Citizen Engagement

GSA Teaches Citizen Engagement

At today’s GovLoop training, The Citizen and the Government – How they Connect, we heard from Martha Dorris, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies (OCSIT) at the General Services Administration (GSA). She started off by telling us that if we didn’t get anything else from her speech (don’t worry, we did!),Read… Read more »

Leadership and…Barrel Racing?

Horse riders galloping through a rodeo arena, swiftly twisting and turning around barrel obstacles, racing to finish in 20 seconds or less. Go too fast, you risk getting bucked. Go too slow, you won’t win. This, my friends, is barrel racing. Like the intricacies of this wild sport, state and local governments face unique challenges.Read… Read more »

Photo: (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) President Barack Obama convenes a meeting with cabinet agencies coordinating the government's Ebola response, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Oct.15, 2014.

DorobekINSIDER: An Ebola Casualty: Trust in Gov

Hey there. I’m Christopher Dorobek — the DorobekINSIDER — and welcome GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER… where we focus on six words: Helping government do its job better. On GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER: A Bright Future for Open Data: As more industries are joining the fight for open data, governmental organizations at the local, state and federal levels have becomeRead… Read more »

How You Can Excel With Community Planning

As state and local government employees, you face some tough IT obstacles. You have to build digital solutions to meet constituent demand, and design IT systems and architectures to support new services – all in an environment of tight budgets and limited staff. But by conquering these challenges, you can improve the community planning andRead… Read more »

Midterm Elections – Why They Matter & How You Can Stay Informed

America needs a morale boost. According to an article from USA Today, 87% of U.S. citizens are dissatisfied with our current Congress. This number may be high, but it is a huge reason why the upcoming midterm elections are especially important. USA Today lists five reasons why midterm elections should matter to you: You willRead… Read more »

The Government is What You Make of It

Do one thing for me: ask Google to show you the Papal inauguration in 2005 versus the one in 2013. Notice anything different? Yeah, I thought so. On Tuesday, GovDelivery hosted a federal communications summit that emphasized how gov employees can leverage data to influence the communities they serve. Keynote speaker Abhi Nemani asked the crowdRead… Read more »

The Changing Face of Citizen Engagement

“Why fix it if it ain’t broke?” This seems like an easy motto to live by. For many of us, change can be frightening, and sticking with the status quo is a comfortable option. But in today’s technologically driven world, change is a constant, and adapting is a must. Matt Leighninger, Executive Director of theRead… Read more »

Big Data, Cloud & Mobile – How Emerging Technologies Can Help You

With more complex work and restricted budgets, government jobs have become increasingly challenging. One way to make government work easier and less costly is by taking advantage of the numerous emerging technologies, such as big data, cloud and mobile, that are being offered and developed today. Big data, cloud and mobile technologies enable users toRead… Read more »

Convening a Community at the Village Green

Next-gen air sensors can provide a network of affordable, portable devices that relay data in real time. But the science and application of these sensors needs an equivalent human network. We’ve found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a played a significant role in convening the community. A wide-ranging collaboration resulted in a parkRead… Read more »