Interesting elsewhere – 4 September 2012

Things which caught my eye elsewhere on the web The Information Needs of the Indoctrinated Audience In any web project, the glamour audience that gets all the attention is the new audience – the previously unknown visitors that know little about you, and need to learn from scratch. We spend so much time on theseRead… Read more »

Gartner’s 2012 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies

Since 1995, Gartner has been tracking the development and adoption of new technologies by plotting them on their Hype Cycle, updated yearly. Last month, they released their 2012 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, plotting the progress of some of the hottest disruptive technologies and trends. The idea behind the Hype Cycle is that most newRead… Read more »

Duplicative Contracts Create Confusion and Uncertainty

Contract duplication is one of the central strategic acquisition challenges facing the Federal Government and its contractors. Contract duplication (i.e. many contracts for the same and/or similar services and products across the federal enterprise) unnecessarily increases government and contractor administrative, bid and proposal, and other overhead costs. These unnecessary costs are ultimately borne by theRead… Read more »

NextGov.com post: How to Engage the Public to Promote Your Mission

[I wrote this post for NextGov.com where it was published today] While everyone is watching the social media memes erupting on Twitter and Facebook around the presidential campaigns, the question remains how social media can enhance governing to provide regular government operations with a human face. In my conversations with social media directors I hearRead… Read more »

Dr. Kevin Desouza’s “Challenge.gov: Using Competitions and Awards to Spur Innovation”

This post was written by Dan Chenok, and originally appeared on theIBM Center for the Business of Government Blog. Kevin C. Desouza’s “Challenge.gov: Using Competitions and Awards to Spur Innovation,” examines the cross-government electronic platform, Challenge.gov, through which agencies can pose problems and challenge the public to provide solutions. Cutting-edge government leaders are constantly seekingRead… Read more »

Anonymous Claims to Uncover FBI Apple Tracking Campaign, Obstacles to Drone Use, and More

Here is today;s federal cybersecurity and information technology news: AntiSec, a joint Anonymous and LulzSec operation, claimed to have hacked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and posted 12 million Apple unique device identifiers, allegedly pointing to a massive FBI tracking program. More here. Aside from officers patrolling the Democratic National Convention, 20 local and federalRead… Read more »

Astounding that US government is blissfully unaware of Internet of Things & its impact!

The Internet of Things — linking devices ranging from smartphones to cars’ computers to industrial sensors via the same Internet that we use — has been a technical reality since 2008 (more “things” than people are now connected), and by 2015 IBM predicts 1 TRILLION things will be linked. Yet it is impossible to findRead… Read more »

Call for Speakers: 2013 NAGC Communications School

Government Communicators: Engaging Citizens in Democracy NAGC announces its “Call for Speakers” for the 2013 Communications School, Government Communicators: Engaging Citizens in Democracy, in Arlington, VA, April 15-18, 2013. We are looking for half-day pre-conference training workshops and 60-minute breakout session presentations. Track sessions are in areas of Outreach, Engagement, and Professional Development. Topic areasRead… Read more »

Why Words Matter

Why Words Matter Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall. ― Jodi Picoult, Salem Falls If each of us, most particularly our political leaders, were to treat words as eggs, perhaps we wouldn’t feel as if we areRead… Read more »