Happy Thursday! More than 98 percent of the companies, educational institutions and other groups that have received economic stimulus money submitted spending reports last quarter, the White House announced on Tuesday. The news essentially means that most stimulus recipients turned in their homework on schedule last month, providing federal agencies with information on how theyRead… Read more »
I was impressed when I read Nancy’s post on GovLoop detailing how social media saved five state parks in Virginia, a cost of $500,000 per year (https://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/how-social-media-helped-save?xg_source=activity). I was so impressed with what I read that I wanted to follow-up with Nancy to better understand the original thinking behind these social efforts, the cost, andRead… Read more »
Washington has no shortage of rituals, but few seem to draw more commotion or are parsed for deeper meaning than the annual unveiling of the president’s budget. Now that the budget documents are electronically certified and made available online, the traditional release of freshly bound tomes at the Government Printing Office before a phalanx ofRead… Read more »
The best way to present new information is a story. The best way to get a listener to focus on your story is to start with a question. Did you ever feel your body lurch to answer when someone asked a good question? In direct mail, a proven start is the “Passover Opening” from “WhyRead… Read more »
Complete our survey, tag content HKS20 (#HKS20 on Twitter), leave comments to this blog or email me by Friday 26th February to share your thoughts on the current and future use of technology in public service delivery This article has been reposted from FutureGov’s site. The initial deadline for ideas was this Friday 26th February,Read… Read more »
Happy Wednesday! Officials at the Department of Homeland Security have told lawmakers in recent weeks that it employs more private contractors than government employees, a revelation that shouldn’t surprise close observers of the department’s seven-year history. The department employs 200,000 contractors, and roughly 188,000 federal employees, a total that does not include uniformed members ofRead… Read more »
I just attended the Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE 8) and saw an eye-popping presentation on an Open Source dental practice management application that was written by a dentist in Inverness, Scotland as a response to ill treatment he’d received at the hands of a proprietary software vendor. Apparently he’d attended a previous conference inRead… Read more »
We have never doubted that the public loves us. With 7 million visitors each year, we know folks love and value Virginia’s state parks. But, knowing they care and rallying support are two different things. More than ten years ago the Virginia Association for Parks was formed to support state and national parks in Virginia.Read… Read more »
I recently exchanged e-mails with Catherine Gropp who is the Assistant Director of Communications and the Social Media Coordinator at the Office of the Treasury for Massachusetts. Here are some of Catherine’s thoughts on open government (government 2.0) and on th use of collaboration strategies and technologies. Q. What are your thoughts on government 2.0,Read… Read more »
Just before the start of a “Stress, Change and Creative Teaming” workshop, I was testing out my microphone. The program was for managers of a global engineering company. Most of the 50 + particpants were ex-military, now contractors working with commands and brigades based at Ft. Hood, TX or presently stationed overseas. As I calledRead… Read more »