I’ve been quiet on the Digital Government Strategy because – well, OK, I’ll be honest…while I think there’s a whole lot of good in it, I also have some problems. First, it didn’t look anything like I expected it to look, after all the issues we discussed in the National Dialog on Improving Government Websites.Read… Read more »
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are quickly being used more often in government. API’s, to put it simply, are a set of rules how systems can interact with each other. API’s allow developers access to agencies data, which can be used to make engaging mobile content and innovative uses of data for improved citizen engagement. API’sRead… Read more »
We’ve all been watching the devastating fires rip through the west. So what can you do to prepare? In 2011, over 1300 homes were destroyed in Bastrop County, Texas due to wildfires. The fellows at Code for America developed an easy-to-use application that brings together a variety of checklists and fire tools, and gives themRead… Read more »
Fleep recently summarized the promise she saw in the Second Life community, the change that transpired there over the last few years, and her decision to focus her involvement in a different virtual community or platform. (You can read her article here: Why Anyone Who Cares. . ..) And based on the comments she receivedRead… Read more »
Cisco recently shared a report about the Kent Police Department in the United Kingdom. The case study shows the power and importance of improved communication for police departments, and highlights the benefits of improved communication initiatives. The case study was interesting to read through, and to consider some lessons learned that we could apply hereRead… Read more »
I’ve recently recommitted to working on a couple of book ideas; what follows is the preamble to a book I am working on on Open Government. =============== Last year I was sitting in a small coffee shop off the beaten path with a couple of friends – fellow bureaucrats – when one of them, aRead… Read more »
Social media have been changing the way companies and government agencies operate since the middle of last decade–upending long-held ways of doing business and reshaping the relationship between government and citizens. Though more than 100 million Americans are members of a social media site like Facebook or Twitter, few government agencies have explicit policies forRead… Read more »
It’s amazing to think we are just about at the home stretch in an election year. The conventions are just around the corner, and candidates are gearing up for the final push and making sure they are ready on the ground come election day. Social media has been playing a critical role in the electionRead… Read more »
We’re in public service and that means getting the word out about the goings-on in government to the broadest reach possible. A few years ago we were webmasters. Today, we’re webmasters, digital media providers, social media managers, content managers, information architects, editors, and more. Today, we have to put information everywhere: on the web andRead… Read more »
The term “no comment” is conventionally viewed among government communicators and media relations professionals as leaving a negative perception with the interviewer and the audience. This is because “no comment” often implies there’s something sinister going on – whether that’s true or not. Why “No Comment”? “It seems obvious after the fact, but ‘no comment’Read… Read more »