Weekly Research and Best Practices

Research
1. Gender differences in Web Usability (06/30/2010) – The worldwide study adds some key insights into the growing research on gender differences on the Web and in particular around social networking usage. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2010/Women_on_the_Web_How_Women_are_Shaping_the_Internet
2. The Fading Glory of the Television and Telephone (08/19/2010) – Pew study finds the TV and the landline phone are both losing their cachet in the digital age, as fewer consider them necessities. http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/762/fading-glory-television-telephone-luxury-necessity
News
1. Mastering the Web: An Old-Fashioned Notion? (08/12/2010) – Is the term webmaster an accurate description of the responsibilities of today’s web professional, or is that moniker just a quaint artifact from the simpler, earliest days of the web? http://reboot.fcc.gov/blog?entryId=655063
2. State looks to consolidate citizen services (08/17/2010) – State is looking to replace the existing suite of passport and U.S. citizen services systems with a new set of information management tools. http://fcw.com/articles/2010/08/17/state-department-global-citizen-services.aspx
3. Interagency Collaboration Practices (08/17/2010) – GAO has published a series of useful reports on interagency collaboration practices. The reports focus on national security agencies but the “lessons learned” are applicable in civilian agencies. http://www.businessofgovernment.org/blog/business-government/interagency-collaboration-practices
4. Is Facebook suitable for govt transactions? (08/16/2010) – Interviews with officials in Indonesia, Australia and Singapore say that despite data security concerns, some government transactions on Facebook or Twitter will very soon be possible. http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2010/aug/16/facebook-suitable-govt-transactions/
5. Next Generation 911 and Text Messaging (08/16/2010) – Durham County will soon join other dispatch centers in the state with the capability to receive text messages and streaming video. http://www.input.com/blogs/public/index.cfm/State–Local
6. 5 Open Data Apps That Are Improving Our Cities (08/13/2010) – CIO for the City and County of San Francisco highlights five innovative apps that represent openness, collaboration and innovation are at the center. http://mashable.com/2010/08/13/open311-apps/