Newindpress
Mangalore, Jun 28: “Policemen world over think alike,” outgoing District Superintendent of Police (SP) Bannikal Dayananda had famously said during the height of a cyber war on who pioneered the first weblog for a police organisation.
The cyber war was triggered from Associated Press story done on the basis of an e-mail interview with Dayananda.
The story was seen as an affront to both Boston and Los Angles Police Departments (LAPD). Both logged onto the web to prove that their blog was a few weeks older than www.spdk.blogspot.com.
Staying clear of the numbers game, Dayananda chose to identify a bright spot in the entire debate. Many policemen across the world were thinking creatively on using technology as an interface between police and public, he had emphasised during an interaction with journalists.
When Dayananda launched his blog, www.spdk.blogspot.com, in December 2005 many had predicted an early death. There were many instances by then, where police websites turned into porn sites or were left unused as initial euphoria had given away to disgust against the ever-critical hierarchy in the system.
But the blog surged past expectations to register 50,200 hits (visitors as on 4 pm) within 18 months. From a medium conceived to reach the press, to bagging ‘egov Award for Innovation’ (New Delhi, 2006) the blog had come a long way.
The blog, first of its venture in country, struck a chord with visitors for its simplicity and high priority to content. Denizens here and netizens in Australia, Canada, Gulf with roots in Mangalore stayed connected to events not only on crime but on proposals like regulation of live bands so on.
Across discussion boards on the web, bloggers welcomed the initiative but targetted the blog for ‘disabling comments’, for its content having a feel of ‘press release’. Dayananda who is now posted to Kolar says the blog had helped many NRIs settle their niggling problems in the district.
The new SP Satheesh Kumar who assumed charge on Monday has not yet revealed his mind on the blogspot.
“It’s his baby, he can modify it or change it,” Dayananda stressed when contacted and added, “It would be a good initiative if continued.”
From daijiworld archives: