Yearly Archives: 2014

Upcoming Events and the GSA Supplier Relationship

Before tackling the comment of the week there are some updates I’d like to share with you. First, it is an exciting time with the launch of my new Federal Times Blog! The first blog posting appeared last week and can be found here. I encourage all Friday Flash readers to follow this new blogRead… Read more »

Patients Like Me

For over five years now, I’ve mentioned Patients Like Me in nearly all of my “digital engagement” related speeches. It is one of my favourite examples of big data used to improve actual lives. What is it? An online social network dedicated primarily to chronically ill patients. How does it work? Patients fill out theirRead… Read more »

What not to miss in February

For a lot of us the New Year means a renewed focus on priorities and in many cases New Years resolutions. If your organization’s new year’s resolutions included running a smarter, leaner organization there are going to be some great learning opportunities coming next month. The first is a webinar hosted by Bill Cason, Troux’sRead… Read more »

Photos n’ Boots at the Frye Company Popup Gallery

Those are some expensive boots, pardner. How can I get you into a pair of $398 boots? Perhaps an evening of beautiful people, interesting photos and delicious cocktails? On Thursday night, I attended the Frye Company Popup Gallery in Georgetown. It’s a beautiful store, a virtual temple to leather on Wisconsin Avenue. The evening, curatedRead… Read more »

College Made Easier with Open Data – Plus Your Weekend Reads!

Going to college is an exciting, terrifying and downright confusing time for students and parents alike. Choosing the right college is a difficult choice. Paying for that college is tricky and figuring out student aid is almost impossible. That is why the White House Innovation fellows were tasked with opening up Education Department data toRead… Read more »

Top 10 ways to avoid contract oversight

While contract oversight and transparency is a lofty goal, some folks would rather avoid it. Here is my top ten list of how to avoid contract oversight: Keep contract documents in paper files, preferably in piles on your desk. Purge your email frequently and (accidentally) delete contract files. Don’t keep a record of your communicationsRead… Read more »

Government’s Mobile Technology Revolution

Mobile technologies are rapidly transforming nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives. In fact, the proliferation of social media seems impossible without the widespread use of mobile devices. Meanwhile, companies are discovering cost efficiencies and flexibility of access – through tablets and smartphones – by moving their entire business operations to the cloud.Read… Read more »

Collaboration ground rules

Sometimes to make collaboration work you need to set some ground rules. It’s easy to say, “let’s start up a google doc!” – and imagine everyone leaping in to give their ideas. But it’s not so simple as that, especially if folk haven’t had the experience or confidence in this way of working. Instead it’sRead… Read more »

Super Bowl and Cloud Computing? CBG Round-up, 01.31.2014

Gadi Ben-Yehuda Innovation Conversations Alex Howard tweeted a line from the #SOTU: “There are fewer & fewer technical restraints on what we can do. That forces us to ask questions about what we should do,” which lead Jim Daly to ask “When There Are No Barriers to Technology, How Can the Government Innovate?” which inRead… Read more »

Forget kissing babies. “TT” (Talking Transparency) is what’s popular among political candidates.

It used to be the way a candidate showed he was likeable and cared about his fellow citizens. But thanks to actor Will Ferrell’s movie character, Congressman Cam Brady, candidates kissing babies became more about the baby’s “kisser.” So what else can we expect candidates to include among their campaign strategy and platform in 2014?Read… Read more »