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 »
Just a few years ago, infographics seemed to be the hottest type of content online. Lately, the shine has worn off as bad infographics inundated the internet. High-quality infographics still can rise up from the flood of drivel. Infographics are not inherently bad. When infographics are designed well they simplify complex information and can make boring topics interesting. Eye-catching visualsRead… Read more »
While there’s no wrong time to take action to improve the status of women in the U.S., there’s really no better time than Women’s History Month, which happens in March. Each year, the National Women’s History Project sets a theme for the month, which many in government use to inspire their public outreach. This year’s theme, “Weaving theRead… Read more »
When you start to plan a public outreach and education campaign, a sense of humor may not be the first tool you think to reach for. You may instead focus on hard facts, thinking that logic alone will be enough to persuade people. Without some pizzazz and personality, your public outreach campaigns risk being boring and forgettable.Read… Read more »
What does the U.S. government need with 5,300 domains? Because that’s how many there are on 18F’s complete list of .gov domains. There are plenty of oddball URLs that will have you scratching your head and wondering: What were they thinking? Some domains have no website in place. We’re left to guess—or Google—if these parked domains were registered for campaignsRead… Read more »