Blocking Blogs

My school blocks both blogs and social networking sites in addition to online forums. If these restrictions put on teachers and students in regard to electronic publication and access were for the safety of all concerned, I can't argue with the goal, but I think this kind of blanket policy is inhibiting teacher innovation and student engagement. The issue for administrators, I think, is the proverbial can of worms that would be opened by more liberal uses of the Internet even if a case could be made for specific sites. Let's say that every teacher decided he or she wanted to create a blog. The numbers could quickly become unmanageable, and the required scrutiny, extraordinary. So I believe that the view of some administrators is that a zero-tolerance policy provides the most security. As an administrator, I'm not sure I'd trust that sites like facebook or even Blogger would be used in an appropriate manner, and even if they were, I'm certain there would be concerns voiced from some corner. I'm under no illusion that there is an easy answer for administrators in regard to Internet access, but there must be a way to allow students and teachers to embrace new technologies more fully.