Emoji are now a part of how people all over the world communicate. Some people in government are enthusiastically embracing emoji (looking at you, 18F), knowing that they are quickly becoming a conventional element of our nonverbal communications. Even if you’re not ready to use emoji, in order to understand what people are saying it’s important to at least learn what emoji areRead… Read more »
One week a year, extra effort goes into making sure that more Americans learn about the awesome people who work in public service. This celebration happens during Public Service Recognition Week from May 3–9, 2015 and honors federal, state, county and local government employees. Across the nation there will be acts of appreciation, special events, media attention, and a social media storm. While publicRead… Read more »
Whenever I think of county government, an annoying ear-worm of a song pops into my head. Backed by a twangy hoedown tune at odds with the county’s New York suburban character, the TV commercial for the Westchester County Fair sang promises of “Rides and attractions! Non-stop action! Shows! Animals! Fireworks, too!” Hokey summertime county fairs were my firstRead… Read more »
Want to attend a truly awesome virtual event? Sign up for GovLoop’s free 4th Annual Government Innovators Virtual Summit on April 22nd. We live in a golden age of professional development. Gone, or at least really dimished are time-wasting travel misadventures, rubbery hotel chicken dinners, and awkward run-ins with people you’d rather avoid. Virtual conferences and trainings solve a lot of problems. They provideRead… Read more »
Just four years ago I avoided speaking in public. Yet, to get ahead in my job, I knew that I had to start saying yes to invitations to speak. That meant I had to figure out how to get over my fear of public speaking. Jump cut to today and now I frequently give webinarRead… Read more »
It’s been a wild ride on Game of Thrones. When season 5 premiers on April 12, 2015, fans will anxiously watch leaders rise and fall, armies gather in force, and characters—some beloved, some despised—face untimely demise in a relentless battle between noble houses for the kingdom’s throne. You might be surprised at all you can learn about building social influenceRead… Read more »
Buried, hopefully deeply, in my hometown newspaper archives, there’s a photograph of a dorky 8-year-old me whose mom dressed her funny. (To be fair, it was the 80s. We were all dressed funny.) In the photo I proudly and nervously showed off my award-winning anti-drunk driving poster of a drawing of a girl crying a single cartoonish blueRead… Read more »
A challenge has been issued to Americans, and it’s one you’re going to want to accept. The challenge has been made by Jason Goldman, who is getting started as new Chief Digital Officer at the White House on April 6. Jason comes from the tech sector trenches at companies including Twitter and Google, and is one of many prominent tech folks who haveRead… Read more »
The world can now peek under the dashboard of U.S. government websites—an analytics dashboard, that is. A new site, analytics.usa.gov, shows a live, aggregate view of the Google Analytics data for many federal government websites. The site also links to the open source datasets that run behind the analytics dashboard, should you be in a tinkering mood. The most impressiveRead… Read more »
To create infographics, it used to be that you needed some intense skills with Adobe Creative Suite or the budget to hire a designer. Working with a professional designer still has its advantages, especially if your infographic project is complex or if you don’t have any talent for visual design. However, if you want to create your ownRead… Read more »