Corey McCarren's Blog (132)

Today is my last day as a GovLoop fellow; it's been awesome, and I'm hoping to stay active in the GovLoop community. I've learned much about marketing analytics during my time here and have significantly improved my writing skills. The opportunity to help write the social media section of the Communications Guide and writing the Federal Buzz for the Washington Post have been among my favorite parts of the…

Lately I've become obsessed with the show Parks and Recreation. I think it's hysterical -- and maybe part of that is because I work around government, and can relate the characters to people I've met. But it does make me wonder, is the show reinforcing negative stereotypes about government? For example:

1) Leslie Knope is a bright eyed bureaucrat, trying extraordinarily hard…

Social media has become a major influencer in the way candidates campaign. Newark's Cory Booker has over one million followers, and is one of the best examples of a politician successfully utilizing social media. On New Years Eve in 2010, Mayor Booker even responded to a grandson tweeting about his grandfather who needed his driveway shoveled. Booker tweeted "I will…

Cybersecurity is a big deal, especially after the revelations of the role of the United States behind Stuxnet and the Flame virus. We've learned that cyber-infrastructure isn't particularly well protected, and the Security Innovation Network (SINET) is looking to change that through collaboration. Robert Rodriguez of…

Flavor Flav once said “don’t believe the hype,” but should we when it comes to cloud computing? In administrative circles it seems to be the talk of the town, and certainly has benefits, though it’s still developing as a way to store data. Christopher Dorobek of the DorobekINSIDER recently sat down with Jim Sweeney,…

Checking into locations can be entertaining; trust me, I'm the trainspotter champion on Foursquare. But it can also be dangerous, as children have access to geolocation apps which can attract predators and adults aren't always much wiser when checking in.…

Physics, according to Jacob Taylor, is studying how nature works at a fundamental level, and using that knowledge to apply it in different ways. Jacob has been working hard at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, thinking through new technologies as a…

At the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. last week, the organization backed an action plan to promote technology, entrepreneurship, open government, and innovation. The Technology and Innovation Task Force, which was created in the beginning of this year, passed a resolution which aims to promote open data at all levels of government;…

Orlando Sanford International Airport has received preliminary approval to use private security screeners to screen passengers and personal property. It may now be one of the airports operating under the Screening Partnership Program, of which there are currently 16.…

With the release of the White House’s Digital Government Strategy, agencies are being asked to take certain steps towards growing digital government in the United States. Already, Jay Huie, who consults as a senior information engineer and an information architect, has built a website to…

App contests are a great way to get useful programs for your agency, but there's something more important which can result from a well-run app competition. Christopher Dorobek of the DorobekINSIDER spoke with Clay Johnson, author of…

As I've come to realize, government and industry play an important role in supporting each other. There are many emerging technologies -- see graphene -- which without government investment in commercializing the technology, may never make it out of the research labs. Government Chief Information, Innovation, and Technology Officers have come to realize this, as reported by…

After speaker Allison Silver at the Victory In Procurement event was up, John Shoraka of the Small Business Administration was up to speak.

The Small Business Administration provides many great resources for small businesses looking to acquire government contracts, including counseling, access to capital, and…

This past Friday, I attended the event, “Victory in Procurement: Grow Your Business through Government Contracting.” It featured awards for outstanding government contractors as well as several breakout sessions…

Pinterest, with tremendous growth as of late, has made a splash in the world of social media. The photo-sharing website was the fastest website ever to break through 10 million unique visitors, and 40-60 percent of registrants regularly use the service after they've created accounts.…

As part of the White House’s recently released digital government strategy, a new Presidential Innovation Fellows  program has been created. The program brings in 15 innovators from outside government who provide expertise on projects, particularly those that are technology related. Tom Fox, vice president for…

The Transportation Security Administration has been a hot-bed of House GOP criticism for months, most recently noted by the House Homeland Security transportation subcommittee hearing titled "TSA’s Efforts to Fix Its Poor Customer Service Reputation and Become a Leaner, Smarter Agency.” The title was objected to by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), who claimed that it was…

Without a doubt, the federal government will be facing austerity measures in coming years. On top of these measures, federal government is being restructured, which reshapes the way government needs to operate. NextGen 2012 speaker and chairman of Venture Philanthropy Partners as well as the…

As of late, I've become a huge fan of The Colbert Report. I am interested in politics and media, which are Stephen Colberts biggest targets for satire, and he does a great job at making both look absurd. The right-wing political pundit's show is full of memorable quotes, such as "Democrats lead in all the polls by at least ten points,…

As of late, we've all heard of the threat of new, advanced, nation-state sponsored viruses like Stuxnet and Flame. But it's important not to forget the risk posed by run-of-the-mill malware to our machines and personal information. McAfee's latest threat report suggest that this year is shaping up to be one of increased risk online, with PC and smartphone threats reaching a 4-year high.…