Scott Horvath

Certainly there’s going to be some innovation with the Washington Post as a news distribution organization. I think right off the bat there won’t be too much change…at least for 6-8 months. But then I can see that there’s going to be a major shift in the way that distribution is handled, sold, etc. The Washington Post has a major legacy as a…[Read more]

Perhaps. But I also think it shows an example to others that just because you “make a blog” for improving internal communications doesn’t mean that your problems are all solved. LIke everything else it takes care and feeding.

Every Agency has it’s own culture and subcultures, as Jeffrey pointed out, that will communicate in different ways. Some managers will share every detail of what’s happening. Some will share only at the last minute when it’s already become pointless to share the information (b/c others have figured it out already).
Sometimes employees tend to…[Read more]

It is a bit iffy sometimes, I agree. It’s a very sticky subject. When you’re at work, you’re at work. When you leave your physical office, you go home. Your work day is over…and you interact with your friends, neighbors, family, run errands, go to bar, etc. Your work life and your personal life are separate. So why shouldn’t social media be just…[Read more]

Technically, everything is a publication is it not? So, everything should be written with the understanding that

1. It’s going to be public
2. It’s going to seen as “from the government” (not necessarily just your specific agency)
3. It’s going to be used in other forums, sometimes out of context.

That doesn’t necessarily mean every tweet or post needs…[Read more]

Yes, we have been doing a lot of that. That’s not to say that I don’t, personally, like that viewpoint. I slowly, but continually, try to get social media integrated with other products and with the way we just “do business” at USGS. It’s not easy because it’s still seen as a separate function. I really want to have social media as part of every…[Read more]

Nice image…yes…just like that except for a really old CRT monitor that ways 100 lbs 😉
You make a good point about being left out. The pressure is on. But it’s also hard to avoid the pressure and think about how to do it wisely. I’m always one for learning from failing and that failing is not a bad thing…but my personality is doing what I…[Read more]

I don’t believe we’ll stop babbling about social media, whether it should used or not, etc for several more years. Part of the reason stems from the existing culture within most organizations not so much to its validity as a tool, but more so to how it can actually improve the daily business of government. Those of us familiar with the social…[Read more]

Regarding what Danielle said:

* Definition #1 is “creating an image” – more often than not through engaging the audience
* Definition #2 is “creating a name, symbol, sign…” – literally the word or the logo

I agree that many Government agencies have focused on #2 too much. I think this is a natural outgrowth of being able to connect with others…[Read more]

So how is the White House doing it then?

There’s a lot of good points here by everyone. I agree that if it’s called a 4-hour work week, then no…it’ll likely never happen. Instead, allowing for flexibility of working (regardless of whether it’s at 6am in the morning or starting at 10am, or even doing a nightshift for certain things, will eventually happen. It is a huge culture shift…[Read more]

I experience a similar thing earlier this year…not quite a mess like you’re experiencing, but it was a similar experience in that I stepped into something that I wasn’t ready for, but which I thought I was. I posted about here: https://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/demoting-yourself-it-can-be-a-good-thing-1.
I agree with what Andrew said about…[Read more]

@Gov Girl, you’re absolutely right. We do have a decent number of followers and it would be worth asking them to see what they’re own thoughts are on topical pages that they’d be interested in having separated off.
Thanks for the input

Flattered.
Coming from an outside perspective, you make a point that I often try to make myself with people internally…while our organization is broken up and funded based on location, the science we research and provide data on crosses all boundaries. Now, our Science Centers typically do science research that is specific to the state that…[Read more]

Thanks for the reply Kevin. Very constructive comments. You definitely have an advantage working for a state vs a federal agency. The scope of your efforts and outreach has a boundary (political and physical). That makes it much easier to develop a good strategy.
I wish our boundaries were as clear at USGS. However, this is why I’m having this…[Read more]