Collaboration tools saved 5 state parks, can it help your business or agency?

I was impressed when I read Nancy’s post on GovLoop detailing how social media saved five state parks in Virginia, a cost of $500,000 per year (https://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/how-social-media-helped-save?xg_source=activity). I was so impressed with what I read that I wanted to follow-up with Nancy to better understand the original thinking behind these social efforts, the cost, andRead… Read more »

Telecom Aid in Haiti

I had the pleasure recently of interviewing Paul Margie (here’s the interview) of Telecoms Without Borders, on his recent trip to Haiti, where they provided much-needed phone calls between survivors and their families both in Haiti and here in the United States. A very cool use of telecom technology and logistical expertise at work inRead… Read more »

The Obama Administration’s IT Budget

Washington has no shortage of rituals, but few seem to draw more commotion or are parsed for deeper meaning than the annual unveiling of the president’s budget. Now that the budget documents are electronically certified and made available online, the traditional release of freshly bound tomes at the Government Printing Office before a phalanx ofRead… Read more »

Crowdsourcing DNA – Realizing that each engagement has its own footprint

First, the definition that we have at PubliVate of crowdsourcing can be narrow in comparison to how others use the term. The story I read and am referencing and talking about below would not necessarily be something that we see a lot of in our engagements, as of yet. But…we certainly consider that it isRead… Read more »

US Health Care: Why Privatization Is Inefficient – Part 4 of 4

Arguments Against Universality It is often argued that socialized medicine in the US would introduce a wealth of problems, worse than those currently faced. Government is often regarded as wasteful, rigid and out of touch with the real needs of its citizens. In comparison, private management of health care is often portrayed as offering increasedRead… Read more »

The Best Question…Ever!

The best way to present new information is a story. The best way to get a listener to focus on your story is to start with a question. Did you ever feel your body lurch to answer when someone asked a good question? In direct mail, a proven start is the “Passover Opening” from “WhyRead… Read more »

DC Area Federal Employees Raise $66 Million for People and Communities in Need

Another Record-Breaking Year for the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (From L to R) LFCC Chair, Linda Washington, LFCC Members, Theresa Everett and Barbara Jackson, Federal Testimonial Speaker Eric Cole, and LFCC Members Willaim Boyd and Louis Torchia display the $66 million check representing the amount donated by Federal employees Washington, DCRead… Read more »

Call for ideas: Harvard and FutureGov research into Frontiers of Service in a Networked World

Complete our survey, tag content HKS20 (#HKS20 on Twitter), leave comments to this blog or email me by Friday 26th February to share your thoughts on the current and future use of technology in public service delivery This article has been reposted from FutureGov’s site. The initial deadline for ideas was this Friday 26th February,Read… Read more »

Federal Eye: Homeland Security has more contractors than feds

Happy Wednesday! Officials at the Department of Homeland Security have told lawmakers in recent weeks that it employs more private contractors than government employees, a revelation that shouldn’t surprise close observers of the department’s seven-year history. The department employs 200,000 contractors, and roughly 188,000 federal employees, a total that does not include uniformed members ofRead… Read more »