The AFL-CIO will publicly launch a new blog site this Tuesday. The site, called "AFL-CIO Now," is already live and can be seen at http://blog.aflcio.org.

The site does not currently allow comments but in a conference call today to various communication directors within the AFL-CIO, that feature may be added in the future. The site will accept submissions from readers which will be reviewed by editors. The site uses the popular open source blogging software program WordPress.

I think the blog is a good step in the right direction for the AFL-CIO. Its punchier, edgier blog posts will certainly help the AFL-CIO tap into the blogosphere much better than its staid and wonky press releases. But as I've posted before here on Communicate or Die, if the National Associaton of Manufacturers can find a way to engage in direct dialog with the public, I think the AFL-CIO can, too. I'm not saying the AFL-CIO should just open the doors to comments from any Joe off the street. No doubt the National Chamber of Commerce would soon have hired guns spewing vitriol on the AFL-CIO's blog. But it could be done by screening comments just as NAM does. Comments not only demonstrate to the public that you are interested in what they have to say, but it just makes the site more interesting to read, more "real" as they say.

But overall, a solid thumbs up to the national AFL-CIO on this one.