The Department of Innovation Universities and Skills Social Media Manager, Steph Gray, asked an interesting question the other day about second life and examples of government use. I have to admit, I’m not a particularly big fan of the platform. Whilst I think there are potential applications for government in virtual worlds, take-up is stillRead… Read more »
A friend sent this NiceCritic.com website link to me and thought it would be a great way for Feds to give subtle, anonymous feedback to their co-workers. Anyone ever tried it? Click on the “Categories” tab at the top and you’ll see how to use it. I especially liked the “Anonymous Praise” category to cheerRead… Read more »
In preparing for a workshop on Web 2.0 a couple weeks ago, I came across the State of California’s YouTube channel. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out. The best video is a PSA by the Department of Boats and Waterways. Guaranteed: 30 seconds that’ll make you smile…not just because it’s aRead… Read more »
When I set out to create GovLoop.com, I had a number of ideas. I’ve talked about my idea and philosophy in a couple places (here, here) but in short, I thought there needed to be a central online hub connecting the government community. A place to have discussion that wasn’t based on agency, type ofRead… Read more »
Today I am posting from The Public Manager and American Society for Public Administration (ASPA)’s conference in Baltimore, MD – dubbed “Transforming Bureaucratic Cultures: Challenges and Solutions for Public Management Practitioners.” The conference has featured six tracks: performance, accountability, human capital, technology, communication and governance. Thought leaders from across government, industry, and academia have gatheredRead… Read more »
In two separate articles last week, our Armed Forces received a mixed review on their use of Web 2.0 tools: The first article, Army Secretary: We’re Falling Behind, declares: “Senior Army leaders have fallen behind the breakneck development of cheap digital communications including cell phones, digital cameras and Web 2.0 Internet sites such as blogsRead… Read more »
Just joined GovLoop at the recommendation of Steve Kelman! Looks like this is a long-needed forum for public sector employees and I’m interested in helping bring both content and connections. The IBM Center for The Business of Government offers thought leadereship resources for government managers on a wide range of topics. It commissions research fromRead… Read more »
Welcome to the Hokie Guru’s inaugural post on GovLoop. The Hokie Guru commonly refers to himself in the third person, similar to Jimmy from Seinfeld. However, please do not refer to yourself in the third person when you are writing in the federal government. Remember; use “plain language.” GovLoop has endorsed the Hokie Guru asRead… Read more »
Recently, I finished the book How Washington Really Works. It is just one book in a series (Bureacracy, Case for Bureaucracy, Hardball) I’ve been reading trying to understand the government space where I work. Since my master’s is not in public policy, a lot of this is still new to me and I am basicallyRead… Read more »
Is there anything more dreadful than writing KSAs? It was only last November where I remembered writing 9 KSAs over a weekend (for two openings) and feeling like I just ran a marathon. The only good thing about KSAs is that they are so painful that it limits the number of people that apply. WithRead… Read more »