Just as the Internet linked together organizations and businesses a decade ago, Web 2.0 tools are connecting people. What is Web 2.0? It’s a term that refers to the second generation of the World Wide Web, especially the movement away from static Web pages to dynamic, shareable content, according to Wikipedia. These new media tools, such as blogs and social networks, increase interactivity and a sense of community. Blogs, or online journals in which readers can post comments, encourage online discussions among people with a shared interest. Social-networking sites help friends and colleagues stay in touch and share photos and information.

Sure, the content on these Web 2.0 sites ranges from the insipid to the insightful, but it’s the very conversation among stakeholders that makes these tools revolutionary. Newsletters and press releases represent one-way communication; new media tools encourage conversation, whereby members can add to the discussion or pose questions, which can lead to a deeper level of understanding and, potentially, involvement among stakeholders.

“Dallas-Fort Worth is such a crowded media market; it’s tough to get your message out there,” says Morawski, who says the district blog gets 50 to 90 hits a day. “The blog allowed us to speak directly to those affected by the new policy.”

And thanks to new media, the community can talk back.

“What I’ve found is, the things that show up on the blog are the same things that are being said at the grocery store or at a football game,” says Morawski, who chairs the Web 2.0 committee for the Texas School Public Relations Association. “The difference with the blog is that we can have a conversation with the community. It’s been very illuminating.”

The Mansfield ISD blog even has a section called “Rumor Mill,” where district officials can debunk rumors, such as whisperings that a Starbucks kiosk was being installed at a local high school. Sorry, latte lovers. No Starbucks at Legacy High. Read More here.