Communications

Serendipity & butterflies wings

A butterflies wings flap. Someone sends a tweet. A government falls and rises again. But the beauty of Twitter is not in the very great consequences but in the small. Not the detail neither but in the flow and sway of unguarded conversations and chit chat about the weather. I can’t remember where my ownRead… Read more »

Surviving “Carmageddon”

Last summer, Judy Gish, Public Information Officer for the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) District 7, had a very unenviable task: keep 500,000 vehicles off of I-405 in Los Angeles during a mid-July weekend. Impossible? You might think so, but Gish led a communications effort that was so successful that it was a non-event. MotoristsRead… Read more »

Customer Service Bill Is Resurrected

Will feds soon be asking their customers if they are satisfied with the service they’ve received? Following the customer service initiatives launched by Gore’s reinventing government team in the 1990s, the federal government has waxed and waned on the importance of customer service in the course of serving the public. With citizen satisfaction with governmentRead… Read more »

The 7 Gov’t Stories you need to know: Secret Service Agents say Colombian Prostitution Scandal might not be the first

The SEVEN stories that impact your life for Wednesday the 25th of April, 2012: The Secret Service agents in the center of the prostitution scandal say misbehavior on official trips is not unprecedented. The Washington Post reports a few of the secret service agents contend that their conduct doesn’t warrant dismissal because senior managers toleratedRead… Read more »

First, Do No Harm

Last week, I had the chance to listen to and speak with Representative Adam Smith of Washington state about cybersecurity legislation at a reception. This year has been pivotal for passing regulations to govern cyber, and attendees of this security event wanted to know his thoughts on the variety of proposed laws. While Rep. SmithRead… Read more »

Social Web for Disaster Management Workshop Roundup & Be A Force of Nature

iDisaster 2.0, a blog about social media and emergency management, has collected papers from the Social Web for Disaster Management Conference 2012 Workshop recently held in Lyon, France. This coincides with NOAA’s collaboration effort with FEMA to launch the first National Severe Weather Preparedness Week. I think they’ve done a pretty good job of preparingRead… Read more »

The Government Man Discusses the GSA Scandal – Part Three

The media frenzy over the peccadillos of a few GSA people has quieted a bit, thanks to the Secret Service scandal. The issue, of course, will be a political battle of grandstanding for a while. It’s easier for the committees to relate to the cost of Beef Wellington and Monte Cristo sandwiches than the nationalRead… Read more »

How to Cause Panic: Television, Social Media and Emergency Management

Http://LeonardSipes.Com CBS “Sunday Morning” (best news show on television) produced “Casting a Skeptical Eye” on April 1, 2012 stating, “No fooling – it’s April 1st, which means we should be extra skeptical about everything today. But correspondent Mo Rocca says with technology letting mis-information and myths spread so quickly, being skeptical is good advice everyRead… Read more »

Social Media and Stress in Communications

Http://LeonardSipes.Com I wrote “Stress and Public Relations” last week and received comments and questions via e-mail, LinkedIn and Twitter. Most debated the reasons for stress in communications but several suggested that social media was a contributing factor. The original article was based on a findings from CareerCast/PR Newser on the ten most stressful jobs. Summary:Read… Read more »