Tech

On Entrepreneurship in Public Education

Some caveats first: I’m entrepreneurial, but not an entrepreneur in the sense that I’m bootstrapping my own enterprise. I don’t work in public education, though I have a rich background and history working in public education. I don’t publish proprietary content (save for what’s on the blog and in a few magazines), but I’ve beenRead… Read more »

Charlene Li and the Facebook Page of U.S. Embassy – Jakarta, Indonesia

I know Charlene Li from her book < Marketing in the Groundswell >. This little book was a very fun to read. It pointed out a simple fact that is so easily overlooked nowadays: We talk too much, but rarely listen. In the summer issue of <The Public Manager>, Charlene Li re reiterated this idea—sheRead… Read more »

Upcoming Webinars on Nonprofits and Social Media

Heather Mansfield, an expert in nonprofits and social media, is hosting several upcoming webinars in late July and August that might be of interest: 7/26 :: How Nonprofits Can Successfully Utilize Mobile Websites, Group Text Messaging, and Text-to-Give Technology: http://www.diosacommunications.com/webinars/webinars/mobile/july26.htm 7/28 :: How Nonprofits Can Successfully Utilize Mobile Social Networking Tools and Location-Based Communities: http://www.diosacommunications.com/webinars/webinars/mobile/july28.htmlRead… Read more »

Santa Cruz Assistant to the City Manager Interview

As a recently graduated MPA student (July 1 graduation– check it out here!), I’m trying to learn as much as I possibly can about government. This post is the first of a series of interviews with outstanding state and local government employees across the country. I find people incredibly fascinating and I love learning aboutRead… Read more »

GovTech: New Facebook App Connects Citizens to Government

Government Technology reported that citizens in Burleson, Texas, now have another way to connect with government. A new Facebook application was developed to make it easier for citizens to report and request services from their local government. The Facebook application is called the Citizen Request Tracker (CRT). Public administrators in Burleson have seen an increaseRead… Read more »

Taste For Makers

Zach Yates sent over a great quote leading to an amazing 2002 blog post, Taste for Makers It takes confidence to throw work away … When people first start drawing, they’re often reluctant to redo parts that aren’t right … they convince themselves that the drawing is not that bad, really — in fact, maybeRead… Read more »

Social Media: The Norm

I came across an article today that I thought brought up an obvious (but much needed) point. The article says that CIO of Michigan gave a presentation and “[stated] that Online tools and social media are now the norm.” This is an important point that government officials who are resistant to using social media (suchRead… Read more »

Videoconferencing a “game changer” in economic growth

Deltek Sr. Analyst Kyle Ridley reports. The National Association of Counties (NACo) held its 76th Annual Conference and Exposition in Multnomah County, Ore. July 15-19, 2011. Several county officials, vendors and IT professionals attended the event in an effort to discuss policies and issues affecting counties nationwide and collaborate on ideas for shaping a brightRead… Read more »

The Opportunity for Civic Startups [Video]

Jennifer Pahlka — founder of one of Civic Commons’ founding partners, Code for America — gave a talk at the Future of Web Apps conference in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, entitled “The Next Disruption: The Opportunity for Civic Startups.” The keynote, embedded below, outlined how there is a huge opportunity in the governmentRead… Read more »