Brad Rourke

Brad Rourke’s Blog

  • Whelan Apologizes For Publicizing Anonymous Blogger's Identity

    I don’t ordinarily run “updates” to earlier stories, but this news shifted on of the the points made in  Monday’s posting about the controversy between Ed Whelan and a pseudonymous blogger named “publius.” Whelan had discovered publius’ identity and revealed it. I used the occasion to make a broader point about being anonymous (which I…

  • Our Civic Wedding

    Having recently been to a wedding, I am thinking about my own wedding, back in 1992. We chose a decidedly nontraditional approach to our ceremony. It is a choice that has endured and I continue to be glad of it. My wife, Andrea Jarrell, and I met doing civic activities. These things were the center…

  • Why I Am Not Anonymous

    There’s a controversy right now over an exchange between two notable bloggers, each from opposite sides of the liberal/conservative divide. An author at the “moderate” liberal Obsidian Wings blog who writes under the pseudonym “publius” has long criticized conservative Ed Whelan, who writes at the National Review’s Bench Memos and is the president of the…

  • Helping Nonprofit Managers To Overcome Fear Of Social Networks

    All over, I see middle management being urged to “get on the social media bandwagon” because they may get left in the dust.  But, often the senior management of the organization is skeptical or downright hostile to the idea. By understanding the fears that are driving this hostility, you might be able to break through.…

  • Community Builder? Read This

    One of my entrepreneur and social web heroes, Seesmic founder Loic Le Meur, is among the most open and accessible members of the digerati. He is constantly sharing and praising others. He recently was at a conference where Internet star Chris Pirillo was speaking and the subject turned toward community and community building. Chris had…

  • Thirteen Intermediate Twitter Tips

    Here are some Twitter tips for folks who have been using it for a while. They are not definitive, more my expression of personal style. Chances are, if you are reading this and are yourself a Twitter user, you have an opinion on some of these, so please push back in the comments! If you’re…

  • More Political Independents Than Ever

    The share of people who say they are “independent” — that is, they don’t affiliate with a political party — has climbed to its highest point in 70 years, according to a new survey by the Pew Center for People And The Press. Thirty-nine percent of respondents self-identified as independents, compared with 33 percent who…