GovHack: Hacking to make Government better in New Zealand

Last weekend, New Zealand joined Australia for GovHack 2015. If you’re not familiar with the idea, this is a 2-day hackathon set up for people – community, industry, academia, civil society and public sector  − to get creative with government data. The goal is to build some ‘thing’ using open government data. To be clear: this isRead… Read more »

From Golden to Platinum

One of the first things I learned as a kindergartener in Sunday School at Burnt Swamp Baptist Church in Lumberton, NC was the Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other words, treat others the way you would like to be treated. Despite the simplicity of thisRead… Read more »

How to Rock Your First Week at a New Job

Starting a new job can get your nerves twanging. Your business casual wardrobe feels either too casual or too business. You’ve lost your old lunch crew and you’re dreading eating alone at your desk. You have a chance to start fresh at a new job, but you worry that your bad habits will prove impossible to break. EvenRead… Read more »

“Skinny Oreos,” Broken Brand

Brand Essence: Noun. A feeling. The instinctive, unconscious emotional reaction people have whenever they encounter you. Today I learned that Oreos are going on a diet. Despite the fact that 50% of Oreo consumers split the cookie apart before eating it, the Associated Press reports, there will soon be a new version called “Oreo Thins”Read… Read more »

Three Ways To Improve Federal Digital CX On A Shoestring

Have you read the results of the Government Business Council’s new “Digital Disconnect” survey? The results are fascinating, and I could go on for quite some time about them (just ask my dogs, who have been listening to me rant about the survey all morning). However, at the moment I will focus on the resultRead… Read more »

16 Tips for Navigating Office Politics

Office politics is an inevitable part of work life. And unfortunately, avoiding it altogether, or pretending to be above it, is nearly impossible and likely won’t help you move through the ranks. But this doesn’t necessarily have to be negative, as long as you know how to navigate the system. Ultimately, office politics is allRead… Read more »

Blogging is So Misunderstood: 8 Things Everyone Should Know

I recently started working with two new clients on website projects, and both of them were adamant that they did not want to include blogging on their sites. They viewed blogs as too personal, informal, and unprofessional, and were concerned they would attract spammers and trolls. Their concerns have merit of course, and the negativeRead… Read more »

3 Things Women Do That Handcuff Their Earning Potential

It’s no secret that working women still get paid significantly less than their male counterparts. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2013, females over the age of 15 working full-time in the United States earned 78 cents on the dollar compared with men. (Institute for Women’s Policy Research.) (Bureau of Labor Statistics data, viaRead… Read more »