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The Creation (of a new paradigm for EP communication)
In the beginning was a word, and this word was from our Secretary General, and this word was the Secretary General. And the word was: “let there be light on the political side of the Parliament”.
All is revealed: the 15 shows in the Christmas video.
Our latest Christmas video, as afficionados of this blog, and indeed many others, know, is based on the title sequences of 15 well-known TV shows. Well-known? Well, yes. But so far, no-one has been able to recognise them all, with age and nationality playing a clear role in determining which ones are familiar and which [...]
Togo or not Togo…
This is a blog post I was supposed to write some time ago… But somehow I couldn't find the time to do it last week. Now I sit comfortably in my chair in lovely Strasbourg (yes, it's plenary once again), watching the Christmas market under the snow outside (or almost) and I can remember those [...]
Four gurus and six ideas to improve our web presence
With some other colleagues dealing with social media and the Parliament web presence, we went for a two-days trip to Paris to meet some geeks. Or, to be more precise, to meet web experts, public institutions webteams and web-journalists. A highly valuable school trip which gave some ideas about how we could further improve the [...]
MEP Awards 2011: who’s winning what?
A number of MEPs will be rewarded for their achievements over the past year during the 7th annual MEP Awards which takes place on 29 November at the Stanhope hotel in Brussels. The awards, hosted by The Parliament Magazine, consist of 17 different categories with three candidates shortlisted for each category. [...]
Tunisia 2.0: reporting back from refugee camps at the Tunisian-Libyan border
I went to Tunisia this summer and this experience may be worth a blog… You may think I just went there for nice, relaxed holidays on the seaside in a 5-stars resort. You may also wonder about the choice of this destination provided the recent events and the instability in the region…
Love your geeks, love me
“Love your geeks!” So we have been told. We could not do what we do without them. We could not progress without them. It is they, not us, who come up with the ideas which take the internet forwards. But should this love for our geeks extend to letting them loose on the blog? Read on, if you dare.
About the importance of being “outside”
Yes, I’m an insider, explaining the European Parliament from the inside. And yes, I do believe in the power people outside the institution can have. They may need us but, for sure, we need them as well.
The day I called 112
11 February is the European day of the 112, the emergency number that is working all over Europe. Because yes, accidents do not always happen to others and they also do not always happen in your home country… Let me tell you the experience I did with the 112, two or three years ago. Believe me, you should spread the word about this number!
The true twitter revolution
“the web can be killed, it has now been proven, yet the revolution seems to be continuing regardless…”
Strikes everywhere – also on our Facebook page?
What’s going on? France is on strike, Belgium was on strike, but also Facebook was on strike during this plenary week. Was there a way to predict that in advance? And do you have any explanations for that?
Is it about money, privacy settings or democracy?
I also belong to the lucky ones, as my colleague Evita said, who went to Barcelona for the Personal Democracy Forum one week ago. Steve already wrote about this event, the sense it makes for us to be present there, the creative atmosphere there was etc. I don’t want to repeat what has already been said, but just to share the schizophrenic dimension in which we work on Facebook.
Politics as a game
How is it to work in the European Parliament? I can experience it every day as a civil servant, but I’m pretty sure I will never do it as an MEP… Nevertheless, it’s now possible online! I found an online game organized by the Schuman foundation which proposes not only to be spectator of what happens in the hemicycle but to be a real actor defending his/her own opinions.
Some lessons learned with our (founding) father Jean Monnet
I read Jean Monnet’s memoirs during the summer… That could seem to be boring but his reflexions are still very accurate regarding the sens of the European integration and how we should process to get out of the crisis Europe is facing since years. Here are a few quotes which can be the starting point of more extensive reflexions.
Facebook: 4 reasons to hope and 7 reasons to keep going
Last Tuesday, we had a very interesting meeting with Richard Allan, the Facebook European boss for what is related to politics. I picked up some facts and statistics to give an overview of where we stand in the Facebook-galaxy.
The second creation
Up to now, there was only one Creation. From now on there are two
Do you check Facebook during your “intimate moments”?
Everyone’s talking about social media (including us). We are generally keen of course, but, as we all know, there are dangers too. So it was high time for Raffaella to look at the latest research into social media obsession. Her research took her in surprising directions.
How many MEPs use social media? A tentative update
Some rough ‘n’ ready figures on how many MEPs are using social media. Thanks to our doughty trainees for an arduous online trawl to produce these. Main finding: a qualified majority of MEPs are Facebook users!
They live
In this age of measurement, where everything measurable is measured and everything immeasurable is sent to business schools for measures to be devised, measuring everything is a must, for anyone who’s business is taking measures and the EU is nothing if not a measure-taking organisation. It is therefore reasonable that it should have its own [...]
The 7% moment
One of the benefits of western capitalism is the high degree of personal freedom it affords us, they say. People have choice they say. They can do this, that or the other without fear of censure (well, more or less) and go here or there at will. It is actually true – to a certain [...]
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