Recently, NCDD has been part of an ongoing conversation about whether online comment sections can be spaces for dialogue and if there are methods or tools we can use to make those spaces more civil. One of our NCDD organizational members, the National Institute for Civil Discourse, recently released on a study on the topicRead… Read more »
In the early 20th century, you could only listen to music by attending live performances. Then you could listen to it on recordings. Then radio, vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, Napster iTunes and now through various streaming services like Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify. If the technology to record and listen to music evolves so rapidly, whyRead… Read more »
It’s been said that everyone can light up a room — some when they enter, and others when they leave. Which type of person are you? Likeable? Or not so much? Research has consistently proven that we are inclined to respond positively to people whom we like. That means we buy from those we like,Read… Read more »
Lately, my associates and I have been doing quite a bit of social network visualization research for clients, typically using raw social data and comprehensive, fee-based custom tools. While these are great for deep analysis and strategic planning, sometimes a simple free tool can do the trick if all you are looking for is quickRead… Read more »
You want every selfie and status update to get attention from your friends. But are all your friends seeing your posts? If they are, are you engaging them? Government organizations face this same challenge. Given Facebook and Twitter’s popularity in the last few years, federal, state and local organizations have worked to engage people onRead… Read more »
Harvard’s Bob Behn has been working on his latest book about the “-Stat” movement for more than a decade. I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release and told him I would read and share my impressions with others. In his inimitable response, he just asked that I spelled “Behn” and “PerformanceStat” correctly. Since 2001, Dr. BehnRead… Read more »
As summer’s barbecues and beach days wind down, so do the experiences of a select group of graduate and undergraduate students in GAO’s Student Intern Program. We talked to some of them about their experiences. Student interns are hired to contribute to our teams and gain experience in the roles of analysts, program staff, orRead… Read more »
With mobile technology, 24/7 news coverage, Twitter, Facebook, Buzzfeed, iPhones, and other constant updates, sometimes we just need to stop and reflect. Take a breath. Really, take a breath. Sometimes you gain the most by slowing down and reading a good book. Holding something tangible in your hands to read shouldn’t be obsolete, but aRead… Read more »
Many of us keep our days chock full from sunup to sundown, but in the end we still feel swamped by our to do lists. It’s such a common feeling in our society that productivity gurus have made millions selling us books, apps, and systems designed to boost our work output. The problem with evenRead… Read more »
Big data is driving game-changing innovations in both the private and public sector. With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the shared economy, and advances in robotics, our society is being fundamentally changed by technology and the data generated from that technology. These developments are powering changes in the ways organizations collect, storeRead… Read more »