"I guess I'm more tech-savvy than some folks, but I'm no expert," she said.

Teaching herself the latest in blogging technology, the newly appointed mayor announced Feb. 15 that she was ready to go public with her blog, "My Year As Mayor."

Taking the idea that she got from the National League of Cities meeting in North Carolina, she became intrigued by the notion of using the Internet to increase public dialogue.

Plus, after hearing questions from friends and community members asking her what it was like to be mayor, McNutt thought a blog would be a good way to communicate with the town.

"I was nervous about the idea at first," she said, weary of people wanting to talk about strictly town issues. "But my blog is just me and my experiences, not town stuff."

Though that doesn't mean she won't be highlighting what the town has to offer.

"About 50 people opted to come to the Town Council Chambers rather than watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics," she wrote of the Silicon Valley Reads program on Feb. 10, "a tribute to this community's interest in literacy and the exchange of ideas."

With just a few entries so far, her blog also lets the public into her personal life. She posted a picture of her husband, Michael Cronk, with their 15-year old dog, Samuel, as well as a photo of her lawn that was infested with a flock of fake flamingos.

Though the website is open to everybody with Internet access, McNutt is not sure who will want to log on and read about what it is like to be mayor of one of the best communities in the world, she said.

"Who knows? It may just be my friends and family that read it," she said.

McNutt, however, is not the only one in town stepping up her use of technology. The town of Los Gatos' new website made its debut Feb. 6, and it has received nothing but positive feedback, said Jenny Haruyama, administrative programs manager for the town.

Contracting the design to CivicPlus, the town paid $25,000 for a website that is easier to navigate, more attractive and very user-friendly, Haruyama said.

"This is an ongoing tool, and it is evolutionary; it will continue to change. One of our goals is to really keep the pace up with technology," she said.

One of the most useful additions, Haruyama said, is that staff reports can be downloaded online. Previously, staff reports were only available upon request.

"We wanted to enhance and improve the existing site, and improve the availability to get the staff reports online," she said.

McNutt's blog can be found at http://losgatosmayor.blogspot.com. The town's website is at http://www.town.los-gatos.ca.us.