The Multi-Dimensional Public Servant

In the media, government employees are cast like they are a different species. Living underground in caves, we speak a different language (bureaucratize), have different morals (obscurity), and generally make your life difficult. One of the most interesting things I’ve found working in public service is the diversity of the public service. I’m particularly interestedRead… Read more »

Social Media, Millennials and Obama…and FDR?

Originally posted at The GenerationShift Blog: There is no doubt that social media and the Millennials were two intertwined forces that propelled Obama to the Presidency. Offering evidence to the idea that Obama will be the first President to use web-based, social media as a primary communications tool, this morning I saw a link onRead… Read more »

You’ll Never Get a Thank You

Government agencies rarely get thank-you letters from its citizens. When’s the last time a citizen ever wrote you to say you did a great job? When’s the last time you actually dealt directly with a citizen you are serving? But that is fine. As a nation, the U.S. is skeptical of government. It’s in ourRead… Read more »

The Lonely Teleworker and Why Twitter is Better Than Water

“It’s like a prison,” he explained. “I mean, it’s only for a couple months, but I don’t know if I am well-suited for teleworking. I need to be around people.” With an office renovation forcing him from the office, a colleague recently shared these initial impressions of his teleworking experience. I’ve been a remote employeeRead… Read more »

Thoughts from South Korea

So I’m on the plane flying back from a wonderful week in Seoul, South Korea for the International Conference of IT Administrators. I was invited as part of their Future Leaders program and spoke to the group about “Recruiting and Retaining Gen Y” and “Web 2.0 and Social Media.” There were colleagues from approximately 20Read… Read more »

The Public Manager – Special Issue

Alan Balutis, Director and Distinguished Fellow for CISCO’s Internet Business Solutions Group, distributed print copies of this special issue of The Public Manager yesterday at the Young Government Leader’s event on Web 2.0. In order to help him spread this message far and wide, I created the ebook below over at Calameo and wanted toRead… Read more »

US State Department and Web 2.0 – Take 2

Originally posted at http://generationshift.blospot.com. A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the State Department’s use of Web 2.0, giving them an overall grade of “A” for their wide array of blogs, wikis, social network sites, podcasts, and a YouTube channel. Let’s make it an A+. Between that post and now, I had the chance toRead… Read more »