Remember the potential public health threat back in 2005 regarding Avian Flu. Supposedly chickens in China had contracted a flu which was found to be contagious to humans? Worst yet the desease chickens were then infecting other birds – especially migratory birds. Scientists confirmed that birds from China do in fact migrate to the USRead… Read more »
The federal government’s use of social media—including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and other sites—draws no end of press coverage, and for good reason: in the past three years, federal agencies have been engaging citizens through Facebook (NASA has more fans than the population of Denver, CO) and Twitter (The State Department has more followers thanRead… Read more »
In my continuing quest to ensure that local governments are recognized for the services they provide to the public, I bring you the first of several profiles of local government CIOs. With limited budgets, constraints from the county and state and under the unending watch of citizens, local technology departments are tasked with providing consistentlyRead… Read more »
In April I wrote briefly about Commissioner Audrey Danner from Moffat County, Colorado and her efforts in using social media to connect with her constituents. I had a chance to sit down with Commissioner Danner earlier this month at the Colorado Counties, Inc. summer conference and talk a bit more about Moffat County using FacebookRead… Read more »
Rural local governments across the country have historically had something of a tougher time than their more populated counterparts when it comes to connecting with their citizens. Greater distances, lower incomes, slower Internet access and hesitancy about adaption of certain communications technologies have proven to be the main challenges. This phenomenon is especially prevalent inRead… Read more »
Yesterday, Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia held primary elections. Yes, presidential primaries, but what some people might not realize is that there were many congressional and local positions up for grabs as well. I had a really cool opportunity to play helper bee yesterday at the DC Board of Elections and Ethics, thanksRead… Read more »
On GovLoop I’ve read plenty of anecdotes about cities getting involved in social media, from a local Department of Transportation that responds to inquiries on Twitter to a local power authority dealing with its namesake being used on social. But what cities are best at social media? A study by the University of Chicago recentlyRead… Read more »
We’ve all pretty much accepted that St. Patrick’s day is a new American holiday, regardless of the amount of Irish whiskey blood pumping through your veins. Around the country, we observe this day by drinking beer and wearing sparkly green pants and shamrock sunglasses. What do we do to observe non-religious holidays? President’s Day, MemorialRead… Read more »
During a meeting this past weekend I once again had the chance to interact with local government officials from all over the country. I attended an excellent session on social media, mostly to see the reactions and hear the questions from meeting attendees. What I heard from them was the same thing I had beenRead… Read more »
In addition to local governments, I also do a bit of work with small businesses helping with their communications and social media outreach. Just last week, two unrelated businesses dealt with the same issue, the grumpy customer. Business A sells finished industrial products and is in its third generation. They are considered experts in theirRead… Read more »