Tech

Google tries social again

Google announced Google+ yesterday, their latest attempt at getting success in the social networking arena. Techcrunch have a good write up of the details, but for the best coverage, it’s hard to top Steven Levy’s piece in Wired (indeed, Levy’s book on Google is also excellent reading). Of course, Google have got this wrong before.Read… Read more »

Thanks to GovLoop’s Partners

Happy Summer everyone! As you know on GovLoop, you are not subjected to blinking banner ads and annoying pop-ups. I think the future of advertising is that it has to be beneficial to the community. Thus, here on GovLoop, you’ll see us work with our awesome partners to put on educational online trainings, special areasRead… Read more »

Announcing the GovLoop Mentors Program!

With the impending departure of Baby Boomers from the workforce and the need to transfer knowledge from one generation of public servants to the next, there’s one idea that we’ve heard again and again: “we need a government-wide mentoring program.” Of course, there are several excellent mentor programs in individual agencies and at the stateRead… Read more »

Designer updates London Tube map

A British designer has updated the iconic London Underground map, which was created in 1931. Designed by Mark Noad, the new version attempts to show routes and distances more accurately; an iPhone app is in the works. “Harry Beck’s original Underground map was a brilliant piece of information design but it has not been lookedRead… Read more »

What I’ve been reading

I find this stuff so that you don’t have to. 2011 London Social Business Summit – Great content from this event. Introducing South West LocalGovCamp #swlocalgc « Carl’s Notepad – This should be a good one! ’100 million comments a year’ – mutual support and advice in a shrinking state – How government could beRead… Read more »

Wawa Welcome America

Back in March, Philadelphia’s DoT ask us to take a look at the website for Philly’s 4th of July celebration, Wawa Welcome America. The design firm that originally had the project did a great job with the design but the Welcome America team was having a difficult time using the CMS (Content Management System). TheyRead… Read more »

Using social media for non-traditional forms of scholarship

During the last year I was a frequent guest speaker at different University-wide lecture series to talk about my research findings but also my personal use of social media applications as a scholar. I reported about the diverse social media applications I have tested (and abandoned) in the classroom, but also provided insights into howRead… Read more »

GovBytes: Overcoming “Application Bloat”

Does your organization suffer from “application bloat”? If you’re managing a different budget tracking system for each department or have to input every employee into multiple online training systems, your organization might have too many applications. State and local governments are trying to figure out ways to streamline their IT costs by consolidating and standardizingRead… Read more »