Even as an external consultant, every year I very much anticipate the Clerk’s Annual Report. It’s usually full of solid guidance quotes and it gives a good sense of some of the challenges faced in the prior year (albeit carefully written). This year, my favourite excerpts are as follows: “…the traditional relationship between government andRead… Read more »
A few weeks ago I asked in “What About the Kids?” if schools should offer online safety classes. Here’s another justification for it. I just came across “Should Teachers and Students be Facebook Friends?” on Education Week. Right now I’m Facebook friends with a few high school teachers, one from college and a few fromRead… Read more »
Code for America recently launched Engagement Commons to bring together information and solutions from across the country on innovative new strategies for government engagement with citizens. The landscape of tools and strategies for engaging citizens is changing rapidly, as more and more governments implement new ways for citizens to make their voices heard in theRead… Read more »
The Defense Department Friday released its bi-yearly report entitled “Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan,” which provides insight as to how well Afghan national security efforts are going. The report offers also covers progress in rule of law, economics, and road conditions. It states that the situation is improving in Afghanistan, thoughRead… Read more »
Would you recognize your authentic self if you saw him or her? How would you know it is the real you? What is an “authentic self” and why in the world does it matter to your ability to lead? One of the greatest weaknesses, and almost without question at the root of all inglorious downfallsRead… Read more »
Yesterday, Tom Slee wrote a blog post called “Why the ‘Open Data Movement’ is a Joke,” which – and I say this as a Canadian who understands the context in which Slee is writing – is filled with valid complaints about our government, but which I feel paints a flawed picture of the open dataRead… Read more »
What is the difference between MPP and MPA? You might be wondering about this and the simple answer is not much. However, depending on the school you attend the MPA can focus on a more qualitative curriculum and the MPP will focus on a more quantitative curriculum. However, it is not uncommon for their toRead… Read more »
Don’t forget to register for next week’s NCDD “Confab Call” on Thursday, May 10th from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern / 11:00 to 1:30 Pacific (register here). This should be a fun Confab, with NCDD members Tree Bressen and Sue Woehrlin leading a discussion about the innovative Group Works card deck and the collaboratively-developed pattern languageRead… Read more »
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently proposed a new policy that could provide a roadmap to increase telemedicine adoption should it be implemented across the healthcare community. According to an article in InformationWeek, the VA is looking to eliminate copayments for veterans that utilize telemedicine for doctor’s visits. The policy is designed to drive moreRead… Read more »
The upcoming NAGC Communications School will be my fifth in a row to attend and I am looking forward to the 2012 offering with great anticipation. This year’s theme, “Government Communicators-Telling America’s Story”, exemplifies the responsibility and challenge we face each day. As government communicators we must spread the word about the programs and servicesRead… Read more »