Research - How to cite this article – referees' reports – scheduling – metadata – PDF – Creative Commons DOI: 10.4185/RLCS-65-2010-904-340-353-EN – ISSN 1138 - 5820 – RLCS # 65 – 2010 Francisco Cabezuelo-Lorenzo, Ph.D. [C.V. ] Associate Professor - San Pablo-CEU University - Madrid - francisco.cabezuelolorenzo@ceu.es María Ruiz-Carreras [C. V. ] Ph.D. Student - Rey Juan Carlos University - Madrid - mariaruizcarreras@hotmail.com Abstract: This research presents blogs as an innovative and rich tool for political communication. Blogs can facilitate two-way communication and true interaction between citizens and politicians. The article analyses in depth the content, uses, and characteristics of five weblogs written by Aragonese politicians. Although the study detects some weaknesses in the current political use of blogs, it encourages political parties to use blogs and other online resources, not only during electoral campaigns to improve the reputation of political leaders but also continuously and particularly in situations of special interest for the citizenship. The study shows that the use of blogs by Aragonese politicians is no longer just a transitory phenomenon and has become a reality. The article also demonstrates that politicians use blogs mostly as a pre-electoral tooland to a much lesser extent as an element of communication to promote democracy. It has been observed that politicians’ blogs are used as a tool to overcome situations of crisis and to compensate negative opinions caused by questionable acts. Keywords: Blogs; Internet; Communication; Aragon; Political Parties. Summary: 1. Introduction and justification. 2. Framework and context: the digitalization of political communication. 2.1. Theoretical framework. 2.2. Object of study. 2.2.1. Object and political context. 2.2.2. Object and socio-technological context. 2.2.3. Legal framework. 3. Methodology, objectives, and hypothesis. 3.1 Objectives. 3.2. Hypothesis. 3.3. Description of methodology. 4. Analysis. 5. Results and Conclusions. 6. References. 7. Notes. Abstract translation by Maria Luisa Sierra and Joe McMahon (San Jorge University) Article translation by Cruz Alberto Martinez-Arcos (University of London) 1. Introduction and justification New technologies have been incorporated into our lives. They have become an everyday tool for citizens. It is increasingly clear that in these first years of the 21stcentury we are witnessing theprofound transformation of the processes of acquisition and transmission of knowledge (Parra et al: 2008: 63). Internet has revolutionised everyday life for most people. Simultaneously, these changes are forcing us to redefine communication paradigms. Internet has become a key player in political communication. Recently, the focus is on the blogs and the social networks created thanks to the Internet. In fact, in early 2009 there existed in Spain more than 4.7 million internet users, according to official data from Red.es. The unstoppable advance of information and communication technologies “has impacted communication in a way comparable only to the impact made by Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1455” (Masip, 2003). To some experts, “it is the farewell to paper, the transition from lead to light. And there will be no turning back” (De Pablos, 2009). These changes involve transformations in the modes of communication of all individuals, both at personal and corporate levels. With the facilities provided by computer systems, a massive social network is being formed by millions of small networks. The hallmarks of this revolution are based on the protagonist media role played by audiences (Orihuela, 2005). All seems to indicate that this will lead to a change in the current unidirectional and mediated conception of politics. Furthermore, as Elaine Díaz Rodríguez (2009: 951) affirms, currently there are enduring aspects introduced by the blog format at the moment of its emergenceand they constitute a step forward in the evolution of the web as it was initially understood. The blogs have an extremely simple structure based on predefined templates, time reduction for publishing information, and the ability to insert comments, among others. But the real contribution of blogs lies on the virtual conversation from many to many, on the interaction between users “that transcends geographical barriers, and on the principle of collaborative writing, where what was said by the author may be as important as the opinion of readers” (ElianeDíaz-Rodríguez, 2009: 954). In this way, blogs have proven to be one of the protagonists of this whole paradigmaticchange that communication has been experiencing since the popularisation of the Internet. Given the success of blogs as a tool for modern digital communication, this article aims presents the most relevant findings of a study aimed to determine the extent to what blogs wereused in politics, in this case in a specific region like the Autonomous Community of Aragon. The methodology designed for this research, amodel to analyse the content and formal aspects of blogs, can be applicable !!!"#$%&’$(&)*+ !!!"#$%&,$&-"