Zeitgeists, most literally translated from the Germanic language as "time spirit", or the spirit of the times, most often describe the intellectual, cultural, ethical and political climate, ambience and morals of an era.  Zeitgeists come in all shapes and sizes and vary in content, whether describing the shifting morals of something of large social significance like the government's role in the economy, or something on a smaller scale like the use of the word Google as a verb.  Something much greater than ourselves is happening around the office, something that is most inevitable and relevant during the present technological time.

The Membership Department, which has its hand at the throat of this organization, consists of two staff members and two interns, who work on a daily basis with members, donations, and website retooling.  For two weeks we are enjoying the additional help from two member interns, for which we are extremely grateful.  As aforementioned, we have been stirring some zeitgeist of our own into our coffee.  Instead of standing around the water cooler, we have been working with something larger than ourselves: the blogosphere.  The Project Vote Smart blog has not been as active as we had hoped when considering the role it would play as part of our site.  However, the attitudes of our interns and staff aim to change that.  With the help of other departments and the blogging community itself, we hope to lead the blogging culture at Vote Smart and entertain the idea of frequently written blogs.  So the next time you Google a candidate, an event, or a politically relevant argument, hopefully the Project Vote Smart's speakeasy blog will occupy one's thoughts.  We have a wealth of information to share and we just want it to be more readily at your fingertips.

What is more appropriate than a blog talking about blogs?  So forget your sugar the next time you brew yourself a cup of Joe and stir in the zeitgeist, the richest of sugars.

What would you like to hear us blog about?

-Caitlin Huey (Hanover College, 2011, Political Science major, from Columbus, IN) and Carrie Bueche (Knox College, 2010, International Relations major, from Byron, IL), Membership Interns