This week it was announced that the U.S. federal government is creating a U.S. Digital Service team led by Mikey Dickerson with a goal to “improve and simplify the digital experience that people and businesses have with their government.” Personally, it’s exciting to hear about the announcement of this division (with some decent staffing fromRead… Read more »
The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) mandates very detailed security practices. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has an entire division focused on creating security guidance documents. As security becomes more of a focus the nomenclature of these documents seeps into your daily lingo. FIPS 199 and 200 describe the levelsRead… Read more »
Even though social media is fully integrated into the global culture and economy, many leaders are still reluctant to put themselves and/or their organizations in a position where they may have to listen to and/or engage with various stakeholders via these public channels. They tend to fear potential reputational harm and/or the stickiness of havingRead… Read more »
By Chuck Brooks, Vice President and Client Executive, Department of Homeland Security Since launching in 2003, the social networking service LinkedIn has become an increasingly popular avenue for professional networking and interaction. LinkedIn provides a valuable platform for business engagement in all industries, including government services, but its potential is wasted if you’re not properlyRead… Read more »
With mobile technology, 24/7 news coverage, Twitter, Facebook, Buzzfeed, iPhones, and other constant updates, sometimes we just need to stop and reflect. Take a breath. Really, take a breath. Sometimes you gain the most by slowing down and reading a good book. Holding something tangible in your hands to read shouldn’t be obsolete, but aRead… Read more »
Now that social media has permeated our everyday lives, government agencies are increasingly using channels such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with the public. But is your organization’s content interesting or engaging enough to keep followers coming back? Consider some of the following the next time you post. 1. Inject fun into your messageRead… Read more »
Security clearances were granted or approved for roughly 83,000 Department of Defense (DOD) and employee contractors who together owe more than $730 million in federal tax debt, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. This bewildered many to learn that the tax cheats were working underneath the government’s own roof. One agency isRead… Read more »
Have you ever been in a conversation where the more someone spoke, the worse it got? Where no matter how many explanations received or questions asked, the result was the same: a complete and total lack of a concise message? Yup. Clear as mud! Sometimes, I’m pretty sure it’s the speaker. Sometimes, I’m embarrassed toRead… Read more »
The “grey tsunami” was a big topic at my agency a few years back. The expectation was that up to 70% of the agency’s workforce would take early retirement. Massive amounts of tacit knowledge would be lost. In preparation, my team attempted to “crowdsource” the knowledge of the experienced staff. We wanted to convert thatRead… Read more »
So, you finally got your public sector organization on Facebook, you set up a page, and over a few months or years you slowly cultivated a strong group of engaged stakeholders. You were gaining fans, your posts were getting better and better, and everything seemed to be going swimmingly. Then one day you began toRead… Read more »