“GovBytes” is a blog series created by GovLoop in partnership with Government Technology. If you see great a story on Gov Tech and want to ask a question around it, please send it to [email protected].

This year GovLoop staff has posted dozens of GovBytes articles. Each article identities a different way technology is used in government at either the state, federal or local level. After digging around GovLoop, I pulled out the Top 5 GovBytes for 2011.

GovBytes: Should Government Regulate Employees‘ Personal Social Media Use?

Government Technology looks at a policy in Delaware in which employees are monitored in how they use social media, specifically banning employees from posting negative comments about work, even when they are not at work. The article identities that it is increasingly difficult to separate out our public and private lives. This was one theme we saw in social media this year – increasingly blurring the lines between our public and private lives and how social media is managed at the workplace.

GovBytes: Gov Documents Go Digital

Here is an interesting story from Ottawa County, Michigan. In an effort to make documents more transparent and accessible, citizens can access information such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, property deeds and other records from the Internet. The web service uses TrueCertify to ensure security and encryption to prevent fraud and forgery.

GovBytes: Will Government Agencies Adopt Google+?

One of the bigger stories in the social media world was the release of Google+, although traffic and usage has fallen off since the launch, we will see what 2012 holds in store for Google+. Hangouts and circles are much more intituative features than Facebook has to offer, so maybe more adopters will start heading over to Google+. One of the interesting developments with Google+ was the creation of Google+ Pages, with the development of pages, we will see if agencies will set up profiles. Before any profiles are set up, more citizens are going to have to be active on Google+.

GovBytes: Are You Using Your Work Cell Phone the Way Your Boss Intended?

Government Technology reports that most employees have no idea what the policies are for cell phone usage. This is critical when thinking of mobile safety and if the phone is for strictly professional use. The article stated, “It’s not surprising that 95 percent of companies have mobile security policies, according to a new study by online security provider McAfee and Carnegie Mellon University. What’s alarming, however, is that roughly one-third of employees surveyed had no clue as to what those policies are.”

GovBytes: Do You Know the Difference Between Cloud Computing and Virtualization?

One of the more popular GovBytes this year was the article explaining the difference between cloud computing and virtualization. Government Technology reported that two-thirds of state and local government employees felt there was confusion between cloud computing and virtualization. In general, virtualization is defined as creating a virutal version of something, like a desktop or server. Cloud computing is often defined as computational power from a pool of resources, often delivered over the internet.