It was the the tweet heard around the country: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody” The first official announcement that law enforcement agencies had concluded their manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev didn’t come at a press conference. ItRead… Read more »
The phrase, “All politics is local” is a common phrase in politics, coined by former Speaker of the U.S. House Tip O’Neill. The message is simple, a politician’s success is directly tied to his ability to understand and influence the issues of his constituents. The same is true for email. You have to target yourRead… Read more »
The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently shared their annual report on social media. The survey finds that Facebook still is the leading social networking site, but others continue to gain in popularity. One of the interesting statistics was finding out usage patterns for social media sites (see image to right). Some of theRead… Read more »
How can your communications engage stakeholders to take action and drive mission value? This was the big question addressed at FCG and GovDelivery’s Annual Digital Communications event: The Power of the Message. The event brought together government leaders at all levels to discuss the importance of effective communication and the power of your message. KeynoteRead… Read more »
Digital government goals are not just something that federal agencies in the US are striving for. In the UK, any new or redesigned service introduced after April 2014 will also have to meet a new Digital by Default standard. The Guardian notes, “Making the billion annual transactions between government, citizens and businesses “digital by default”Read… Read more »
For government communicators and IT professionals, driving traffic to the website is one clear metric that can be tracked and analyzed over time as a measure of success. And, with Google Analytics and similar tools, you can point to increased Web traffic as part of your success as an IT professional or communicator. But inRead… Read more »
The government shutdown has sucked up all the oxygen surrounding the federal government. It’s impossible to focus on engaging stakeholders and federal communication best practices when hundreds of thousands of feds are furloughed. But communications best practices are essential. When agencies return to full capacity they will need to know the best ways to engageRead… Read more »
How do you get your message through the wild west that is currently digital communication? Think about it, TV and Radio news bulletins have been replaced by text-messaging, Twitter, blogs, Facebook and Google+ updates. There are millions if not billions of tweets and facebook posts alone, so it is almost impossible to break through theRead… Read more »
Having the perfect message is only half the equation for good communication strategy. The other part is making sure your message gets to the right people. The impact of your communications depends on how many people you’re reaching. It would be like creating the perfect wedding invitation and sending it to the wrong people. LogicallyRead… Read more »
Communications are never more important than when a crisis hits. Superstorm Sandy, the tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma , the Boston Marathon bombings, and others have shown us how essential it is for our government and community leaders to quickly communicate with the public during an emergency. At the same time, communication channels have changed. TechnologiesRead… Read more »