An “enabler” of the Rector’s recent forray into the world of blogs, I was curious and pleased that the debut sparked a bit of discussion.
Arne Krokan, a Professor of “Technology, communication, organization and society” writes in his post “My rector blogs as well” that:
(Translated from the original Norwegian) Rector at NTNU, Torbjørn Digernes, is following in the footsteps of several of his Danish colleagues, and starting to blog. I consider these “corporate blogs” important, because they play a role in making visible what leaders are concerned with, and they contribute to contemplation of important, organizational and political issues. In this manner more and more academic and political issues come to light, prior to our hearing about them or being “exposed to them” through (channels) the line organization. (Min rektor blogger også – Nov. 4 2008)
Historian and researcher (IDI, SVT), Ola Nordal writes in his post a “A new IT revolution? “:
(Translated from the original Norwegian) Two observances from today: NTNU´s Rector has got himself his own blog, and FAST Search & Transfer´s John M. Lervik has blind faith in the future of the search engine company (it is still streaming from the IT-ovation conference where he presented earlier today). I conclude, first: Something is happening in regards to how people use the Internet. The tools have been there a long time, but it seems that it is only now that their potential is beginning to be utilized. The first key word is “contact interface”… [ ... ] How Digernes is going to use his blog will be exciting to follow; personally I hope it will be somewhat fresher than the “Rector´s column” in the university paper (Universitetsavisa).
A little digression: I notice that the rector is using WordPress as a technology solution. Much smarter and better that what is available for NTNU´s web portal, I would say. NTNU.no is far too large and complex for WordPress, but it should at least be considered by the university newspaper (Universitetsavisa). WordPress for an online newspaper sounds perhaps a little hazardous, but it would be better than the solution they have now. Not least because the Rector´s blog is already in my RSS-reader, while Universitetsavisa is still not. RSS has been available for a while now, and it is soon quite overdue that the news organization at Norway´s technology university acquires it? (En ny IT-revolusjon, – Oct 22, 2008).
An IT-revolution it isn’t, but progress it is indeed, given that the focus remains on content. As a technology enthusiast the form and the trend is interesting to me of course. The larger point however — not lost on these two social commentators — is the impact that direct and unfiltered communication can have on an organization.
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