to engage citizens in transportation planning. Unfortunately, not everyone was ready for it.

 

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