Communications

Engaging the public in policy using blogs as discussion forums

I work at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and we’re trying out some old tools in new ways. Currently, our enforcement office is using two blogs to post concepts and then taking comments from anyone who wants to join in. 1) Setting environmental enforcement priorities 2) Establishing a plan to improve enforcement of the CleanRead… Read more »

Why Social Media isn’t Cool: “Automation Killed The Social Media Star”

Don’t worry, I still believe social media is cool, but check out the perspective in the article: “Automation Killed The Social Media Star” it is stated that, “Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) tweeted the following: ‘Social media isnt cool. Human interaction is cool. Just fyi.’ ” I like the thought process in the article and it justRead… Read more »

Creating an effective crisis communications plan

We live in an “instant information” age, with 24-hours news channels on TV, radio, and the Web, all needing information and wanting exciting, attention-getting headlines. This creates an environment where managing the message to the media takes on heightened importance, since the chance for a misstep to go unnoticed is slim. We have all seenRead… Read more »

Integrating an online community engagement strategy

Republished from eGov AU. When I wrote my first online community engagement strategy for Telstra’s Wireplay service in 1997, one of the factors I considered was how to ‘complete the loop’ – integrate inbound and outbound online channels to reach, engage and promote interaction across the widest possible audience. In those days we used massRead… Read more »

GovTwit Week in Review 8/23 – 8/29

Busy weekend, so consider this the “day-late but hopefully not dollar short” edition of the week in review… ~~~~~~ Great commentary posted on the “Web 2.0 Revolution” by GSA CIO Casey Coleman over at Federal Times last week where she draws parallels between Revolutionary War pamphleteer Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” writings and the rise ofRead… Read more »