This is a salute to my brethren from the liberal arts, but also anyone who has ever thought English composition class was useless. What is it about understanding how writing happens that is so boring even if writing itself is fun, especially if you have only 140 characters and are not bound by spelling orRead… Read more »
Last week, I wrote about how I go through my creative process, essentially how I get down to the nitty-gritty of how I write a story. When I started this job, I thought I’d just be blogging. Just like I do on any of my personal digital spaces. But instead, I’m doing some “digital storytelling.”Read… Read more »
Emoji are now a part of how people all over the world communicate. Some people in government are enthusiastically embracing emoji (looking at you, 18F), knowing that they are quickly becoming a conventional element of our nonverbal communications. Even if you’re not ready to use emoji, in order to understand what people are saying it’s important to at least learn what emoji areRead… Read more »
Naysayers love to complain that real customer experience (CX) improvement is only for the private sector because government is subject to unique and insurmountable pressures. Don’t believe them. Many major corporations must overcome the same hurdles, and some federal agencies are finding ways to break out, too. Use this list of comebacks to subdue governmentRead… Read more »
Last week I wrote about the six traditional factors that make a story newsworthy, at least what journalism profs have settled upon to get students thinking about the topic, and how you can do a better job responding to reporters if you understand those factors. This week we’ll stick to those basics, but flip theRead… Read more »
I’ve been to a lot of conferences over the years, as a speaker and as an attendee. I know a lot of people who go to them, I’ve talked about them as a “thing” (i.e. are they worthwhile or not) and I’ve been the subject of many marketing pitches to either cover them or attend.Read… Read more »
As I stated in Website Builder Platforms: Best Options for Small Businesses, I consider the WordPress content management system (which should not be confused with the WordPress.com platform) to be the best option for organizations that need to upgrade or build a website, especially if they want to be able to manage some content andRead… Read more »
Do you want to get more visibility on LinkedIn? Recruiters, potential business partners, and possible leads are searching LinkedIn for people like you – is your profile being found? LinkedIn isn’t just a static site to post your resume or search for jobs, and it’s not just a virtual Rolodex. It’s become a social networkRead… Read more »
If you’re a teacher, you know that keeping the attention of even one student can be a difficult task. But what about if you have to train a community of over 28 million — and you have to do it virtually? That was the question recently facing the Small Business Administration (SBA). As the agency thatRead… Read more »
I’m the Digital Storyteller for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It’s a new position that I’m happy to say I’m really enjoying. I’ve gotten to learn so much about digital platforms, content, and subjects within the Agency. Back in January and February, I wrote and published a series on our blog about Community EmergencyRead… Read more »