Say your piece. A lot of people have served our country and sacrificed to make sure that you can. The crucible of ideas that began in Independence Hall has now spread to the internet. Social networking is a logical extension of the vision of the framers and founders: an idea is expressed and through examination, debate, and filtering by your fellow citizens is accepted or rejected. Perhaps modified, and hopefully improved. Sometimes it’s just plain blown out of the water. That is OK.
I’ve noticed that many participating in the govloop experience here are degreed, accomplished leaders in an incredible array of disciplines. It can be intimidating to say anything at all. But please remember Shakespeare, Jefferson, Lincoln and Adams had no degrees. So most of you have an advantage. OPM would probably kick out their applications for federal service today.
Lincoln said, “A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for
successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.”
–September 30, 1859 Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
Even people from Alaska can have ideas about how things should work in Washington, D.C. What I like love about this social networking crucible is the speed at which ideas can spread, be shared, and sometimes, be blown out of the water. (Our recent election comes to mind as an example of this speed.)
So read on and then say your piece. At some point, an idea is ready to pour from the crucible into the mold of a project, plan, or action. And that is what it is all about. Doing something. Social networking is a way to get it right. Faster and better.
Great post Mark – should be required reading for all GovLoop members! I think the same thing can be said in all our “real world” interactions as well – don’t be afraid to say your piece anywhere and everywhere because there’s benefit in ideas (even the ones that are rejected).
Is there a way to message this to ALL govloop members?
Very well spoken. This whole social networking thing is new to me (I’m old school that way), and to be honest I don’t have a lot of time to put into it. But I am enjoying it, and I definitely see the value. The speed with which information and ideas can travel is amazing. And talk about connecting people. Have you heard that statistic that says everyone in the world is separated by each other by 6 degrees or whatever? It came from some study of emails that get forwarded around. (this probably only applies to people w/ internet access, I imagine).
Blogging, social networking, and the like are the only way we are going to be able to take back our public discussions from corporate media. The only way Truth will be resurrected in the public arena.
As for people in Alaska knowing things……I don’t know…..Palin is your governor. (wink wink). I have to say, I was a little offended by some of the comments about her “only” being the gov of AK. That was kind of insulting. But the Wasilla comments — those were all deserved!