Transparency. Efficiency. Accountability. All are stated goals of federal, state and local government. All are embodied in the Economic Recovery Act. How will they be accomplished? The Old World. In the “old world”, government agencies approach each by building or modifying Web based portals. Government uses these portals as hubs to publish government documents andRead… Read more »
Search Results for: customer service
Restaurant Week
I thought I would do a public service announcement. Last week was Restaurant Week in DC. Did you take advantage of this? Restaurant Week takes place twice a year, once in the frigid cold of the post-holidays and then again in the dog days of August. Times when diners are likely to be few. ForRead… Read more »
what municipal websites could be
Like other governments, local governments are often too comfortable with the “press release” mode of interaction with its publics. Gerry McGovern, a customer-service-in-government consultant sums it up: “Too many government websites tell us about the legislation they are enacting. We are victims of a tsunami of policies, procedures and publications in a language that isRead… Read more »
In which we are introduced to online community software
A public online community can’t be hosted on KDOT’s servers, which operate behind a dense firewall. Thus we found ourselves in the world of software-as-a-service. We had to partner up with a community provider. Finding one took longer than we anticipated. Software-as-a-service is a bit like an automobile lease. The customer leases community software andRead… Read more »
Anti-Social Networking
This is a cautionary post for those fearless space travelers who might venture too close to the unforgiving Black Hole of Social Networks. Some of us may have already found our atoms placed end-to-end as we’ve been MySpaced, Friendstered, Facebooked, Twittered, Twined, and LinkedIn. Just remember, there is nothing new under the stars. Social NetworkingRead… Read more »
The Patent Office’s Courageous Jump into the Wisdom-of-the-Crowd Mosh Pit.
Peer to Patent / Community Review BACKGROUND: Software and algorithms used to be unpatentable. Recent court decisions and patent-office rule-making has made software the fastest growing patent category. In 1991 the patent office was cut off from general tax revenues and required to subsist entirely on fees for its operating budget. The political argument wasRead… Read more »
Recession Proof Marketing: Dos & Don’ts
Quick read from American Marketing Assocation on how to recession proof your marketing: http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/Content%20Partner%20Documents/Copernicus/Dos_and_Donts.pdf Most applicable comment that translates across all areas is the quote from Mary Best West, CMO of Kraft Foods, “Walking in the shoes of your consumers is the key to keeping products moving during a recession…And I am talking about walkingRead… Read more »
10 Secrets for Landing a Federal Job
From TheGovGurus.com: 1. KNOCK ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S FRONT DOOR AND BACK DOOR: Most job seekers look for federal openings only on USAJOBS (usajobs.opm.gov), the federal government’s official jobs website. But there are plenty of other ways to land federal jobs.For example, employment agencies and consulting firms frequently place employees on contract jobs in federalRead… Read more »
Eight Reality Checkpoints for Using “New Social Media” In Government
By Dennis D. McDonald I’m tracking public announcements about the transition to the Obama administration and the emerging role for digital media and technology in the public sector. Currently a mix of messages is being transmitted by industry and government leaders and commentators. Some are overwhelmingly positive about the potential for using modern digital mediaRead… Read more »
Low-hanging Fruit for Your Stimulus Basket
Ever since our city first became aware of the possibility of a federal stimulus package focusing on public works, we have been busy as bees finding “shovel-ready” projects to submit for funding. Because I realize efforts like ours are now going on all over the U.S., I thought it might be helpful to post someRead… Read more »