Communications

Lessons Learned to Create the Open GIS Platform

For government, it’s easier than ever before to publish authoritative data. Below, three open data experts share how. In our latest GovLoop guide, Open Data and GIS: Better Understanding Our World, we explore a crucial element of the open data movement: geographic information systems (GIS). Time and again, we have seen how GIS facilitates governmentRead… Read more »

Lessons From the Upside Down Fire

In the middle of cold winter days, what could be better than making a roaring fire? But you’ve probably been building an inefficient fire. It’s probably hard to start. You have to keep adding logs and moving them around to get good burn. The edges of the logs don’t burn. It takes a long timeRead… Read more »

Did Anyone See Your Organization’s Facebook Post?

Last week the Washington Post featured an article on the frustrations of digital communicators in the weather community with Facebook. The article, “How Facebook is falling short as a weather communication tool,” outlined three major problems weather communicators are having with the social networking tool: “1) Its updates only reach a small fraction of theRead… Read more »

How to Do Authentic Frontline Social Media

With social media dedicated frontline people can brilliantly provide a human face to champion the work an organisation is doing. Morgan Bowers, Walsall Council’s senior countryside ranger, is a pioneer of this approach and has worked to innovate around how people outside the comms team in the public sector can do to really connect withRead… Read more »

Finding the Real Life Heroes of Orange is the New Black

If you’re anything like me, “Orange is the New Black” has taken over your life. The show illustrates the difficult and fascinating life within the walls of a federal prison. The show is fiction, but the cruel world OITNB depicts is sadly often representative of what really happens in federal penitentiaries. But there are thoseRead… Read more »

How Much Do You Know About the ADA & People with Disabilities?

Last Saturday, July 26, marked the 24-year anniversary of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The landmark law was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Since then, the ADA has been instrumental in securing justice and equality for people with disabilities (PWD) in all facets of American life. The ADA has commonlyRead… Read more »

10 Tips for Women and Negotiation

Several months back I reconnected with a UChicago classmate who is total rock star over in the private sector. Lindsey used to help me survive advanced statistics classes and now she is the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Goldman Sachs Bank USA. When I say Lindsey is a rock star I meanRead… Read more »

How to Engage in Public-Private Partnerships

We’re blogging from the Next Generation of Government Training Summit. Follow along @NextGenGov and read more blog posts here. Issues of Engagement: As an educator and director of a mentoring program I didn’t realize how difficult it was to foster relationships between Private and Public sectors in the government. I mean, I figured that everyRead… Read more »

Communications Professionals Have 5 Years to Understand Digital, or Become Unemployable

Back in 2009 I started telling communications professionals that they had ten years to understand digital channels and integrate them into their thinking, or there would no longer be jobs for them in the industry. I also blogged about this in February 2010. At the time this was highly confronting to a number of experiencedRead… Read more »