“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This common phrase can be said for a lot of bureaucratic procedures: they’re slow to change and can eventually fall into a rut. Like any change-adverse person, federal agencies have become too comfortable with an old-school procurement process. But could some simple tweaking result in smoother acquisitions?Read… Read more »
Why is your organization on social media? Is it just because everyone else is doing it? Or are you trying to reach more people, to engage with your customers, to educate, entertain, and be part of a conversation? People are pretty good these days about scanning through their feeds, and weeding out anything that doesn’tRead… Read more »
The unofficial end of summer, Labor Day is a holiday for celebrating the economic and social contributions of the American worker. It’s also a good time to think about protecting those workers from occupational hazards. We have many federal safety and health standards to protect workers at more than 8 million U.S. worksites, but accidentsRead… Read more »
We were intrigued by this commsgodigital piece on the ways that Pinterest can be used by local government officials for public engagement, and we wanted to share it with the NCDD community. The article was penned by Andrew Coulson, a local community engagement officer, and you can read it below or find the original commsgodigitalRead… Read more »
By Koi Hernandez, Design Fellow at GovDelivery Jeff Bezos, technology entrepreneur and CEO of Amazon gives a powerful statement of what a brand is, he states “your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” A brand is simply the first or last impression you leave your stakeholders. It isRead… Read more »
Congratulations! It’s your first day at your new job as a Program Manager (PM). The last few days have been a whirlwind. You got the call from your director that you had been selected to replace the PM for one of the smaller programs in the portfolio. The previous PM had been reassigned and youRead… Read more »
Optimizing blog posts requires a fair bit of both art and science. Over the past four+ years, and particularly after working in the WordPress.org platform since the spring of 2013, I’ve learned a lot both about what TO do and what NOT to do. I’ve also learned a great deal from regularly curating content createdRead… Read more »
There’s a great article over at TechRepublic by Lyndsey Gilpin on how the computer algorithm behind HealthMap detected the recent Ebola outbreak nine days before it was identified by health authorities. In How an algorithm detected the Ebola outbreak a week early, and what it could do next, Gilpin describes how by tracking, collating andRead… Read more »
Opening data is a complex, sometimes messy, undertaking. It’s a technical issue, but like the old Reese’s commercial, there’s no right way to get it done. Simply understanding the language and process can help lead to a workable approach for opening data in your city or agency. To help clarify some of the technical aspectsRead… Read more »
More specifically, do you need help embracing your creativity? I can hear some of you saying right now, “what creativity”? Relax, you’ve got it. Even if you don’t think you use it often, it’s there. Let’s figure out how to brush it off a bit. Ready? If you haven’t read the book referenced in thisRead… Read more »