Blogs start a dialog between travelers, those serving them

— -- Starting this week, passengers cooling their heels at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in five major airports may notice more than storage bins and disposable booties: black stickers emblazoned with "Got Feedback?" and "www.tsa.gov/blog," the Web address of a new blog aimed at explaining TSA policies and eliciting traveler comments.

TSA officials hope the stickers, plastered on screening equipment at Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Washington's Reagan National, will drive traffic and conversation to the oft-maligned agency's Evolution of Security blog, taglined "Terrorists Evolve. Threats Evolve. Security Must Stay Ahead. You Play A Part."

Launched Jan. 30 and featuring four to five weekly posts written by TSA employees, the blog attracted about 31,000 unique visitors last month and has generated more than 5,000 responses — evenly divided, says spokesman Christopher White, between scorn and praise. A "Delete-O-Meter" keeps tabs on how many comments have been banned — 137 as of this week — because they contain profanity, threats or personal attacks, or because they require the agency to reveal sensitive information. One that made it through, in reaction to a recent post about the agency's use of canine teams for explosives detection: "Will these dogs growl if you try to get their badge number?"

Evolution of Security is among a small but growing number of travel blogs and online communities sponsored by hotels, cruise lines and other companies, as well as government entities such as state visitors bureaus. Designed to engage travelers and tap into the "social media" craze, they range from top-down, PR mouthpieces to folksy ramblings about employee colonoscopy exams.

Though their reach may be limited and usefulness marginal — a recent Jupiter Research survey notes only 2% of online travelers use other travelers' blogs as research tools — official blogs can provide "a real glimpse into the brand" and a way to gauge public response quickly in a crisis, says Debbie Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book.