Just Added NEW WMU Course “Video Bootcamp”

We wanted to let you know of a new course we’ve just added from Web Manager University: an INTENSE two-day “Video Bootcamp” class in Washington, DC October 13-14. Because the format and cost of this class is different from our regular classes, please be sure to read the details below carefully. Please also share thisRead… Read more »

Apps for Democracy vs. Wiki Editorial – Keys to Open Collaboration Success

In contrasting the collaborative project Apps for Democracy and the LA Times’ 2005 Wiki editorial experiment, Clay Shirky, highlights keys to success for open collaboration. 1. You’re engaging in open collaboration because of the possibilities. Don’t over manage the process and create too many rules. 2. Give participants space to participate and be as creativeRead… Read more »

From the Digital Commonwealth to the Digital Nation (Tim O’Reilly, Aneesh Chopra)

I’m listening to the nation’s first technology officer, Aneesh Chopra at the Gov 2.0 Summit. Mr. Chopra serves as an assistant to the President and he makes sure the President get the best advice about technology. He’s responsible for surfacing new ideas and making sure they’re brought to the table for discussion. He is responsibleRead… Read more »

Aneesh Chopra: Eating our own Dog food

At the Gov 2.0 Summit, Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra discussed the forthcoming Open Government Directive. Confirmed on the 120 day deadline set by the President to provide recommendations, Chopra said from day one, we have to better engage the public. Eat our own dogfood. What happened in the days and weeks to follow fell justRead… Read more »

How to write a good tweet

Image via Wikipedia My guru Jakob Nielsen has published on research Nielsen Norman Group has just completed on Tweet usability. To my knowledge, no one else has done this sort of research although many of the recommendations have been picked up elsewhere and some are plain common sense (not that that often stops people ignoringRead… Read more »

Preamble to the revolution

There are a couple of quotes that I use to start off my social media seminars/talks/whatnot. Today, I’ll share those. There are two kinds of fool. One says, ‘This is old, and therefore good.’ And one says, ‘This is new, and therefore better.’ — John Brunner, author “The Shockwave Rider” Most people who run acrossRead… Read more »

Federal Eye: Gov 2.0 Summit: Where Government and Business Gather to Brainstorm

Did you get your Gov 2.0 Summit invite? About 600 invited guests from the worlds of academia, business, nonprofit, media, technology and government will gather Wednesday and Thursday at the Grand Hyatt in Washington. Organizers say it is the first major meeting with government leaders eager to quickly adapt the online strategies used by PresidentRead… Read more »

CBO Job Site Easy to Use!

Too much exposure to USAJOBS has really turned me cynical. Despite news reports on the need to recruit thousands of new employees, the main federal jobs site is a usability nightmare, unfathomable to even people who work on web sites, like me. While the site has few defenders, some have argued that it has toRead… Read more »

LIVE Web Channels for Federal Agencies

In case you haven’t seen it, Government Executive just launched customized web channels for over 40 federal agencies. Each channel provides a live view into the breaking news, analysis and social media chatter about the agency happening at any moment across the Web. So, with one click, you can access a live dashboard for yourRead… Read more »