I am absolutely thrilled by how blogging has been growing in local government. There was a time on the local public services  communities of practice platform when it was pretty much just me.  But now there’s no lack of inspirational or thought provoking posts from practitioners across the country.  And I’d love to see even more!   But I know it can be hard to put pen to paper or rather finger to key board and blog on a regular basis and come up with a read-worthy post.  For me, blogging is a great way to collect my own thoughts as well as to share them with others – but even for a compulsive blogger like me, there are days when the well feels pretty dry.

I’ve just seen a post in which  pro-blogger Chris Brogan (via Dave Briggs) is offering a regular newsletter by email offering blog post ideas throughout the year for a subscription fee.  Interesting model.   He gave away 100 ideas previously – and there are some pretty good ones in there.  And I was inspired to write my own list of blogging ideas for the year to come in case you run short in 2011. Or in case I run short in 2011.  Anyway, here’s 35 to start with – and I hope to add more…

1. My social media routine – the tools I use to support my work and share it with others.

2. Why process still matters.  The importance of good governance in an outcomes based world.

3. How I made a difference. (good one for reminiscing)

4. The time I saw a public sector hero of mine make a difference in someone’s life

5. Five unbelievable moments from my local government career

6. Saying goodbye: Leaving or seeing a colleague leave public service due to the cuts

7. How things will be different five years from now

8. I gave a talk

9. I saw an inspirational talk and what I’ll do differently

10. Three things I’m going to do to make government more open

11. Six people I’d like to meet

12. Who cut your hair? The council? – public services portrayed in the media

13. Four things I wish we’d stop doing

14. The little things count. Small changes I’m going to make in 2011

15. This is hard. What’s challenging me now and how it’s making me better.

16. Lessons from failed projects (choose some old ones!)

17. five cool ideas I’ve seen at other councils that I’d like to try

18. why I blog

19. my hopes for the future – how I hope fiscal crisis in local public services will change things for the better

20. inspirations from the voluntary sector – 3 great charitable initiatives and how you can help

21. customer chaos – bad service examples in the private sector and how we can avoid those mistakes in the public sector

22. recharging – people or activities who can lift me up when I’m feeling low

23. why today marked a difference

24. how some geeky/mundane/ slightly embarrassing personal interest makes me a better public servant

25. four tools I can’t live without

26. why that great meeting I had was great

27. It’s not a non-job. How I explain what I do at cocktail parties without driving people back to the snack table.

28.  Collaboration success.  How I worked/work with people outside my organisation collaboratively.

29. Collaboration blockers – what’s stopped or slowed successful collaboration in previous projects.

30. My performance enablers.  Things that help my team succeed.

31. five targets I don’t want to ditch.

32. That’s a good question. Reflection on a question raised in a community of practice.

33. A bright future: How I’d like to see my kids involved locally when they grow up.

34. I like it! My local public services on Facebook.

35. If I had the time: five ways I’d love to volunteer if I had the time (and maybe how I could start making some time).