Citizen Engagement

There’s No Match.Com for Mentorship

Dating sites spout all sorts of algorithms on love. They say if you join their dating service, their computers will crunch the numbers and find you the perfect match. Sometimes it works. But when it comes to government mentorship, finding the right person isn’t so calculable. There is not a match making algorithm for mentorship.Read… Read more »

The Power of Reach Tour – How To Get Your Message Out Effectively

It was the the tweet heard around the country: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody” The first official announcement that law enforcement agencies had concluded their manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev didn’t come at a press conference. ItRead… Read more »

Applying The Crowd Mentality to Tweeting Your Congressman – Plus Your Weekend Reads

If a tree falls in the forest and no one notices does it make a sound? The same same concept is true in the Twitterverse. If you tweet your Congressman and they don’t notice, does your tweet even make a difference? David Moore is the Executive Director of the Non-Profit Participatory Politics Foundation. Moore andRead… Read more »

No Love for Gov on Presidents’ Day

As our nation observes Presidents’ Day there’s not much good news regarding how citizens view government at the national level – from Congress, to the White House, to federal agencies. This is a sobering and troubling reality, especially for feds. Presidents’ Day is supposed to be “a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance,” according toRead… Read more »

More Than Numbers, Social Media Is About Engagement – Plus Your Weekend Reads

In today’s government, social media use is less about broadcasting messages and more about engaging citizens in a new way. What does that mean? Well, it means that instead of just sending out a Tweet from your agency Twitter feed, agencies are actively searching for ways to make that broadcast into a conversation. It soundsRead… Read more »

Is There A Secret Sauce To Innovation?

What is the recipe for a perfect innovator or an innovative city? One dash idea. Two cups execution? Three cups metrics? Four cups risk? Creating the perfect recipe for innovation might be impossible. But the City of Denver has been working hard to create a culture of innovation and execution. Frank Daidone is the ChiefRead… Read more »

Are Small Budgets Good For Innovation – Part Two

Spending in the federal government is down. Sequestration has put a serious drain on many agency resources, but could the money squeeze actually create a breeding ground for innovation? In part two of our interview, with the first Chief Innovation Officer at NARA, Pamela Wright, told Chris Dorobek that the smaller budgets are forcing aRead… Read more »

Meet NARA’s First Chief Innovation Officer – Part 1

Innovation is one of those Rorschach terms, where innovation means different things to different people. Even amongst Chief Innovation Officers the role of innovation at an agency can vary greatly. So what really makes an innovative program? Pamela Wright is the first ever Chief Innovation Officer at NARA. She was also named one of FCW’sRead… Read more »

Priorities List: Did Your Top Concerns Make It?

Ever heard the phrase, “What’s good for the gander, is good for the goose?” In government, the sentiment holds true. What is good for the federal government, is good for the state and local governments too. That is why the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has released their annual list of federalRead… Read more »