Best of GovLoop 2009: A Dozen Dynamite Blog Posts

One of our GovLoop Rockstars, Amanda Blount, took a close look at the blogs from 2009 to unearth the biggest gems – posts that sparked comment or controversy or that just got us talking about key topics in government. Here are her picks (and we agree – these were some of the standouts!).

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During 2009, Govloopers used their experience, and their valuable time, to invite us into their views on the world. The knowledge gained from all of the blog posts could easily change the world. Using technology in government seemed to be the highlight for 2009 blog posts, but many more ideas were covered that taught us readers many different ideas, and were taught to think outside our comfort zones. There were hundreds of great blog posts – this is just a sample of some of the best (in no particular order).

1. The Myth of the Turnaround Employee – a blog post that points to non-traditional thinking and challenges your assumptions about under-performing employees. – Posted by Mario

2. Using Narrative to Tell a Story Better (and the Balloon Boy) – A blog post which explains the best way to catch the public’s attention – Posted by Frederick P. Wellman

3. Frustrated by an Unchangeable Agency? Change Anyway – Here is one to help get the reader motivated to make your agency better! – Posted by Jeffrey Press

4. The Price of Civilization? – Why do we pay taxes after all? An intriguing question posed by GeekChick that sparked some philosophical debate.

5. Agreeable to Disagreement – This post encourages thoughtful disagreements, and goes on to explain how disagreements in an agency can be a good thing. – Posted by our “Ask the Expert” on Leadership, K. Scott Derrick

6. Why Twitter? Why Now? Why Not? – Twitter! Using technology to boldly go where stiff shirts have never gone. – Posted by Beth Beck

7. Is it better for an agency or an agency head to be on Facebook? Trying to work out the kinks in all the new technology available to the Government and to individuals – Posted by Jeffrey Levy

8. Maintaining Several Social Profiles – Tools to Help – Once you master all the wonderful technology, now there is a blog post to teach you how to organize it all. – Posted by Adam Arthur

9. Why Is it that I keep hearing the adage “Government can’t be run like a Business”? – Exactly what is the difference in Government and Business practices? Again, Govloopers provide detailed, and insightful opinions about each. – Posted by Ami Clouatre-Johnson

10. GovLoop Graduation to Full-Time – A review of 2009 cannot be written without a bow to the day Govloop went fulltime! A perfect story of how personal commitment, and the sacrifice of time and money can lead to a dream coming true. Posted by Mr. GovLoop, Steve Ressler

11. Here It Is! Open Government and Innovations Conference “Tweet Book” – A first-of-its kind e-book that was coordinated and created by eight volunteers using a series of three blog posts on GovLoop. Posted by Andrew Krzmarzick

12. Personal Branding: Business Cards Are Obsolete – We all learned how to market ourselves without the handy, dandy business card. – Posted by Nancy Dailey, PhD

13. Can We Start a “Do Not Mail” List Similar to the “DoNotCall.gov”? – And then we all thought about how to get rid of all the unwanted side-affects of technology. – Posted by Cary Casey

Of course, there were also several excellent blog posts by people like Pam Broviak, Kim Patrick Kobza, Lauren Modeen, Adriel Hampton, Steve Radick and many, many more!

Thanks to all the blog contributors in 2009. We can’t wait to read what’s on your minds in 2010!