Weekly Round-up: October 8, 2010

Gadi Ben-Yehuda

• People are paying to play a game while it’s being written. What are the lessons for government? Perhaps that people are willing to pay for unfinished services provided that their input has an impact on the final product.
• National Public Radio (NPR) released the results of its Twitter survey. What does the profile of your agency’s new media consumers look like? NPR found that it’s Twitter users were different than it’s Facebook users and different also than it’s listeners overall. Question: will it change it’s Twitter behaviors accordingly?
• The FCC is opening up white spaces for unlicensed use. Farhad Manjoo writes about the exciting implications of faster, further-reaching WiFi.
• FourSquare wants you to live a better life. The location-aware game now rewards people for more than just showing up; people can earn badges for healthy living. Could governments team up with game-makers to reward civic living?
• More good news for privacy. It would seem the government cannot attach a GPS to your car while it’s in your driveway and then use it to track your motions without obtaining a warrant.
• O’Reilly Media’s Alex Howard takes me to task for leaving out journalism in my consideration of Citizen 2.0: Coordinator. I still think it falls squarely within Citizen 2.0: Creator, though I failed to mention the profession explicitly.

John Kamensky

• President Signs Transition Modernization Bill. President Obama signed a bill that will smooth the transition between presidents. The bill allows earlier access to planning monies and office space by candidates.
• Recovery Act Spending on Time, on Budget. According to the Washington Post, a new White House report (which seems to be no where on its website) says that 70 percent of the $787 billion in the Recovery Act has been disbursed. The Post says report gives high marks to states and localities for saving or producing 3.5 million jobs. Typically, 5 to 7 percent of government contracts generate complaints. Recovery Act programs have generated less than 2 percent. Here’s a related White House report: “One Hundred Recovery Act Projects Changing America.”
• Technology execs release recommendations to save $1 Trillion. Top technology executives released a set of recommended strategies based on corporate best practices that federal agencies could use to cut costs and improve performance over the next decade. The report was quickly endorsed by OMB. The IBM Center is sponsoring a blog exploring in depth the various strategies cited in the report. Read the report: “Strategies to Cut Costs and Improve Performance“

Dan Chenok

• Making the Difference spotlights jobs and internships for federal entry-level job seekers.
• A challenge is afoot that asks emerging designers and architects to turn a midcentury federal office building into a model of environmental efficiency.
• Federal Computer Week reports on a survey finding that social media sites are the most widely-used Gov 2.0 tools.

Business of Government Radio Show: Ivan Handler

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.

Ivan Handler is the Chief Information Officer of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which is responsible for providing healthcare coverage for adults and children who qualify for Medicaid, and for providing Child Support Enforcement services to help ensure that Illinois children receive financial support from both parents.

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.