12 Most Influential GovLoop Members in 2012

Which GovLoop members wrote blog posts or started discussions that generated the biggest buzz in 2012? Based on a review of the overall content that recieved the most views on GovLoop in the past year, the following individuals stood out as the top contributors to the community’s vibrancy and value to fellow members:

12. Chris Cairns: Chris joined the community about midway through the year as GovLoop’s tech sub-community facilitator. Chris started more than a dozen discussions that topped 25 comments, but the three that seemed to strike a special chord were “Best and Worst Government Websites Ever Used?“, “Do You Consider Powerpoint Jockeying a Skill?” and “What Is Your Greatest Career Accomplishment?”

11. Mark Hammer: If you’ve been around GovLoop for any period of time, you know that Mark offers some of the most insightful thoughts on a variety of topics. So it’s not just that he has started great conversations, but he helps to spur and sustain them. If you want to read some of Mark’s brilliant insights, I would encourage you to click here.

10. Terry Hill: Like Mark, Terry is one of the most active GovLoop members when it comes to commenting on other people’s blogs and discussions. He has offered advice to dozens of GovLoop members over the years. Here’s just one example. In addition, he has given back as a participant in the GovLoop Mentors Program.

9. Sterling Whitehead: Sterling writes about, well, “All Things Sterling.” But he’s also a thought leader when it comes to federal acquisition. By my count, he has roughly 150 blog posts on GovLoop and his latest are starting to highlight profiles of people in government contracting and acquisition. If the 1102 employee emerges as a hero in 2013, it will be due in no small part to Sterling’s efforts. Read more here.

8. Doris Tirone: Doris blogs under the moniker “HR Gov Gal” – and there’s a reason for it. She lives and breathes government human resources, and generously shares her thoughts on how to get better at it through blogs like the “6 Pitfalls to Workforce Planning”, “Top 10 Comments Made in Employee Performance Reviews” and “5 Worst Mistakes on Government Resumes.”

7. David Grinberg: David is another blogger who just started sharing his wisdom about mid-year, but made an immediate impact. I like that David is shining a spotlight on disability issues, Facebook and free speech and even harassment. Few others are covering these kinds of topics and opening up some much-needed conversation about them. Don’t miss his BYOD coverage either.

6. Julie Jenkins: Julie’s been writing the Recruitment 411 blog for almost two years. The most popular posts of 2012 included “Hitting the Social Media Ceiling” and “Crafting a Gold Medal Resume” (written by her IRS colleague Eric Erickson). We look forward to more blogs from the IRS team in 2013.

5. Jeffrey Levy: Jeffrey probably doesn’t like the term “guru” used to describe himself, but when it comes to government social media and web-based communication, that title fits. But it’s his generosity with sharing information that makes him most influential on GovLoop. See his latest post “Help Me Help You Use My Network” to get a sense of his focus on public service in every sense of that term.

4. Josh Nankivel: Josh is the project management guru in government. There might be other excellent PM practitioners out there, but none hold a candle in terms of producing blogging and training content designed to help you learn about and advance your career in government project management. Josh was influential both in terms of his blogs and his discussions. Browse both lists – you will learn a lot!

3. Bill Brantley: Bill is a genius. I don’t just say that because his blogs have covered the gamut from constructal law to earned value management, but because he does it in a way that infuses humor (“Use the Culture, Luke“) and humility “How Organizations Fail.” You might also want to check out his fascinating discussions as well.

2. Dannielle Blumenthal: When you search for the word ‘prolific’ in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Dannielle…which makes sense since she’s a communications professional. At 500+ blog posts in the past 4 years, I don’t think any other member even comes close to the volume – and value – of posts on branding, communications, marketing and public affairs in government and beyond.

1. David Dejewski: There may be no one on GovLoop who generated more conversation than Dave in 2012. Between his blogs and discussions, I quickly estimated that he garnered more than 1,000 comments from other members. Of course, titles like “Un-dressing for Success” and “America Is Not Number One Anymore” seemed to help. Don’t miss gems like “Dealing With Being Accused” and dozens of other posts where he offers sound advice based on years and years of public service experience.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to GovLoop in 2012!