The phantom of democracy

The blogosphere doesn't 'do' decisions - even if politicians choose to draw on blogger-led insights, it is still their own judgment that counts in the end.

Nancy Pelosi’s Syrian adventure

Conor Clarke: The sight of Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi visiting Syria and wearing a headscarf has driven Republicans to fury - and to folly.

Logging off

Robert Worcester: The growth of the internet has slowed dramatically. To reach voters MPs need to go beyond blogging and get back on the campaign trail.

A forum of wishful thinking

Ben Hammersley: The web became one of the buzzwords at Davos, but many of the leaders who attended were quietly panicking about it.

Around the world in 80 blogs

Taking a gap year later in life has its advantages - like having the wherewithal to keep an online journal actually worth reading. Meet Phileas Blog ...

A sign of things to come

David Cameron: The Conservative party is launching a new internet initiative because politicians urgently need to find new ways of engaging with the public.

How to save the world: don’t ask bloggers

Ros Taylor: David Miliband is nothing if not earnest. Like a comprehensive teacher who knows he can make a difference, the environment secretary is not afraid of places where other ministers fear to tread.

John Prescott gets blogged down

Matt Wells: John Humphrys' interview with the deputy prime minister this morning was a masterclass in political interviewing.

The future is in South Korea

This is a good story -- I wrote it myself five years ago, and probably wasn't the first -- so I found the up-to-date version in Business 2.0 particularly interesting, especially in its focus on Cyworld. (It didn't take off until SK Telecom bought in 2003, a year after I was there, but we've covered email and Cyworld since then.)

Where comment is not free

Brian Whitaker: Growing numbers of cyber-dissidents imprisoned round the world need an organisation specifically to defend bloggers' rights.