Learning from history, I am often enlightened by how redefining a problem can lead to a relatively easy solution…even after years and years of fruitless work. John Battelle, a social media pioneer, pointed to an article redefining how we can think of cancer, featuring Danny Hillis, who has previously figured out some important things, likeRead… Read more »
If you are an agency, organization or individual that has made use of customized Twitter backgrounds to share contact info, expanded “about me,” Facebook URLs and more in the left-hand side of the Twitter.com profile page, then the roll out of “New Twitter” may leave you with some additional work to spruce up your page.Read… Read more »
What we read this week at The IBM Center for the Business of Government: Gadi Ben-Yehuda Spy drones for your iPhone! I found two “Welcome to the Age of Skynet” toys this week: Rovio, a three-wheel robot with a camera that you can control over the the Web, and the very Terminator Salvation Parrot AR,Read… Read more »
It’s always nice to get good press, eh? Well, Steve Ressler and GovLoop got a really nice mention in The Economist today, under the Schumpeter column titled “The wiki way: Two cyber-gurus take a second look at how the Internet is changing the world.” Here’s the relevant excerpt: Wikinomics is even rejuvenating the fusty oldRead… Read more »
Why should people do ‘government work’? What’s in it for them and how can we make it easier, more rewarding, or both? In his book, “The McDonaldization of Society,” George Ritzer points out an invisible obvious fact: McDonald’s is able to keep its costs low in part becuase its patrons perform essential functions for theRead… Read more »
The Federal Communication Commission embraces Drupal, the White House Press Secretary presses on in the face of a Twitter bug, IT professionals share the failures that helped lead to their ultimate successes, and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act is in the process of getting a makeover in this, the first Fall edition of the GovRead… Read more »
For citizens, a visit to your website might be the only interaction they ever have with your agency. A bad experience on even one government website is a poor reflection on all of us. Is your website showing your agency, and the government, at its best? Writing content in plain language is the most importantRead… Read more »
In presenting on social media for local government, I try to emphasize that it’s not about the tool, it’s about the innovation. It’s about engaging people who may not naturally visit your web site or your city hall, but still care deeply about their government and their community. It’s about meeting people where they areRead… Read more »
The recent stir around the Stuxnet malware definitely ups the ante as it pertains to the potential damage that a piece of software can invoke. For those of you not familiar with this recent finding, stuxnet essentially hunts down a specific Siemens programmable logic controller (something that facilitates electromechanical processes) and disrupts the timing ofRead… Read more »
Original post by guest author Dave McClure, Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, U.S. General Services Administration, on GovDelivery’s Reach the Public blog. We live our lives in real time and the government is moving to respond, react, and communicate with the public in more open and agile ways. Often, however, weRead… Read more »