My post on engagement from a few weeks ago, The Myth of Social Media Engagement in the Public Service, generated a healthy debate on the nature and inherent value of engagement in the public sector. Some interpreted my post as saying that I held little or no value in engagement for the public sector. ThisRead… Read more »
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. . .that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.Read… Read more »
One of the current mantras for government online services is to say that they are customer focused. This is an excellent aspiration and it is becoming a standard protocol to build services around iterative user testing. However once a service is up and running how do we ensure that we are still meeting our userRead… Read more »
Engagement is the holy grail of social media. It is supposedly the yardstick by which all of your social media should be measured and if you do not have engagement then you are doing it wrong — or so the story goes. So I might get raked over the coals for saying this but hereRead… Read more »
During my time in state government, I was a part of many discussions about portals. When I worked on a portal for a small businesses in 1998, a portal was really seen as an indication of your tech grooviness and functionally. It looked a lot like an electronic brochure or phonebook. The goal? Making sureRead… Read more »
Do you believe that the involvement of citizens in the management of the government makes government better? Are you willing to do things differently to reach a different segment of the population? One of the leaders I respect the most has often been heard to say that public servants are at their best when theyRead… Read more »
Government agencies partner with local residents to solve community problems, design new projects, coordinate beautification efforts, and keep lines of communication open. As a longtime city employee, I have worked on many community “outreach” or “engagement” projects over the years. One conversation I had with a resident had a profound impact on my work perspective.Read… Read more »
As the Department of Defense scales back the number of active duty forces to the smallest sized military since World War II, thousands of military personnel will transition to veteran status. Each service handles the civilian transition differently and every service member’s experience is unique. One thing remains consistent across services: these men and womenRead… Read more »
“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth Because I’m happy Clap along if you know what happiness is to you Because I’m happy Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do” – “Happy,” Pharrell WilliamsRead… Read more »
Lowering local crime rates is the goal of every law enforcement agency, but it’s not an easy goal to achieve. Local police departments create crime tip phone lines; however, calling isn’t always the best option to report crimes. And in this more digital world, many citizens prefer to use channels they’re already using. For thisRead… Read more »