I went online today to learn about renewing my drivers license and was amused to discover that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has a ”blog.” I use quotation marks because the website violates nearly every rule of good blogging:

• There have been only five entries in the last 18 months and only one in the last five months.
• There is only one link in the most recent entry, and it’s to a press release.
• There are no tags, comments, blogroll or RSS feed. The lack of comments is a shame because the latest topic – widespread abuse of handicapped parking medallions – seems like something a lot of people would want to talk about.
• There is no distinctive look or feel. The “blog” is dropped in on the home page like a press release.

To give credit where credit is due, the Registry should be commended for even experimenting with a blog, given that government agencies aren’t inclined to live on the edge. Also, the Registrar does make an effort to bring some personality to her writing, though her comments lack passion. I have to wonder if her posts are approved by the press office before publishing.

All in all, this effort s a good example of why some organizations should avoid the blogosphere.