The Surrey Comet took on the digital revolution this week 10 years ago.

There had been some top-quality blogging going on in Ki-ngston that week, we reported.

A computer expert from the US had visited the royal borough to teach council bosses how to explore blogging as a way of communicating with the public.

As the Comet reported in 2005, the term “blog” is short for weblog, an online journal updated regularly – or, more likely, when the writer remembers – by a journal keeper, known as a blogger.

Kingston was one of a number of councils taking park in a national pilot project exploring e-democracy. It received a visit from blogging expert Griff Wigley.

He evaluated the success of the civic leadership blogging project, which had been running since December 2004 and offered advice.

Sixteen councillors and officers across the UK created their own blogs for the project.

They included Councillor Mary Reid, who was known as the “e-champion” or Kingston Council, and who professed to be a very keen blogger.

She added: “I mainly blog about the local issues that I like to deal with, like children’s services or schools, but sometimes I get to mention more personal matters like the leak in my kitchen and my rainy holiday.

“I can also comment on the political issues of the day.”

These days, councillors tend to thrash out their political concerns on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which are more immediate and easier for friends and followers to connect with.

Kingston Council uses both to disseminate information about its services, as well as alerts of roadworks or gas leaks. Sadly, it appears that the blogs have fallen by the wayside.

 

50 YEARS AGO: March 3, 1965

King Athelstan pupils taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh course took part in a pram

marathon.

Carrying gifts and equipment in the region, their prams were judged for design and originality by Mrs T MacDonald, county commissioner for north Surrey.

25 YEARS AGO: March 2, 1990

Keep fit fans had a lucky escape when a chimney crashed through the roof of Surbiton Assembly Rooms, after 71mph winds lashed the borough.

Kingston Council engineers rushed to the 100-year-old building in Maple Road after the rooms’ false ceiling collapsed.

10 YEARS AGO: March 2, 2005

A unique art experiment took place in Kingston with a little help from residents and their mementoes.

For one day only, people could visit the Room, a life-size recreation of a 1970s sitting room, which was set up in the piazza in Charter Quay.