Weekly Round-up: December 3, 2010

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

• Last week, I wrote about Michael Agger’s article, “How should we use data to improve our lives?” He’s since collected a host of interesting suggestions, and you should check it out and even add your own.
• American Libraries presents 11 trends for 2011, including quite a few that are relevant for the Gov 2.0 crowd.
• Jesse Stanchak interviews IBM’s Harriet Pearson about what makes for a good social media policy. Along those lines, the CEO of Best Buy talks about learning to love social media.
• The GSA picks Google for its email services and NPR details how Facebook, now surpassing Google in daily traffic, is facing competition from newer social networks.
• Three reports make a single point: virtual currency is getting real-er every day. The Economist writes that the virtual world is more closely mirroring the real world, down to real-time updates. Fast Company covers a speech by Jesse Schell, who shows how virtual games are being “stacked” on reality and encouraging us to change our behaviors. Finally, Alan Silberman brings it home for a Gov 2.0 landing when he write that virtual credits will change Gov 2.0. Taken together, I think there’s definitely a case to be made that the relationship between the real world and the virtual world is growing stronger and more complicated as each evolves.

John Kamensky

• Accountability cannot coerce competence. Harvard’s Bob Behn questions whether loud criticisms of failures will motivate greater accountability. . . . and if more accountability will actually lead to greater competence.
• Our Budget, Our Economy. Obama’s Deficit Commission failed to reach a consensus on recommendations, but ordinary citizens were able to do so in a similar effort this past summer. Why could citizens resolve serious issues but politicians can’t? What were the lessons learned from the citizen-based effort?
• Using Web 2.0 to support collaboration. Russ Linden writes an insightful column describing four ways governments can use Web 2.0 to improve collaboration between employees, between agencies, between agencies and customers, and between sectors in society around big challenges.

Dan Chenok

• GSA’s new Social Media portal is up!
• Arguments in Favor of a US Privacy Official.
• Data center consolidation savings take a fair amount of effort to make real.

Business of Government Radio Show: Leaders Speak Series

The Business of Government Hour features a conversation about management with a government executive who is changing the way government does business. The executives discuss their careers and the management challenges facing their organizations. Past government executives include Administrators, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Commissioners, Controllers, Directors, and Undersecretaries.

This week, the Center presents a conversation with government technology leaders on the intersection of technology and government mission.

Each week, The Business of Government Hour interviews government executive who are changing the way government does business. The show airs four times a week on two radio stations in the DC Metro Area. If you can’t wait, though, we also put it online. You can also search our audio archives for your favorite interview.