Advice for (and from) Married Men

One wedding tradition that I’ve always admired is that before a wedding, married men would take the groom aside and impart whatever wisdom they had gained to the newest member of the League of Married Men. Recently, Alex Howard joined the club and in a few weeks, Steve Ressler will be inducted. Here are fiveRead… Read more »

Port Authority proposes to add interactive phone system

Anticipating a spike in phone calls when it launches its new ConnectCard electronic fare system next year, the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PA) plans to add customer service representatives and is considering an interactive phone system. “When people become too frustrated for any reason, they’ll stop using public transportation,” said spokesman Jim Ritchie. “We’reRead… Read more »

Wyatt Kash of AOL Government adds a voice of reason to the $16 muffin discussion.

Huffington Post article Outrage Over $16 Muffin Was Half Baked The news this week that Justice Department had been caught allegedly spending $16 a piece for breakfast muffins and $8 for a cup of coffee for employees attending a conference in Washington two years ago was as stunning for its apparent extravagance as it wasRead… Read more »

MTA to roll out wireless service at selected subway stations

Next Tuesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) is inaugurating wireless service at four subway stations in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Riders with AT&T and T-Mobile devices will have access throughout the stations , but subscribers on other networks (including Verizon) are out of luck for now. Service will not be provided on trains orRead… Read more »

WMATA launches online reload feature for SmarTrip cards

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) customers now have the option to add value to their SmarTrip cards online. The launch follows a successful trial with about 150,000 riders. “Customers can now go online rather than getting in line,” said general manager and CEO Richard Sarles in a statement. “This is the latest — butRead… Read more »

The Rise and Fall of Public Sector Youth Groups

I’ve spent a lot of time around departmental youth groups since joining the public service; I’ve launched them, provided informal advice to chairs, and spoken at national conferences. My general observation is that public sector youth groups are forged out of a deep sense of frustration that plagues many new public servants. It is aRead… Read more »

Top 10 tips for promoting channel shift

In July I presented at the SOCITM Building Perfect Council Websites 11 (BPCW11) in London on the topic of Channel Shift. The presentation was entitled “Is Developing Channels more Important than Promoting Shift?” Although the event was aimed primarily at Local Government, many of the concepts I presented are relevant to both Central and GovernmentRead… Read more »

Singapore Government saves over $1 million through sharing travel premiums

Vital, Government’s shared services department under the Ministry of Finance has reaped savings of over US $1 million (78%) in travel insurance premiums for the whole of Government. Vital is Singapore’s largest back-of-house shared services centre for the government’s public sector provides centralised travel insurance programme for its public officers… By: Rakesh Sangani, Editor-at-Large, SSONRead… Read more »

A PICNIC in Amsterdam

Once a year Amsterdam plays host to the creators of urban design, technology, art, and science for the annual 3-day PICNIC Festival. I just returned from this amazing festival. A few months ago Bonnie from iStrategy Labs invited me to speak at PICNIC, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was excited.Read… Read more »

NASPAA analysis of the Pathways Programs proposed regulations

October 4 UPDATE: NASPAA has posted the formal comments and recommendations we submitted for the proposed Pathways regulations. Here is NASPAA’s summary and analysis of the proposed regulations: Pathways Programs proposed regulations NASPAA’s summary and analysis On August 4, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released proposed regulations to set up the Pathways ProgramsRead… Read more »