Can you correctly answer these three questions about our American government and nation from the 100-question naturalization test for new citizens? Most 8th and 12th graders in the U.S. could not! Read more in my new GPO Government Book Talk blog post called Quiz: Are you smarter than an 8th grade Civics student? in honorRead… Read more »
Conventional wisdom among many stock market analysts used to be that highly successful social media companies such as Facebook, Groupon and others would fare well in the U.S. stock market. Yet, surprisingly, just the opposite has occurred in many instances invovling the largest and most successful social media sites. Some social media outfits have seenRead… Read more »
In just one week, I’m heading to NAGW’s 10th National Conference, which begins Wednesday, September 12 in Kansas City. I can’t wait. I always come back so fired up, and full of new ideas. If you’re like me, and want to get the most out of the conference, you’ll attend a couple of pre-conference sessionsRead… Read more »
Does the Federal Government need to rebrand itself, as some have recently suggested, due to low public approval, politically-charged rhetoric, and negative stereotypes of Federal employees? I think not. Rather, I stipulate that: 1) Rebranding Feds is unnecessary and inadvisable at this time, and 2) There is no real “crisis” for Feds that warrants aRead… Read more »
Digital citizens are feeling more empowered and believe that government needs to do more to address their needs, according to a recent study from Accenture, conducted by leading government market research firm Market Connections, Inc. Nearly half (44 percent) of 1,400 citizens surveyed in seven countries — Australia, France, Germany, India, Singapore, the United StatesRead… Read more »
Two online articles, a Twitter exchange, and my own musings in the past few days have centered around the roles that “ordinary” citizens are adopting with the help of sensors and connectivity technology. The two articles that I noticed were Matthew Hall’s “Citizens as a Platform for Civic Improvement” and Robert Krulwich’s “The Three LittleRead… Read more »
Now how true do these observations hold for America and elsewhere? The Canberra Times kindly published an article of mine in the Public Sector Informant magazine. The informant itself is not available on line so I’ve provided it in pdf below. You sometimes hear people complain about how the press alters the what they sayRead… Read more »
Hi folks, I’m new to the GovLoop community. It was recommended that I post this here and get some feedback. Originally posted on opensource.com. The article is CC-BY-SA, attributions Jason Hibbets. How do you get techies, govies, and citizens to identify, collaborate, and start creating solutions for your local government? Host a CityCamp. It’s easierRead… Read more »
I was thinking about the remarkable power of citizens and their determination to peacefully overthrow the governments in Egypt and Tunisia. Their hope now is to replace decades old regimes with a democratic form of government whose leaders are selected and elected by the people. The model nation they are using? The United States ofRead… Read more »
Hi everyone, Just wanted to drop by and mention today’s launch of a new local government news/engagement website that I’ve been developing and thinking about for some time. In Fairfax County, our news lived in silos by department or other organizational boundaries. Social media sites existed, but often separate from news delivery and conversation. WeRead… Read more »