Posts By Elliot Volkman

Pentagon Social Media Secrets Revealed

(Original Image: The Pentagon, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) David B. Gleason) Secrets and the Pentagon go hand in hand, right? So when the Pentagon decided to host an event for Social Media Week at the fabled five-walled Department of Defense headquarters called “Military & Government Use of Social Media: What Works,” we were doubtfulRead… Read more »

How To Motivate Your Online Community

During the final session of the online communities 101course we tackled the one question that every online community manager wants answered: What is the magic formula to motivating your members so that they engage with and create content. Govloop’s Engagement Strategist, Lauren Modeen (@exilauren); and GovDelivery’s Director of Engagement Services, Joseph Porcelli (@josephporcelli), discussed howRead… Read more »

Analysts: Fiscal 2013 Budget Will Alter IT Market

Next week’s release of President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2013 won’t be great news for the government contracting industry, especially as we finally get to see specifics on the long-expected spending cuts. But the information technology (IT) industry has less to fear than what might be expected. In fact, there are opportunities for growthRead… Read more »

‘Rock Your Tech Report’ Aims to Give Contracting Officers a Leg to Stand on

Here’s an all-too-common occurrence: The government issues a Request for Proposals (RFP); companies respond with their proposals; the contracting officer (CO) requests a technical analysis of the proposals to help guide the decision… and the technical report that comes back, in plain terms, stinks. Sterling Whitehead, a contracting enthusiast who writes his contracting blog AllRead… Read more »

Zombie Graphic Novel on Emergency Prep Created by Former Contractors and CDC Career Feds

Originally published by Anthony Critelli on GovWin Following the success of the Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse blog in May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) recently created the Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic [PDF] graphic novel to teach the importance of emergency preparedness. We caught up withRead… Read more »

Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon on Getting Your Foot In Their Door

If you had the opportunity to speak with VPs from Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Boeing simultaneously, what would you say? If you attended MED Week, you would have had the opportunity to figure out how your small businesses could align and even team with these primes. A panel discussion on supplier management —Read… Read more »

This Day in GovCon History, September 21: Maiden Flights of B-29 Superfortress, CH-47 Chinook Helicopter and XB-70 Valkyrie

This article was originally posted by my coworker Anthony Critelli September 21 marks the maiden flight of three different U.S. military aircraft made by Boeing or firms now part of Boeing: the B-29 Superfortress in 1942, the CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter in 1961 and the XB-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber in 1964. The Enola Gay madeRead… Read more »

Contractors Use Webinars, Social Media To Extend Their Voices

I originally published on GovWin Communication is an important aspect of any business, but how do new media tools affect government contractors seeking to team with others? In addition to social media tools like LinkedIn and Twitter, there are additional tools like company blogs and webinars that all play a part in extending the voiceRead… Read more »

This Day in GovCon History, August 25, 1916: National Park Service Created

This article was originally published by GovWin’s Anthony Critelli August 25, 1916 is the day President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill creating the National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior. Interior had previously lacked the organization to effectively manage the then 14 national parks and 21 national monuments. The new agency wasRead… Read more »

Report: A/E Firms Will Need New Tactics To Stay Competitive

This was originally published by our assistant managing editor Sean Tucker The federal government is expected to cut spending and reduce the number of contracts it issues in coming years — even in fields that have seen rapid growth over the last decade. For architecture, engineering and construction (A/E) contractors, this means a tough, competitiveRead… Read more »