Communications

The digital divide in the age of Gov 2.0: another perspective

It might have different definitions, but a simple one by Bharat Mehra defines digital divide as “the troubling gap between those who use computers and the Internet and those who do not“. The term is usually incorporated in e-Government programas as a challenge need to be tackled to secure more up-take of government online servicesRead… Read more »

Attributes of the Social Ecosystem

The Social Ecosystem*. The Social Ecosystem provides a structure within which all types of organizations live and interact. This ecosystem is open and inclusive of both public and private organizations and remains independent of geography and language. You and I are in a great place. We are in a virtual room, looking at an emptyRead… Read more »

Chatting with Carol Spencer, Web Manager for Morris County, New Jersey

This past weekend I was listening to Government 2.0 Radio and the guest was Carol Spencer, Web Manager for Morris County, New Jersey. Carol brings some truly unique insights to this role based upon her past roles as an elected official and multiple years spent in Marketing at IBM. I followed up with Carol afterRead… Read more »

Blog Series: Part 2 – So You Hired a Gen Y – Now Get The Most Out of Them!

Blog Series: So You Hired a Gen Y – Now Get The Most Out of Them! A Tolero Solutions blog series on how to utilize Gen Y using the Gen Y Recruitment and Retention Lifecycle™ By: Scott Span, MSOD Phase 2 – Assess In a previous post So You Hired a Gen Y – NowRead… Read more »

Creating a Culture of Customer Service – “And Would You Like Catsup for Your Fries?”

Last week, a friend told me about a presentation she’d just done for some local elected officials, on making government websites customer-friendly. She said the session had gone really well – they got it. But this is what caught my attention. She said some of these government officials had never thought about their websites inRead… Read more »

Counties’ Fear of Social Media…But Need Not Be

In a word…fear. That about sums up most local government leaders and their thoughts about the use of social media. As the government with the closest proximity to the public it serves, a lot of my peers worry about opening up another dialogue venue. Many aren’t familiar with social media sites and can’t envision whatRead… Read more »

Organizational Entrepreneurs: 21st Century Leaders

Making Mountains out of Capitol Hill A first time visitor to Capitol Hill will probably be surprised to find the legislative branch of United States government essentially run by twenty-something-year-olds fresh out of school. “I’m 33 and I am past my time,” Eric Johnson, former Chief of Staff to Robert Wexler (D-FL), told a groupRead… Read more »

Weekly News on Research and Best Practices

Resources 1. Use Twitter in place of surveys and polls (05/26/2010) – Carnegie Mellon University finds text data generated from Twitter and other social networking sites can be used in place of formal surveys and polling to measure public opinion. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~nasmith/papers/oconnor+balasubramanyan+routledge+smith.icwsm10.pdf 2. Democracy Pays (05/26/2010) –UK study shows citizen participation in decision making can produceRead… Read more »