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John Westra

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@JohnWestra748

active 5 years, 11 months ago
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  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra‘s profile was updated 6 years, 3 months ago

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    John Westra changed their profile picture 6 years, 3 months ago

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Looking for an Online (Web-based) FOIA System That is Public & Database-driven in the forum Communications, Citizen Engagement, Customer Service 8 years, 6 months ago

    Thanks for this lead. It looks like there are some people thinking about the same idea… How about a Code For America + GovLoop challenge to spec and build the “ultimate” Social Media-enabled FOIA submission & tracking system for Local Government!? While we’re at it… how about a sister Citizen-driven discussion forum + Agenda Submission system?

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Recommendation for Remote Netbook in the forum Technology 8 years, 6 months ago

    The biggest challenge to finding what you’ve described is a “built-in CAC reader.” Non-D.O.D.-spec systems don’t come with CAC reader options and none of the current NetBooks I am aware of have PCMCIA slots that can accommodate a 3rd-party internal CAC reader upgrade.
    External USB-connected/powered CAC readers are available. These should work…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra started the topic Looking for an Online (Web-based) FOIA System That is Public & Database-driven in the forum Communications, Citizen Engagement, Customer Service 8 years, 6 months ago

    I’m looking for a web-based FOIA submission system that is inherently public (open) & database driven. Ideally, the system would provide the features:

    • Web-based (supports all major browsers)
    • Frame-able (able to be easily integrated “framed” within other websites)
    • Database-driven (submissions, status, responses, etc. stored in database)
    • Social…

    [Read more]

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    John Westra replied to the topic Political Savvy Scenario – What would you do? in the forum Career Advancement 8 years, 7 months ago

    I would try to identify an advocate, who was a peer (fellow manager) of my Boss, who my Boss respected. I would ask them if they would be willing to, “off the record,” compliment my Boss on allowing me to work on projects that benefit the entire organization and how that makes my Boss look good.

    I would also approach my Boss directly and ask…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic The 4th of July was so much better in my day! in the forum Miscellaneous 8 years, 8 months ago

    I’ve always been a huge 4th of July Fan. Probably because my parents had me in 4th of July parades and going to watch fireworks since I was a baby. In between, the day always featured things like angel food cake with fresh strawberries, Cool Whip and Blueberries. blueberry & raspberry lemonade and of course, firecrackers!At age 12, I started…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Does Your Organization Have A Official Social Media Policy? in the forum Forum Discussions 9 years, 3 months ago

    Great resources Courtney! Thanks for responding. What do you think is the #1 element organizations should make sure and incorporate in their Social Media policies? Conversely, what unnecessary or over-emphasized elements do you see cropping up in Social Media Policies on a regular basis?

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Should GovLoop Have A Dedicated Ethics Discussion Topic? in the forum Miscellaneous 9 years, 3 months ago

    Ori, Interesting to hear about the “ethics/legal questions” re endorsements. Thanks for sharing the Poynter link!

    The following is a link to a new thread on the subject of Social Media Policies. On that thread you will find a sample policy and some additional links to Social Media Policy Best Practices.
    Does Your Organization Have A Official…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra started the topic Does Your Organization Have A Official Social Media Policy? in the forum Forum Discussions 9 years, 3 months ago

    As mentioned by Dan Israel, “Google+ Pages have been rolled out worldwide.” The number of Social Media sites used by Government Agencies and their Citizens and Stakeholders and time spent on them, continues to grow. Does your organization have an official Social Media Policy?
    If so, who created it? Was it done by an internal staff person? Was…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra started the topic Should GovLoop Have A Dedicated Ethics Discussion Topic? in the forum Miscellaneous 9 years, 4 months ago

    Trust in Government is a huge issue. A recent (Sept 2011) Gallup poll discovered that 57% of Americans trust Government to “Handle Domestic Problems” either “Not Very Much” or “Not at all.”
    How much of this distrust is the result of breaches in ethical behavior on the part of elected officials and others who work in government? By increasing our…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra started the topic Water Use – Do we Value Fresh Water Too Little? in the forum Miscellaneous 9 years, 5 months ago

    A couple of days ago I noticed an article over on Smart Planet, titled
    Cities that charge more for water see fewer unexplained losses Read more HERE
    The article cites research showing a correlation between water cost and water loss. Have your water costs gone up? What about your communities water loss? Does your community / water & sewer…[Read more]

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    John Westra replied to the topic In 7 words or less Explain what you do in the forum Miscellaneous 9 years, 5 months ago

    Help Government Serve Citizens Better via Technology

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Handwriting Recognition – Any Programs That Work? in the forum Forum Discussions 10 years, 6 months ago

    Check out the Echo Smart Pen by LiveScribe @ http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/ This technology allows you to capture both digital and audio content easily and forward it via email via a simple hotsync with a laptop, netbook or tablet PC. Audio files (dictation) can be transferred directly into Dragon Dictate, where they can be converted to text. If…[Read more]

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    John Westra replied to the topic Strength in Numbers (from MainStreetSocial.org) in the forum MuniGov 2.0 10 years, 6 months ago

    “The truth is, it is up to the community” to get rid of the unions, whose inflated wages, rigid work rules and onerous pension provisions are continuing to choke the life out of municipal budgets everywhere! Did I mention getting rid of the tax & spend President and Congress, who STEAL average citizen’s money and use it to buy votes from the…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra started the topic Do Sunshine Laws requiring newspaper publication need to be updated for the Internet age? in the forum Budget / Performance 10 years, 7 months ago

    Many states, including my home state of Michigan, have Sunshine (Open Meetings) Laws, that require meeting dates & times to be published in a local newspaper. In an
    age where 30% or less of the public subscribe to a daily paper, 78% are
    on the Internet and 500 Million have Facebook accounts, do these laws
    need to be updated? What should be the…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Google Sites versus SharePoint? in the forum Forum Discussions 10 years, 10 months ago

    Google Sites vs SharePoint – Still a Apples vs Oranges Comparison

    The single greatest difference between these to product offerings may well be Privacy Others have mentioned this as a concern and for good reason. Here is a portion of Google’s Terms Of Service (TOS) for Sites:

    “11.1 ….. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give…[Read more]

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    John Westra replied to the topic Social Media Usage in Local Governments in the forum MuniGov 2.0 10 years, 10 months ago

    Alan, you might want to check out http://www.localgovchat.com and the #localgovchat Hashtag on Twitter

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra replied to the topic Who is your favorite leader? in the forum Leadership, Management, Supervision 10 years, 10 months ago

    What is all this fondness for “calmness!?” A “Pax” on Calmness!

    One of my favorite movies is Serenity… not because it’s “calm,” but because it speaks to the outcome of a beneficent totalitarian government called The Alliance, that used the planet Miranda as a testing ground for the chemical agent G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate, or simply “Pax”…[Read more]

  • Profile picture of John Westra

    John Westra became a registered member 11 years, 8 months ago

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