Communications

Avoiding the Legislative Roadblocks – A Year In Review

The end of the year means two things: setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and endless retrospectives. While we can’t force you to put down the cake and pick up a carrot, we can help you do your job better by highlighting some of the biggest and best innovations to come out of government in theRead… Read more »

How to Leverage Data Throughout Your Building’s Entire Life-Cycle

Did you know that in the US, buildings are consuming 70% of all electricity and up to 50% of it is wasted? By making modest investments in the way in which you manage your building, your agency can witness cost savings and identify new efficiencies. This all starts with understanding your buildings’ data, and learningRead… Read more »

Call to Industry – join GSA to discuss the future vision of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE)

The Integrated Award Environment (IAE) constitutes a critical set of information systems that serve both industry and government as a consolidated platform supporting government-wide acquisitions. These include SAM, FedBizOps, FPDS-NG and others. Over the last year, GSA has invested significant effort and resources to stabilize, secure and continuously improve the new SAM system and program.Read… Read more »

It’s a Federal Snow Day! What You Need to Know

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! Due to snow, federal agencies in, D.C. are closed Tuesday. OPM said emergency and telework-ready employees required to work must follow their agency’s policies, including written telework agreements. (The information below is copied directly from OPM) Non-Emergency Employees (including employees on pre-approved paid leave) will beRead… Read more »

Social Software Platforms: High-Level Guidance for Organizations

Summary: This post offers high-level guidance for organizations looking to acquire and implement a social software solution to facilitate communication and collaboration in a secure environment via a private digital network (e.g., an enterprise 2.0 or social business platform, a social intranet, a digital community). It provides considerations for getting started, selecting a social softwareRead… Read more »

Storytelling: The Most Powerful Communications Tool in History

We are storytelling animals. It’s what differentiates us from our primate cousins. We are literally Homo narrativus. We use stories to assign meaning to our lives, transmit vital information and communicate with future generations. Without our storytelling ability, we would never have evolved out of the jungles of Africa. Human history begins with stories, likeRead… Read more »

“Complicated” vs. “Complex”

Someone asked for comment, I offered it. The background: A gentleman who makes a living “reducing complexity” for IT systems keeps running into some of us on Twitter who study complexity. You can imagine the entertaining exchanges, which led to his posting these observations on his LinkedIn group. The ask: There is a group ofRead… Read more »

Checking in on the States – Big IT developments in 2013

The end of the year means two things: setting unrealistic New Year’s resolutions and endless retrospectives. While we can’t force you to put down the cake and pick up a carrot, we can help you do your job better by highlighting some of the biggest and best innovations to come out of government in theRead… Read more »

The Power of the Message – Why It’s Important to Tell Stories

How can your communications engage stakeholders to take action and drive mission value? This was the big question addressed at FCG and GovDelivery’s Annual Digital Communications event: The Power of the Message. The event brought together government leaders at all levels to discuss the importance of effective communication and the power of your message. KeynoteRead… Read more »

Why local councils ought to be getting social

This article was originally written for the SLCC‘s ‘Clerk’ magazine. It’s almost impossible to turn on the television or open a newspaper these days without seeing reference to online networks such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The impact of these technologies in the last decade has been huge, transforming the way people communicate, work andRead… Read more »