Posts Tagged: featured blogger

Prohibition Yields Innovation

Perhaps the most popular example of average Americans resisting authority came during the Prohibition Era of 1920-1933. Putting aside the imagery of movies like The Untouchables, moonshine & home breweries took on bigger, albeit clandestine, role in American innovation. Also of note during prohibition, production of sacramental wine for churches rose by hundreds of thousands… Read more »

My Parents Are on the Internet: Online and Aging

Mom’s battling it out with words, animals, and vegetables on her favorite game site. She’ll be reading the news again later this afternoon and probably paying the bills. I’ve noticed that she leans forward more often to see the screen. Dad’s balling and making it rain on his favorite computer parts site. He gets frustratedRead… Read more »

Let’s Get ‘Appy

Everyone knows that app contests are exciting. Ideas, fueled by caffeine and youthful energy, combined with the prospect of an eventual payday paint a picture that most organizations can’t resist. And for the open government community, it’s even more enticing, since app contest are an opportunity to engage residents in ‘doing good’ by enticing developersRead… Read more »

The Power of the Drip Part 2: Email Personalization and Relevancy

Developing a clear picture of the types of email subscribers you have is key to tailoring your messages to address the specific needs of each audience member. This means abandoning the traditional approach that “blasts” the same, long message filled with disparate content to your entire audience on a pre-determined schedule and employing a new… Read more »

Gov Should Hire & Promote More “Moses Managers”

All employees want great managers, yet not everyone is fortunate enough to enjoy that luxury. But what really makes an awesome manager? Some people say that an inclusive and positive can-do management style is best to promote leadership and productivity. Others argue it’s more effective for a manager to use fear tactics to get resultsRead… Read more »

Get Wet! Cause Some Waves! (Or Not… )

Over the course of many decades of governmental work, as well as employment in the private sector and non-profit scene, I have witnessed first-hand and heard, second-hand, of the inherent dangers of saying something that is either unpleasant, reveals corruption, or otherwise is unpopular with the current ‘Powers-That-Be’. All of which leaves someone wondering whetherRead… Read more »