Citizen Engagement

Great Content + Easy Access + Cross Promotion = Good Gov Communication

The government is home to troves of data – data that is timely, relevant and critical to you. However, getting you the information in a prompt, clear and concise fashion is a HUGE challenge for agencies. GovDelivery is trying to alleviate some of the challenges by sharing their digital communications best practices during the PowerRead… Read more »

The Importance of “Diversity Thinking” — and Compliance

All federal employees should be mindful of the importance of workforce diversity, especially federal managers. Executive Order 13583 was signed by President Obama in August 2011: Establishing a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce. According to E.O. 13583: “Our Nation derives strength from the diversity of its population andRead… Read more »

Get In The Game – How To Engage App Developers In Local Gov

Wildfires, there’s an app for that.Potholes, there’s an app for that. Rabid raccoons, there’s an app for that. Apps are everywhere these day, even in government. But for many small app developers breaking into the government marketplace is difficult. Minh Tran is independent mobile app developer, that developedFix311, a mobile app used for roadway damageRead… Read more »

There’s No Match.Com for Mentorship

Dating sites spout all sorts of algorithms on love. They say if you join their dating service, their computers will crunch the numbers and find you the perfect match. Sometimes it works. But when it comes to government mentorship, finding the right person isn’t so calculable. There is not a match making algorithm for mentorship.Read… Read more »

The Power of Reach Tour – How To Get Your Message Out Effectively

It was the the tweet heard around the country: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody” The first official announcement that law enforcement agencies had concluded their manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev didn’t come at a press conference. ItRead… Read more »

Applying The Crowd Mentality to Tweeting Your Congressman – Plus Your Weekend Reads

If a tree falls in the forest and no one notices does it make a sound? The same same concept is true in the Twitterverse. If you tweet your Congressman and they don’t notice, does your tweet even make a difference? David Moore is the Executive Director of the Non-Profit Participatory Politics Foundation. Moore andRead… Read more »

No Love for Gov on Presidents’ Day

As our nation observes Presidents’ Day there’s not much good news regarding how citizens view government at the national level – from Congress, to the White House, to federal agencies. This is a sobering and troubling reality, especially for feds. Presidents’ Day is supposed to be “a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance,” according toRead… Read more »

More Than Numbers, Social Media Is About Engagement – Plus Your Weekend Reads

In today’s government, social media use is less about broadcasting messages and more about engaging citizens in a new way. What does that mean? Well, it means that instead of just sending out a Tweet from your agency Twitter feed, agencies are actively searching for ways to make that broadcast into a conversation. It soundsRead… Read more »

Is There A Secret Sauce To Innovation?

What is the recipe for a perfect innovator or an innovative city? One dash idea. Two cups execution? Three cups metrics? Four cups risk? Creating the perfect recipe for innovation might be impossible. But the City of Denver has been working hard to create a culture of innovation and execution. Frank Daidone is the ChiefRead… Read more »