Why do agencies struggle with FOI and open data so much?

The linked email conversation (in a blog post), Freedom of Information Request for Classification Data, provides an interesting insight into the struggles government agencies are having with FOI and open data and with the difficulties applicants are having accessing data which should be available in reusable formats. In this case information which is publicly availableRead… Read more »

TSP Talk

After a sharp decline on Tuesday morning of last week, stocks basically treaded water the rest of the week. The bulls could not get a rebound going, but the bears couldn’t keep the downside pressure on. We had a Fed FOMC meeting last week, some mixed earnings reports and economic data, and the ongoing presidentialRead… Read more »

Aunt Bertha: Why We’re Coding for America

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Ever had someone in your family find out they had cancer? A car accident? Or is unemployed for a long time? Have you ever helped this person fill out a Medicaid form (Government Health Insurance) or apply for Social Security Disability payments? Have you ever driven across townRead… Read more »

2013 NAGC Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards Call for Entries

Be recognized! Enter your best work in the National Association of Government Communicator’s 2013 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards Competition. This annual international awards program recognizes superior government communication products and those who produce them. Complete details and entry forms are available at www.nagconline.org. This year there are 41 categories to choose from, includingRead… Read more »

Government Videos Wiki List Experiment

Last year I created a simple Google Spreadsheet (essentially a wiki list) for Canadian public servants to input their organization’s mobile website and/or app so that others could see who was doing what. I made this spreadsheet public, allowed anyone to edit, and housed it under the “mobilegovernment.ca” URL. Since that time, many government folksRead… Read more »