Weekly Research and Best Practices

Research
Victorian Government (Australia) 2.0 Action Plan (07/2010) – Details how to systematically embed Web 2.0 techniques and tools into government. Highlights four priority areas plus steps to reform public sector culture, build capability, engage proactively, and innovate iteratively. http://www.dtf.vic.gov.au/CA257310001D7FC4/WebObj/20100812Government2/$File/20100812%20Government%202.0%20action%20plan.pdf
News
1. YouTube and Automatic Captioning (08/2010) – YouTube and Google Video now offer automatic captioning for more inclusive web content. Users can caption their own content making it accessible to people who cannot follow along with the audio. http://www.inclusivemedia.ca/launch/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=9
2. Customer Experience Matters! (08/24/2010) –What can your agency do to stand out from the crowd? Deliver engaging and memorable customer experiences.
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/10308?pg=all

3. Americans Vote: Make Federal Customer Service a Priority (08/31/2010) – 83 percent of Americans believe customer service is something that Federal agencies can improve. Another 42 percent say they would pay an additional $10 in taxes each year for better government service – $552.3 million more in taxes annually. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100831005398/en
4. 5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now (08/20/2010) – Five of the hottest social media trends influencing our social, online and mobile behaviors in significant ways. http://mashable.com/2010/08/20/top-5-social-media-trends/

5. How agencies are crowd-sourcing their way out of problems (08/30/2010) – When NASA scientists were stymied last year trying to devise a formula for predicting solar flares, they took an innovative approach: They posted their problem online and offered a prize to anyone who could solve it. http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20100830/AGENCY03/8300301/1001