Feds scrap plans for new open government websites

Funding cuts have forced federal officials to cancel plans for two new open government websites. One was intended to allow federal workers to share information and work tips with one another and the other was designed to provide the public with information on the quality of federal services. Existing open government sites will continue —Read… Read more »

Starting a business? SBA has an ‘app’ for that.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) launched its first mobile application (app) immediately following National Small Business Week 2011. The app was developed under a public-private partnership with Palo Alto Software and is currently available for iPhone/iPod/iPad with additional platforms to be added soon. This new tool connects entrepreneurs with 3,000+ business coaching centers, 14,000+Read… Read more »

Don’t sell your employees on the system. Fulfill their needs!

This article was originally published on Tri Tuns Blog. OBSERVATION A common practice – and TRAP – of change management is to attempt to convince (“sell”) end-users that the new IT system is beneficial to them. Change management teams spend several hours trying to “spin” their communications to attain this goal. The fallacy is spendingRead… Read more »

Can cyberinfrastructure end poverty?

A key reason for my passions for new technologies and models, like Cloud Computing and Open Government, is that I believe they are the key to finally addressing what have been intractable issues in our society, most notably poverty. Hence the Campaign2020.us project. So what role can cyberinfrastructure play? Well it’s as much a questionRead… Read more »

Getting from here to there: A guide to transit marketing

To help give transit a competitive advantage, EMBARQ released a report on transit marketing and branding. From Here to There is designed to help transit agencies achieve three goals: Attract new users from private transportation modes, including automobiles Retain existing public transport users Secure political and financial support The report offers sensible advice for agenciesRead… Read more »

What Washington Metro can learn about Twitter

Comparing the tweets of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) with those of other agencies, Greater Greater Washington says that Metro has a lot to learn. The blog praised the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) for keeping riders in the loop after a recent derailment, and wrote: “Social media engagement isn’t simply about one’s successes;Read… Read more »

Portfolio: sharing council comms resources

Portfolio looks an interesting idea, coming out of Nottingham City Council. This, from an article at LGComms: We’re launching Portfolio, a web portal that allows public sector organisations to share marketing materials. Councils and other public authorities can sign up to it for free and save money by buying ready-made, proven marketing campaigns. It alsoRead… Read more »

Deloitte on Canadian Public Sector Innovation

Canada has a widely discussed “Innvation Gap” challenge. They’re scoring a ‘D for Innovation‘, and falling behind in global industry. Since 2001 the country has slipped from third to 13th on the Global Competitiveness Index, from second to 10th in the OECD’s broadband ranking, and from fourth to 13th in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s e-readinessRead… Read more »

Acquisition Pick Up Lines

My friends came up with these, so I can’t take credit. Still they’re just way too much fun not to post. Some of my favorites are… Nobody else can do what I do. I’ll call you in the morning. You are my first. That really is my number. Baby, we’re on a firm-fixed-price. AND That’sRead… Read more »