Everyone knows that app contests are exciting. Ideas, fueled by caffeine and youthful energy, combined with the prospect of an eventual payday paint a picture that most organizations can’t resist. And for the open government community, it’s even more enticing, since app contest are an opportunity to engage residents in ‘doing good’ by enticing developersRead… Read more »
“Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset.” – President Barack Obama, in Transparency and Open Government memo. Today, there is an increased focus on the value of open data, especially inRead… Read more »
Back in 2010, the White House launched Challenge.gov, a platform provided by the GSA that gave federal agencies the opportunity to create contests aimed at increasing public participation in the federal government. The idea of soliciting citizen input certainly isn’t a new one—state, local, and national governments have been using paper forms, websites, and (now)Read… Read more »
Police dash cams are important for things such as transparency, security, and incident documentation/verification. You know what they’re also great for? Video evidence of cops belting out Taylor Swift tunes. In a time when police officers need all the good publicity they can get, the Dover, Delaware Police Department posted a video on their YouTubeRead… Read more »
Millennials are sometimes referred to as the “look down” generation. The assumption is no matter the time or place, our eyes are fixed on a hand-held device. And this comes at a great risk, as some do this while driving, jeopardizing pedestrians and other drivers’ safety. Hearing these stories, parents shake their heads and wonderRead… Read more »
Once upon a time engaged meant going from single to partnered. Or it meant a variation of being busy – for better worse. These days engagement is such a buzzword in business-speak that it oversaturates our workplace communications. And this engagement isn’t a romantic proposal; it’s a request for our undivided attention. Is asking forRead… Read more »
2014 was a stellar year for GovLoop. We hired a bunch more amazing people, redesigned our web site, introduced Featured Bloggers to the community, produced dozens of the guides and online trainings that you rely on, and much more. 2015 is looking to be an even bigger year — we’re moving more into online learningRead… Read more »
ODEP has launched more than seven citizen engagement campaigns treating a number of subjects and created a format for success that includes seven steps and a four-week public dialogue.
Mobile phones have become the norm for people to connect with each other, restaurants, events and social media. Companies are making it easy to shop, pay bills and listen to music online. Yet some local governments have a tendency to keep things the way they’ve always been.
There is no one universal definition for innovation. And innovation takes different forms at every level of government. Even in Kansas City, Missouri, innovation has taken many forms. This past year, the city launched a citizen engagement portal and leveraged open data. The woman spearheading those initiatives is Ashley Hand. She is the City’s Chief InnovationRead… Read more »