Government 2.0

Government -- and extreme poverty. How are we doing?

2006-08-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

I saw the following post on Atlantic Review

Foreign Policy Magazine writes:
Each year the Center for Global Development and FOREIGN POLICY look past the rhetoric to measure how rich-country governments are helping or hurting poor countries. How much aid are they giving? How high are their trade barriers against imports such as cotton from Mali or sugar from Brazil? Are they working to slow global warming? Are they making the world’s sea lanes safe for global trade?
The Netherlands wins this year's competition, followed by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Germany ranks at the 9th place and the United States at the 13th. Japan lost again.
The British Times two months ago, that little has improved since last year's G8 summit on Africa and the Make Poverty History campaign due to leadership failures and aid cuts:
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, is to chair an international group set up by Tony Blair to monitor pledges made to help Africa at last year’s G8 summit, the Prime Minister will announce today. Bob Geldof, the Live8 organiser, and President Obasanjo of Nigeria will also be on the Africa Progress Panel, which will be funded by Bill Gates.
The Atlantic Review wrote about the magnitude of poverty and a popular myth:
Around 29,000 under-fives die every day from causes that are easily prevented, such as diarrhoeal dehydration, acute respiratory infections, measles and malaria. According to a poll, most Americans believe that the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on aid to poor countries; it actually spends well under a quarter of 1 percent.

YouTube and UK E-Government

2006-08-22T19:32:00.000-05:00

From Information Policy

Public service videos not quite as funny as other content... By Will Sturgeon

The UK government - long accused of being backwards on understanding tech issues - has come careering into the 21st century with a strategy that will see it use video-sharing sensation YouTube to spread public service messages.

However, while the government appears to understand the potential of the YouTube medium, its first two video offerings suggest it still has a way to go to make the content appealing. We don't expect the videos to surge to the top of the popularity chart just yet.

But the fact the government is embracing such channels at all is a sign of great progress, according to a Cabinet Office statement, which hailed the move as evidence the government is keeping pace with current consumer trends and "always looking at new ways to reach people with the things that they need to know".

Ian Dunmore, director of independent e-government body Public Sector Forums, branded the scheme a world first and said: "It's a ground-breaking move and one other governments might well follow.

"However, we don't expect the videos to surge to the top of the popularity chart just yet."

And he'd be right to manage people's expectations in that way.

At the time of writing one of the videos, entitled 'Sharing the Leadership Channel', had been viewed just 98 times - possibly a reflection of what viewers may consider a rather dry and dull format.

A second, video on 'Transformational government' appears to have enjoyed greater success following efforts to engage the viewers with something a little lighter and more visually stimulating.

http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39161665,00.htm

A New Approach to Property Assessment

2006-08-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

The New York Times published a story about a new approach to real property tax assessment in Philadelphia. It poses a lot of questions -- but it shows how technology can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of regular property re-assessments.

Read on...

and-- check out Pictometry (the provider used by Philadelphia) to see how it works.

Solar Power - and Energy 2.0

2006-08-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a great post from O'Reilly Radar

In a conversation the other day, Ed Kummer of Disney made a really thought-provoking observation: the spread of solar energy units to homes and businesses is an analog to other forms of user-generated content, and the overall trend towards a two-way network. While it's possible to set up a solar system completely off the grid, most of the new customers feed power into the grid during sunlight hours, and draw from it when the daylight wanes. If we move to a solar power economy, it will be much more distributed and cooperative than the current one-way model.

It's fabulous to put the internet and Web 2.0 into a broader context, and to think about how the new network economics that we're seeing on the internet may be adopted in other fields. With VoIP, we're seeing the internet subsume the telephone network. With distributed solar, and the kinds of distributed energy monitoring technology that Adam wrote about the other day, will the internet model also colonize the power grid?

Hmmm... What was I saying about the internet as the network of networks?

What is Web 2.0

2006-08-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a comment from Kelly --

Here is a great article and discussion about what web 2.0 really means.

Check it out, and tell us if you've found a government site that could be called 2.0.

Google Earth and Emergency Aid

2006-08-17T08:40:00.000-05:00

Google Earth and Emergency Aid Permalink
By tim on August 16, 2006

According to an entry on worldchanging.com, Google Earth just played a role in helping to target air drops of relief supplies in Gujarat, which was hit with serious flooding. The entry cites an Ahmedabad newspaper:

If [officials] could have struck upon this idea before, it would have helped many more people as carpet air-dropping of aid leads to lots of wastage. Using this tool, it was easy to identify buildings and other landmarks.

Sometimes people complain that Web 2.0 is just a consumer internet thing. But stories like this remind us that the increased intelligence available to ordinary people can have worldchanging consequences. In this particular case, it was two ordinary people who persuaded the air force to use Google Earth to better target their aid and rescue efforts.

Assessing Government's Response to Katrina

2006-08-15T07:12:00.000-05:00

From Erik Bergrud at ICCE

GulfGov Reports

Based on data and information collected by a network of field researchers, a three-year study initiated by the Ford Foundation called “GulfGov Reports” assesses what happened to communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama after the devastating 2005 Katrina and Rita hurricanes.

The GulfGov Reports web site is hosted by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, in conjunction with the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.

Wikipedia: The Hive

2006-08-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

Marshall Poe published a great review of the Wikipedia project in the September Atlantic Monthly.

Wikipedia was built on assumptions that: 1) people are pre-disposed to collaborate and contribute to public good; and 2) you can facilitate these pre-dispositions by creating an open, trusting environment. Poe's article represents an assessment of the growth (and sustainablilty) of Wikipedia project.

Are the key assumptions valid? If adopted, how would these assumptions affect governance?

Education 2.0: How the Web Affects Learning

2006-08-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

From Read/Write/Web:

Here's a great post about how teachers, students and schools are using blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc. to enhance learning. These experiments might require a paradigm shift for schools. That would, in turn, require significant changes in government policies and management.

Will governments allow and encourage classes to use the web to learn?

Here is the post, with some interesting comments from readers.

San Diego Launches Transportation Dashboard Web Site

2006-08-10T07:39:00.000-05:00

I saw the following announcement on Government Technology. It sounds like a fantastic service to users, and it raises the bar for agency performance and accountability. Check out the links to these new sites.

***
The new interactive TransNet Dashboard Web site, launched by San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is a connection to the current schedule, budget, and expenditure information for the TransNet Early Action Program. This new site is a key element of the larger Keep San Diego Moving Web site which includes project descriptions, construction schedules, public meeting notices, maps, news releases, and other information.

"This is a milestone for San Diego's transportation future," said Joe Kellejian, SANDAG Transportation Committee Chairman. "Not only are we putting TransNet tax dollars to good use by advancing construction on important transportation infrastructure, we've developed a mechanism for ensuring accountability throughout the process."

Read on...

Surveillance, Transparency and "Big Brother"

2006-08-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

Tim at O’Reilly Radar had this great post re: surveillance and transparency.

This post has stimulated some provocative comments, worth reading to the bottom.

Over on Dave Farber's IP list, Greg Brooks sent in an interesting note about a story from the Riverside (CA) Press-Enterprise about how a suburban mom had tracked down the kids who toilet-papered her house. Greg wrote:

"She canvassed local stores to see which one had a run on toilet paper.
She then got the manager of the store to show her surveillance videos, allowing her to see the personalized letterman's jacket of one of the purchasers, as well as the license plate of the vehicle they got into.
Finally, she used a high school yearbook (matched to the school based on the letterman's jacket) and online databases to get the names, phone numbers and addresses of all the teens spotted in the store tapes."

Greg put a negative spin on this, saying "we're pretty far down the road to sheepdom when average citizens start thinking 'well, everything's monitored all the time anyway - let's see if I can make use of that.'" I don't see it that way at all. This "news from the future" story tells us that the vision of David Brin's Transparent Society is starting to come to pass. Brin argues that we need to accept the reality of pervasive surveillance, and just make sure that it is democratized, so that the surveillance is not just by those in positions of power, but of those in power. While the mom in question wasn't "watching the watchers" (a phrase that entered the language with the Roman poet Juvenal nearly 2000 years ago), she was taking the tools of surveillance into her own hands. That's anything but "sheep."

Dylan Tweney made the same point in a followup posting on IP:

As YouTube proves, we are far more adept at watching each other than the government could possibly be. In the future, it's not "Big Brother" that will be watching us, but millions of Little Brothers. Maybe that's a little creepy. On the other hand it can work both ways. And if the surveillance extends to the halls of government (and those who work in government) then we will have an unprecedented level of transparency into the workings of our democracy. We've already got C-SPAN -- what we need now are a hundred thousand webcams all over Washington. Especially in our representatives' offices.

In this regard, see Nikolaj's recent post about theyworkforyou. As I mentioned the other day, we're starting to see some unusual spins on surveillance technology. People adapt. The future changes us.

Read on…

eCityGov Alliance: An Innovative Regional Collaboration

2006-08-08T08:47:00.000-05:00

Brian pointed me to ecitygov.net.

This project is a regional collaboration in the Seattle region that is a finalist for the Innovations in American Governments 2006 Award, sponsored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation in the Kennedy School at Harvard.

In the announcement of the list of finalists, the Ash Institute said:

eCityGov Alliance 2006 in the City of Mercer Island, WA – is taking local government services to new levels of convenience for citizens and businesses. Nine cities in the Puget Sound region of Washington State are making on-line services available through the nation’s first cross-boundary web portals. The result is one-stop, seamless access to building permits, recreation opportunities, property information and available commercial properties for citizens and businesses across member jurisdictions. The nine Alliance cities are Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Sammamish and Snoqualmie.

By collaborating, local governments have built IT capacity, and have generated increased use and user satisfaction. They have also greatly enhanced efficiency and effectiveness for several key transactions. This is an approach that deserves serious consideration.

The Latest State of the Blogosphere

2006-08-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

From David Sifry, at Technorati:

The latest trends on blogging activity. It's a very long tail...

Public officials who want to blog to stay in touch with constituents... here is a good guide for building a better blog.

2006-08-06T13:23:00.000-05:00

From Tim at O'Reilly Radar

WorldChanging reports on a seven-month experiment with a traffic congestion tax in Stockholm. The story is of interest for anyone concerned about possible responses to global warming, the integration of surveillance into routine social policy, or even the perversity of human decision making. The experiment was a huge success:

1. The Trial reduced traffic even more than expected. Planners expected 10-15% reduction, and they got about 22% -- nearly a quarter, on average.

2. Mobility improved significantly. The data showed this, and everyone talked about it: it was a lot easier to get around, and you could more reliably predict that you would arrive at your destination on time.

3. Carbon dioxide emissions were reduced 2-3% overall in Stockholm County, just as a result of this one policy. Reductions were around 14% in the inner city, compared to pre-toll levels.

4. Particulates, NOx, and other noxious pollutants were also (rather obviously) reduced, and science-based cost-benefit calculations show the policy would save a number of people from early death with this policy -- in fact, it would save about 300 cumulative life-years. Probably about 25 people were spared the agony of a traffic injury, as well, just during the short period of the trial.

5. Public transport use increased by about 6% (but about 1.5% of that is credited to higher fuel prices during this period). And we got new buses.

6. At the start of the trial, 55% of Stockholmers thought the trial was a "bad decision." That number fell to 41% after just a few months, as people experienced the effects directly, and the number calling it a "good decision" of course rose. Even those whose travel habits forced them to pay the toll showed an increase in approval for it.

and

The toll system, which worked nearly flawlessly since being inaugurated on 1 January, was turned off on 31 July. The very next day, traffic jams reappeared on the major arteries that had, magically, been free of such jams for the previous half-year.

Read on...

Wikipedia's Wales Touts "Free Culture"

2006-08-06T12:10:00.000-05:00

If you're interested in using the web to facilitate public participation in governance, it's good to follow what's happening with Wikipedia.

Check out an account about a recent key note speech by Wikipedia's Founder Jimmy Wales published by CNet.

Berners-Lee: Apply Web 2.0 to Improve Accessibility

2006-08-06T07:09:00.000-05:00

From CNet

Accessibility seminars often begin with a quote by Tim Berners-Lee: "The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect." It's an old quote, but the web's inventor offered fresh ideas yesterday.

Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee presents his vision of the web's future at the 15th International World Wide Web Conference in Edinburgh today. At a press conference yesterday, he acknowledged that accessibility is failing the "essential aspect" he described back in 1997 when announcing the launch of the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (or WAI, pronounced 'way').

"That is a concern," he said of today's generally poor standard of web accessibility. Berners-Lee, who has served as W3C's director since it was founded in 1994, pointed out that his WAI team is working hard on a new set of guidelines to address accessibility. Version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, has been long awaited and the working draft is near completion: a 'last call' for public comment closes on 31 May.

Read more here.

Live Data Feeds Improve Government Transparency

2006-08-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Recently, Jon Udell at Information World posted this very interesting announcement made by Dan Thomas, Director of the DCStat program in Washington DC government.

Starting in mid-June, the District of Columbia (began) releasing operational data from a variety of city agencies to the Internet in several XML formats, including RSS and Atom.

“Our expectation is that it will spawn mashups, analysis, and who knows what ripple effects,” Thomas wrote. “We also expect it will motivate government agencies to seek and sustain high levels of performance.”

On June 12 the first of the feeds — data on the disposition of service requests received by the Mayor’s Call Center and the online Service Request Center — was quietly launched at the Center for Innovation and Reform. I immediately grabbed the data, and in a few hours I had cobbled together a proof-of-concept mashup that displays requests related to street repaving and gutter repair on a map of the District of Columbia. If you’ve ever visited Adrian Holovaty’s award-winning ChicagoCrime.org, you can see what this might mean for Washington.

Read on here.

For further information on the DCStat program, read this.

Hungary Training Course on Local E-Government

2006-08-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

From the European E-Government News

July 31

The Hungarian government has organized eGovernment training courses for some 4 500 civil servants from 700 different offices.

'A practical guide to eGovernment for municipal government employees’ is an e-learning training course targeted at government employees. Participation was unexpectedly high for an e-learning program. The success rate among students who completed the course was more than 90%.

The three-month training program was organized by the Ministry of Informatics and Communications. It was preceded by a careful survey of demand: more than 100 local governments and close to 200 local government employees provided data about their skills and capabilities. The questionnaires also enquired about the learning preferences of the employees.

The course covered various eGovernment topics, such as the sort of broadband electronic communication necessary for their work. Subjects included: e-administration, electronic signatures, certification, client portals, tools for improving the e-efficiency of local government, communication, monitoring, negotiation techniques, distance learning over the internet, and broadband.

The knowledge gained from this course is likely to be an important factor in ensuring that graduates of the program can help implement the government’s eGovernment strategy.

House DOPA Vote Threatens Citizen Participation

2006-07-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

From: CNet

Web sites like Amazon.com and MySpace.com may soon be inaccessible for many people using public terminals at American schools and libraries, thanks to the U.S. House of Representatives.

By a 410-15 vote on Thursday, politicians approved a bill that would effectively require that "chat rooms" and "social networking sites" be rendered inaccessible to minors, an age group that includes some of the Internet's most ardent users. Adults can ask for permission to access the sites.

Read on.

Wellington, New Zealand E-Democracy Strategy

2006-07-31T10:28:00.000-05:00

From Democracies Online:

Wellington, NZ releases e-democracy strategy

The City of Wellington, NZ has released an very detailed e-democracy policy. It illustrates how ideas from leading “e-democracy interested” communities easily spread round the world. Note their Have Your Say section. It is good to see there use of e-alerts which I’ve highlighted among the collection of e-democracy briefs.

To get a sense of their future direction see the report Information and Communications Technology Policy and note their large section on e-democracy:

SECTION 4: e-Democracy
4.1 What is e-Democracy? 16
4.2 Why e-Democracy? 16
4.3 Strategic Fit 17
4.4 e-Voting 18
4.5 Objectives 18
4.6 Policy Implementation 21
4.7 Performance Measures 22

Here is the report’s introductory text:

1.1 Introduction

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has already changed the way many Wellington residents live, work and play, and the Council believes it has further potential to enhance the lives of Wellingtonians.

ICT includes electronic information processing technologies such as computers and the internet (including email) as well as cellular, digital and wireless technologies and fixed line telecommunications. The Council believes these technologies have the
ability to:

• enhance the city’s economic development – by providing a telecommunications infrastructure that enables new opportunities for innovation, increased productivity and an enhanced quality of life

• contribute to the well-being of the community – by building capability and enabling individuals and communities to develop economically, socially, and culturally

• enhance and increase engagement in local democracy by enabling individuals and
communities to be linked to local government and local networks.

Innovations in Citizen Journalism

2006-07-31T08:16:00.000-05:00

From Information Policy:

The Knight-Batten Awards for innovation in journalism were just announced. Seven projects received recognition, and each faciliate transparency, discovery or user participation in some way. The projects range from a comprehensive, interactive Congressional votes database, to a site that helps users conduct real-time risk assessment for hurricanes.

Each of the award winners can contribute to better governance. Each also represents a model that government agencies could adapt for their own purposes.

NASA 2.0

2006-07-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Susan Miller at Federal Computer Week found a great story about the history -- and the future -- of NASA.

Wikipedia: a Radical Experiment in E-Democracy

2006-07-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

If you're thinking through the "pros" and "cons" of e-participation on government web sites, here's a great (though somewhat lengthy) case study of Wikipedia, as published in the July 31 New Yorker magazine.

Proposed Database on Federal Funding

2006-07-24T13:51:00.000-05:00

From Federal Computer Week

BY Matthew Weigelt
Published on July 19, 2006

Legislation that would require the creation of an online database to track federal spending has won praise from several key senators.

“Transparency is a prerequisite to oversight and financial control,” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) testified at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security Subcommittee hearing. The ability of citizens to know how the government spends their tax money is a basic principle of self-government, Obama said.

The hearing focused on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which would set up a searchable database online that the public could use to track federal funding of organizations. The Web site would show how much funding an organization received in each of the last 10 fiscal years, a breakdown of the transactions, and details about the organization receiving the funds.

“The reason for such broad support is simple,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). “People are beginning to realize that the only way to control spending and ensure accountability is to let the American people see exactly how their money is being spent.”

“I like to think of this bill as ‘Google for Government Spending,’” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the bill’s original sponsor.

Chairwoman Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she would work to push the act through the committee.

Obama said senators are constantly surprised at what shows up after they vote for a bill. Having the Web site would empower people and organizations to keep the government accountable.

“It’s one of the wonderful democratizing aspects of the Internet,” he said.

****
Comments from two readers include links to two other transparency/accountability tools:

Kelly points to: http://expectmore.gov

Amy suggests: http://transparency.org

The BBC 2.0: democratic media

2006-07-23T07:14:00.000-05:00

Thus far, we've seen very few government agencies that invite users to get involved, "have their say" on public issues, and contribute to collective intelligence.

If you're interested, take a look at what the BBC is doing to invite users to participate. Maybe other government units could follow their example.

Check out a great background piece on BBC from Business Week here .

Another Take on Web 2.0

2006-07-21T07:47:00.000-05:00

Gina Hughes at Yahoo recently posted a useful review of all things 2.0.

She writes:

"I had the same question when I first heard the term. To simplify things, Web 2.0 is what people consider "the second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online". Ok, I took those exact words from Wikipedia, which is a good example of this new Web 2.0 era. In the past we had encyclopedias, these days we also have wikis or wikipedias, which are updated more frequently.

O'Reilly Net has a much more extensive review on the matter, and they are an excellent resource because they pretty much coined the term during a brainstorming session. Unfortunately, O'Reilly Media is also in the process of registering the term Web 2.0 as a service mark, so they can continue to use this term for their annual conference. I'm sure this will cause a lot of confusion for everyone in the future if we choose to adopt this name, then again, we may already be too late.

Aside from being a buzzword, Web 2.0 also refers to this exciting exchange of ideas where everyone plays a part. Whether they choose to do it via social networking sites like MySpace, blogs, video/audio podcasts, social bookmarking, photo communities and wikis to name a few, users are encouraged to create, contribute, or participate in these online communities. With all these applications comes a new language we must learn, and a new way of designing websites.

Just take a look around the web, and you will notice a lot of great companies out there that offer easy ways to share video, share bookmarks, create personal or business blogs, or even make phone calls over the Internet. You'll recognize Web 2.0 websites by their tag clouds, rounded corners, gradients and short punchy names with elements of english words, well at least that's what Reddit's how-to-video says.

While many have a problem with the label of this new phase, there is no denying that the web has certainly changed in the last few years, and will continue to do so. Believe it or not, the term Web 3.0 is already out there. Since I couldn't possibly explain Web 2.0 as a whole in this post, I will leave you with a few great links to help you learn more about it, or just have fun with it.

Tech Crunch reviews new Web 2.0 products
Intro to Web 2.0
Buzzword Hell attempts to kill the buzz words
the Social Software weblog
Edugadget Web 2.0 for teachers
Test your 2.0 knowledge
What is Web 2.0 and Should You Care?
ZDNet on Web 2.0
Wired's Are you ready for Web 2.0
Web 2.0 Awards

So what does Web 2.0 mean to you?"

***
Also -- by way of O'Reilly Radar,

James Fallows recently wrote about his use of 2.0 sites, published in Technology Review.

Blog, Blog, Blog...

2006-07-20T15:04:00.000-05:00

According to a recent study released by the Pew Internet and the American Life Project ,

About 12 million Americans (about 8% of online adults) write their own blogs. About 57 million (39% of online adults) read blogs.

Consistent with previous research, the study found that bloggers were disproportionately young. The blogger population is diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, and proportionately male and female.

Although political bloggers receive extensive public attention, most of the bloggers just write about their own personal experience. However, the informality and intimacy of personal blogs can keep you from getting hired or get you fired.

Will the blogosphere keep growing exponentially? Will it have significant and sustainable effects on politics and government? Or will young bloggers grow weary and wary -- and move on to other media?

Goggle Launches Accessibility Search

2006-07-20T14:45:00.000-05:00

Recently, we've examined the (in)accessibility of local government web sites.

Google just launched a new tool that may raise the visibility of this issue.

From Sci-Tech Today:

For visually impaired users, Web pages that are designed to be accessible can be more easily read by screen reading machines or by making the type larger. But well-designed accessible pages are not yet everywhere.

Google took a major step today toward helping users find the most accessible pages on a given topic. It is releasing a beta version of Accessible Search for the Visually Challenged, available at http://labs.google.com/accessible/.

Accessible Search is "designed to identify and prioritize search results that are more easily usable by blind and visually impaired users," Google said in a statement on the site.

Headed by a Blind Researcher

A project of Google Labs, the Accessible Search project is headed by T.V. Raman, a former IBM researcher who became blind from glaucoma as a child. There are nearly 8 million visually-impaired Web users in the U.S. alone who, like Raman, face challenges in finding information when they conduct a search. Screen readers for blind or dyslexic users turn screen text into spoken words, but, if the page is not designed for accessibility, the result could be gibberish.

Accessible Search looks at the page's HTML, and favors pages that are more easily understood when images are turned off, as well as those that are most accessible through keyboard navigation. Such a page will also tend to read well when a screen reading machine is used. Web pages that are complex visually, or have much of the information or navigation primarily in visuals, are less favored.

US E-government: Status After Twelve Years

2006-07-20T08:28:00.000-05:00

By way of Information Policy:

The following article in Public CIO by Robert D. Atkinson.

It's been 12 years since the U.S. government went online. The first stage of e-government meant a passive presence on the Web based on information, but not citizen interaction. The public sector evolved to the second stage: developing Web applications that allowed individuals to interact with government, such as paying parking tickets and renewing drivers' licenses. But most governments have been slow to move to the third stage of e-government -- creating functionally oriented, citizen-centered Web presences by breaking down bureaucratic barriers. Too often, existing e-government applications are user-unfriendly, designed around agencies' needs rather than citizens'.

http://www.public-cio.com/story.php?id=Turbo-Charging%20E-Governmen

OMB Publishes Guidelines for Interagency IT Practices

2006-07-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

By way of Government Executive, we read:

National Journal's Technology Daily

Part of the challenge of implementing change is following the guidelines -- and knowing exactly what the changes are. To that end, the White House Office of Management and Budget on Monday announced the release of an online catalog to make guidelines on information technology practices easier to access.

OMB is sending a memorandum to the chief information officers and chief architects of the different federal agencies to explain the launch of the federal transition framework, which consolidates guidance to agencies on policies and best practices on tech solutions.

"By consolidating cross-agency information on IT policy in one convenient location, agencies are able to quickly and more efficiently make decisions related to their overall mission," said Karen Evans, administrator of e-government and technology at OMB.

OMB said the new catalog lets agencies get more complete, consistent information, capitalize on cost savings, and increase the speed of compliance with the directives.

Oregon: Mile Fee In Place of Gas Tax

2006-07-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

From Government Technology

Lee Younglove is motoring about town in a way that could be the future of driving in America: A state-installed GPS unit in his Subaru Outback is counting every mile he's logging, and a special transmitter in the car will tell the pump at one of two Portland gas stations how many miles he has traveled. Soon, as part of a state experiment, he'll be paying 1.2 cents for every mile but won't be charged the state's 24-cents-a-gallon gas tax.

That's because Oregon sees little future in its gas tax, which has been at the same level since 1993. Voters don't want to raise it, inflation has eaten much of its value and fuel-efficient cars such as hybrids are reducing collections.

As an alternative, the state is experimenting with a "virtual tollway" system in which a road-user fee would replace the gas tax.

New Approach to Traffic Management

2006-07-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest services government can provide is to help users use transportation systems efficiently. Agencies can monitor traffic flows continuously, and push advisories to users with email, SMS or automated phone calls. If successful, these efforts will relieve traffic jams and will improve transportation safety. It will also make users much more satisfied with agency services.

For example, see Traffic.com. Users can register for free and receive a variety of services. For a small montly fee, premium users can customize their traffic alerts to fit their changing needs. You can walk through an example by checking out the site's services for the St. Louis metro area.

The Future for Digital Government

2006-07-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

Government Technology recently asked a panel of experts (from public agencies, for-profit IT service providers, and academic backgrounds) to list issues that would affect the development of e-government for the next five years.

You can read their responses here.

The IT Profession in 2010

2006-07-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

Computer World recently published an extended report about the future of IT professions in 2010. They forecast a major shift over the next 4-5 years. The report warns that rapidly changing technology and competition from outsourcing will put more pressure on aging boomers working in this field.

This shift will also put new pressures on government agencies struggling to keep pace.

Government thinking about web 2.0

2006-07-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago Tim O'Reilly made some provocative comments about the need for government agencies to adopt web 2.0 philosophy, functionality and infrastructure.

Check here to review his thoughts.

Networked Government

2006-07-14T16:10:00.000-05:00

William Eggers, author of Government 2.0, also co-authored a useful brief article about networked governance.

Check it out.

Multi-State Collaboration on Emergency Preparedness

2006-07-12T06:56:00.000-05:00

According to Government Technology,

The Southern Governors Association is working to prepare a common framework to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.

Details will be announced at the Association's annual meetings later this week.

Don't be evil ??

2006-07-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

After reading John Battelle’s great book, The Search: How Google and its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed our Culture, I think it is definitely getting harder for Google (and just about everyone else) to follow its corporate motto – “Don’t be evil”.

Here are a few examples of well-documented challenges the company faces.

Google’s China Problem and China’s Google Problem – a practical summary of dilemmas faced by both published in April, 2006 by the New York Times. (Read Google’s side of the story published on a company blog last January).

Gmail and Privacy Issues - provides links to several different perspectives on Google’s ads inserted into your gmail messages.

Plus some recent articles about Google from Business Week magazine – (you will need to register at their site).

Google’s print ad strategy - Business Week magazine’s review (July 17 issue) of Google’s approach to dominating print ad sales.

Net neutrality -- the debate about the future of the Internet, including Google’s position. (BTW - if you have some time, and need a smile, listen to Sen. Ted Stevens (AK) remarkable perspective on this complex policy debate (;>).

Google’s track record with non-search products -- this is not directly tied to questions of good and evil, but it provides one perspective on the company's recent attempts to venture outside search products.

The Plot to Hijack your Computer -- Business Week's (July 17) cover story reports about spyware: what is it? how it is used? who's behind it? why you should care? and what you can do to protect yourself. (Read Google's principles re: spyware, adware, etc., here.)

The capacity to develop and deploy search at Internet scale presents many new challenges for public policy and public administration, and for all of us. It really has changed the rules of the game.

If you haven't read Battelle's book yet, you should. For more insight into Google's corporate philosophy, check out a key document they call "Ten Things".

Who pays for "free" municipal wireless?

2006-07-09T13:02:00.000-05:00

Hundreds of local governments have now decided to offer free wireless Internet access - either in certain "hot spots" or as wide area clouds. This service is very popular for users, but it is unclear how the costs involved will be covered.

One business model often debated is illustrated by the agreement between the City of San Francisco, Earthlink and Google. A recent essay in Government Technology provides an excellent summary.

(Thanks to Martha for this tip.)

MySpace.com and Public Service

2006-07-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

I saw the following post by Erik Bergrud at the International Center for Civic Engagement

According to the Washington Post:

MySpace.com, the social-networking site that boasts 90 million members who are "friends" with one another online, is trying to galvanize its user base to get involved in public service.

It is doing so by sponsoring a contest, which begins today, requesting submissions of 15- to 30-second video public-service announcements encouraging social activism. The winner will be featured in Seventeen magazine, which is co-sponsoring the contest.

While we are lamenting the decline of membership associations and traditional service clubs, we should recognize that a new generation, which is more interested in "mashing up" than bowling together, is redefining civic engagement in the Web 2.0 era.

In a related follow up, we’ve had a lot of discussion about blogging and new media for public officials. Some of that discussion focused on a Washington state legislator who used MySpace to communicate with his younger constituents. Opinion was mixed about whether this was an effective way to engage young people.

Today, we received the following comment from the Representative.

As the author of the blog on myspace.com (see: www.myspace.com/upthegrove), I encourage (another blog commenter) to take a closer look. The postings are not designed to be policy papers, but rather, are designed to provide a window into my day-to-day activities as a legislator in order to help demystify government and my role as a legislator. The content is written in a way to be brief and interesting, yet hopefully spark an interest in a topic. I often provide links to additional information. The use of rap music, graphics, and humor does not make the site "silly". Quite to the contrary, it makes the site palatable to an audience that would otherwise be disinterested. Despite the light intent, the posts have spurred a few interesting policy discussions. For example, note the 13 postings on June 20th debating the new high school exit exam in Washington.

Contrast this with my traditional campaign website (www.upthegrove.com) where I have not received a single email all year on any topic. On my myspace blog I was able to receive passionate and candid feedback from young people and engage in a substantive back-and-forth debate on a pressing state issue. I believe some people-- especially young people-- are simply more comfortable with the forum.

As a result of the myspace page and blog, I have helped place a college student in an internship, have plugged several young people into political trainings, have recruited new campaign volunteers (and donors!), and have engaged in countless email discussions with young people about policy and political issues.

Political communication does not need to be stuffy in order to be meaningful

Dave Upthegrove
State Representative
Washington State

***

Thanks Rep. Upthegrove, for your contribution to our discussion, and for your public service.

Governments use data to provide new services

2006-07-07T08:16:00.000-05:00

Shane Peterson at Government Technology published an interesting essay about how some governments are using data they're already collecting to provide a new service -- helping consumers make better choices. States and local governments are providing these data over the web to help people compare price and quality from providers of everything from health services to gasoline.

E-democracy case studies

2006-07-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

From Democracies Online:

If you're looking for case studies about e-democracy, you can find them here.

European Public Participation Portal

2006-07-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Check out this interesting site called Your Voice in Europe.

It invites EU citizens and businesses to respond to open consultations and discussions on a wide range of policy issues, facilitates periodic chat sessions featuring EU public officials, encourages people to share their experiences, concerns or complaints re: EU programs, etc.

Users like e-newsletters

2006-07-05T11:01:00.000-05:00

From Democracies Online:

New user research suggests that e-newsletters are still one of the most effective methods to keep web site readers informed and engaged. (The research was conducted by usability guru Jakob Nielsen. The link above provides excellent usability standards and best practices for design and delivery.

Czech E-government teaches computer literacy

2006-07-05T07:14:00.000-05:00

From Information Policy

The Czech Republic is adding computer literacy courses on their e-government portal.

"The interactive self-study courses are designed for convenience. Theory and practical exercises are combined and users can skip chapters and return to them later if they wish. Both beginners, e.g. simple word processing skills, and more advanced users, e.g. database administration, are catered for, and certificates are awarded for passing final tests.

This eLearning initiative is squarely aimed at raising computer competences, particularly among the more excluded groups such as elderly workers, where the lack of these skills is the main reason for unemployment. And the courses are proving popular: more than 10000 people have subscribed in the first six months!"

Maine Enacts Information Access Law

2006-07-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

On Government Technology, I read that Maine has now enacted an information access law designed to facilitate government transparency, and provide web support for citizens who want to know how to get public information.

Usability Declining on Local Government Web Sites

2006-07-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

Usability should be a top priority for local government web sites. But recent research suggests the issue needs much more attention – at least on US municipal government sites.

Usability refers to the convenience, reliability, credibility, navigability, accessibility and readability of a site. The federal government (through the National Cancer Institute – Dept. of Health and Human Services) provides measurement standards, and excellent resources for sites at usablity.gov.

We adapted these standards to measure the proportion of usability requirements met by the 100 largest municipal governments in March of 2004, 2005 and 2006. (For details on methodology and measures, please see this recent paper).

Results show a substantial decline in average usability over the past year. Some sites improved, but most sights declined significantly since 2005.

Several factors might contribute to this trend. First, some of the standards require subjective assessment. Although analysts used for each year’s research were given the same orientation and training, we employed different analysts each year. Perhaps the analysts involved in 2006 were biased, or held more rigorous standards for some of the standards.

A second possible explanation may imply something more important. The sheer volume of content on local government sites, and the decentralized approach used by most cities to manage this content generated by separate municipal departments can make the task of improving usability very difficult.

Many of the problems the study found re: usability were relatively simple – if not easy – to fix. For example, inconsistent or inappropriate use of color, graphic images, and navigation aids across different department pages. We also found problems with accessibility such as omission of “alt.tags” on images, content that required excessive scrolling for users. In addition, we found a lot of content with no information about authorship, or even dates when posted, which can cause users to question the veracity and currency of the information and services available at the site.

In short, usability is critical to meeting the service needs of site users, and large municipalities are having trouble keeping up.

	2004	2005	2006
Percent Usability Standards Met	.67	.72	.52

EU Report finds progress in delivering online government services

2006-06-29T12:13:00.000-05:00

The European Commission just released a study that evaluates the online services available on 14,000 government web sites.

It finds that:

(t)he maturity of online public services in the EU keeps improving and they have now reached an overall level of sophistication where full 2-way interaction between citizens and governments is the norm. Nearly 50% of services allow the citizen to conduct the whole process online, says the latest e-Government survey done for the Commission. The sophistication index has risen by 6% in the year to April 2006 in the EU 15 Member States, but by 16% in the EU10. Austria leads the on-line public service league, followed by Malta and Estonia.

You can access the report here.

Who uses local government sites?

2006-06-29T08:23:00.000-05:00

To successfully deliver web-based services, governments must first attract users to their sites. We don’t know much about the number of people using government web sites – particularly at the local level.

In March, 2006 we completed a content analysis of web sites managed by the 100 largest US municipalities. Here’s some of what we learned about user traffic on these sites.

Based on data from alexa.com, we calculated the 90-day rolling average traffic rank for all the cities. Most of the 100 cities had such limited traffic that the alexa algorithm could not provide reliable rank estimates.

The ten US municipal government web sites that attracted the most user traffic, according to Alexa’s estimates, were as follows.

City	Traffic rank
New York, NY	3,224
Washington, DC	15,993
Chicago, IL	18,581
Seattle, WA	20,159
Los Angeles, CA	24,349
Nashville-Davidson, TN	25,281
Philadelphia, PA	26,429
San Diego, CA	27,562
Phoenix, AZ	29,709
Austin, TX	31,240

Utah.gov wins web services award

2006-06-29T07:59:00.000-05:00

On MSN Money Central

“Customer service and government may not always go hand in hand. But in Utah, they do. Utah's official Web site (www.Utah.gov) has earned top honors in the Government Customer Support Excellence Awards for the second straight year.

Presented by the Government Contact Center Community of Practice, the awards spotlight the very best in government customer service in four categories: Teamwork, Technical Excellence, Customer Focus, and Overall Excellence.”

Utah.gov offers more than 200 interactive online services that enable users to conduct business with the government over the Internet. Types of online services include, but are not limited to, searches, filings, payments, registrations, and renewals. Of course, navigating all these resources can be difficult, which is why Utah.gov offers its customers award-winning around-the-clock support by phone, email, or live chat.

Last year, Utah.gov's unique 24/7 Live Help online customer service program won in the Customer Focus category.

Barriers to e-government

2006-06-27T21:41:00.000-05:00

Preliminary findings from a study sponsored by the European Union's E-government Observatory on the barriers to e-government in Europe are now out. Check out the list of barriers, and case study examples of these barriers in European countries.

The study was conducted by a group of several European research centers and consulting firms, led by Oxford's Internet Institute.

Do we still need the IT guy?

2006-06-27T07:29:00.000-05:00

There's an interesting post at Fast Company about whether small businesses still need an IT "guy" on staff. The post lists and reviews a number of web-based software products designed to replace standard desktop products, such as Word, Outlook, etc.

I'm certainly not arguing that there are too many IT guys in government. However, this guide to web-based software services (and a detailed case study) may be worth looking at.

Comment links

2006-06-26T17:45:00.000-05:00

Comments on the blog this week have been diverse and stimulating. Thanks!

Several have pointed to media accounts related to post topics.

Since it’s not always convenient to cut and paste from comments, here are the direct links:

Lindsey sends this link Re: blogging and web culture and also this link about a Washington state legislator that posts his blog on “Myspace” to be more accessible to young constituents.

Brent points us to a different perspective on political blogging. This article compares what it was like to be a campaign manager in the pre-blogging era (a relatively obscure position) with today’s job requirements (much closer to the spotlight).

Re: the accessibility of local government web sites, Rhonda sends us this link that helps us compare US and European performance.

Re: data security issues – Stacy points to a story about state security breach notification laws.

Re: the 100 best places to work in IT, Stacy also shares this article about Fairfax County, VA – the only government agency to make the list.

The Blogging Bandwagon

2006-06-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

We’ve debated the merits – and limits – of blogging for public officials. (Check the comments to posts about blogging in the archives). I didn’t plan on another post on this topic, but over the last few days we’ve seen stories about blogs and partisan politics in Michigan, Ohio, (thanks to the Thicket) Missouri and Kentucky. The partisanship is bad enough in the blue grass state that the governor has now ordered that access to blogs be blocked to all state workers.

There are lots of reasons why blogs are great for political campaigns. They offer a quick and easy way to get your message out, without mediation from main stream media outlets. They also help you mobilize and manage your supporters, and give you a direct view of your opponents’ campaign that’s unprecedented.

Still – are blogs really good tools for public officials to communicate with constituents? Kim Patrick Kobza has this response in article called “The Blogging Bandwagon”.

For more background on Kobza’s perspective, see here and here.

Accessiblity and Municipal Government Web Sites

2006-06-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Each Spring since 2004 I’ve conducted a detailed analysis of the content and design features of the 100 largest US municipal government web sites. (For details on this research, please see recent publications in the Public Administration Review and State and Local Government Review. [pre-print])

I was mining these data the other day, and confirmed what many already knew. Municipal governments – even big ones – generally don’t do enough to assure that their pages are accessible to users with physical, sensory or reading impairments.

Although the range and quality of services available through these sites continues to grow, there is little change in the capacity to respond to persons with disabilities.

100 Largest US Municipal Government Web Sites	2004	2005	2006
Sites that post accessibility policies	23	34	28
Sites that meet minimum 3WC accessibility standards^*	12	14	12

^*Assessment was conducted with an automated software product for each site.

Most of the non-compliance involved rather simple items to fix (such as improper use of color or images) . I found no significant correlation between a site’s accessibility and city population or the proportion of city residents with disabilities.

A few observations:

The proportion of US residents with disabilities is large -- approximately 50 million people, or 19.3% of all Americans over 5. (In fact, most of these people live in the large cities that comprised this study).
This population is growing steadily.
For a variety of reasons, they may have pressing needs to interact with municipal government.
Increased attention to accessibility standards will likely improve site usability and user satisfaction.

Data Security Policy Guidelines

2006-06-22T08:21:00.000-05:00

Government Technology reports that Calvin Miller (Washington DC's Chief Info Security Officer) just released some brief guidelines on data sensitivity policy, risk assessment, IT physical asset control, access and remote access control.

The guides are non-technical, and I think, very practical.

The Governator schedules online Q and A with citizens

2006-06-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

Kelly notes that CA Gov. Schwarzenegger has scheduled his first online Q and A session with citizens. (His predecessor, Gray Davis, used this communication method back during the first "dot.com" glory days).

No one from the Governor's Office or political staff will screen questions. The 20-minute event will be moderated by a respected journalist with broad knowledge of state politics and government.

You can check out the event at this site.

Telework initiatives in Virginia and other states

2006-06-19T16:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Misty, here's a link to a story in Stateline on telework initiatives in Virginia and other states. It will be interesting to monitor these programs in the aftermath of the Veterans Affairs, NHS, and other data security failures.

100 Best Places to Work in IT -- only one in government

2006-06-19T10:44:00.000-05:00

Computer World recently published its annual study of the 100 best places to work in IT. This year's list contained only one government organization -- Fairfax County, Virginia.

The County employs approximately 300 IT professionals. Why did they make the list? They allow flexible work schedules (based on job requirements), and they offer a professional and leadership development program for employees at all levels.

Veterans Blog about VA Data Debacle

2006-06-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

Patrick Thibodeau at Computer World shows us how some Veteran bloggers respond to the VA's stupendous loss of personal data. (They also show what these Vets think of the VA's efforts to manage the PR fallout.)

Tele-work Can Reduce Costs

2006-06-18T07:53:00.000-05:00

From Government Executive -

A recent federal study finds that enabling tele-work for employees could reduce significant costs for government agencies. Of course, this approach requires upfront investment in information infrastructure. It also raises new challenges re: data security and organizational management.

New Web Sites Increase at Record Pace

2006-06-18T07:18:00.000-05:00

I saw the following on Information Policy.

The Internet experienced its strongest site growth ever last month, powered by a surge in blogs and free web sites. In the June 2006 survey we received responses from 85,541,228 sites, a gain of 3.96 million sites from the May report. This is the largest one-month increase in sites in the history of the Netcraft survey, surpassing a gain of 3.3 million in March 2003, although the 2003 gain was larger in percentage terms (8.5%, compared to 4.7% this month).

http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2006/06/04/june_2006_web_server_survey.html

San Diego: Lessons Learned in Outsourcing IT

2006-06-16T08:20:00.000-05:00

San Diego County was one of the first US local governments to outsource its IT functions in the late 1990s. Government Technology just published this account of the lessons learned by the County thus far.

The Challenges of Local Government CIO

2006-06-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

At a recent conference, local government CIOs listed their biggest challenges on the job:

organizational/institutional
relationship management
technical infrastructure

Partisan Blogs and Missouri Politics

2006-06-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Martha -- here's a link to a story on political blogs in Missouri that just doesn't go away. I think we may need some adult supervision.

VA Warned about Data Security Problems

2006-06-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

Daniel Pulliem in Government Executive reports that the VA was warned about data security problems in 1997.

Google launches Government Search Site

2006-06-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

From Government Computer News, I see that Google has now launched its own Government search tool to rival the federal government's FirstGov.

Google's version allows more personalization to fit individual user needs and access to a wider range of content. I gave it a quick spin, and I like it.

Congressional Blogs

2006-06-14T08:01:00.000-05:00

In January, 2006, K. Daniel Glover wrote a story for the National Journal that listed 17 blogs by Members or groups in Congress. You can see the list republished here.

Appropriators wary of e-gov

2006-06-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

No big surprise, but Government Computer News reports that at least some federal agencies are having a tough time with House Appropriations for next year's budget.

Read the story here.

Blogs and public relations

2006-06-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

So far, many of the comments on this blog address the advantages and disadvantages of blogs for public officials.

Here is a post from Fast Company that examines PR in the private sector. I think it applies in the public and voluntary sectors as well.

More blogs by public officials

2006-06-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to track a list of blogs maintained by public agencies or elected officials at local, state and national levels.

Local

In addition to the local public blogs discussed in Portland and LA, Stacy pointed out that Mayor Slay in St. Louis has a blog. Brent also mentioned in an earlier comment that Columbia, MO school board member Darin Preis uses a blog to engage with constituents.

State

Several Governors, such as Wisconsin's (Jim Doyle) have run temporary blogs to report on international travel, or to support their political campaigns. However, a quick check showed no active blogs by current governors, except by Gov. Huckabee in Arkansas.

The majority party of the Utah Senate operates a blog called the Senate Site that provides a very interesting perspective on the legislative process. (For a link to the majority party blog for the Utah House check here). The people at the Senate Site also kindly shared a link to a list of state legislative blogs maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Any ideas on how we could develop a more comprehensive list?

I'll compile your suggestions and give you credit.

Digital Archiving for Government

2006-06-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Brian, here's a link to a recent article in Governing magazine on digital record keeping for government agencies.

International Rankings of Municipal Government Web Sites

2006-06-09T10:02:00.000-05:00

Democracies Online just posted news about a just-released study of the best municipal government web sites world wide. The study, conducted at Rutgers University, found Seoul Korea as the best of the best.

The US and globalization

2006-06-09T08:11:00.000-05:00

This week in class we discussed the implications of globalization on government performance. Newsweek magazine has an excellent series of articles that examines the changing global context for the US.

This set of essays, 15 ideas to recharge America, is worth your time.

Survey on Barriers to E-government

2006-06-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Oxford Internet Institute is managing an online survey designed to assess the barriers to enhanced e-government services. The survey was designed to address e-gov issues in the European Union. However, respondents from outside Europe are also encouraged. You can take the brief survey at:

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=443224

A different perspective on UK local e-democracy

2006-06-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Rage on Omnipotent, we find a different - less than positive - perspective on the impact of the local e-democracy program in the UK.

UK Local E-Democracy Project

2006-06-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

Steven Clift at Democracies Online just posted a very useful summary and set of links re: the recently completed UK Local E-Democracy Project. Check it out.

Blogging for Public Officials

2006-06-06T13:37:00.001-05:00

Slowly and cautiously, public officials are starting to "tip toe" on to the blogosphere. In a study completed last March, we found active blogs on six of the 100 largest US municipal government web sites. Several of these blogs do not allow public comments.

A few of these blogs do encourage public discussion, and they attract an impressive number of comments. For example, see the Mayor of Portland's blog.

The Los Angeles Police Dept. recently launched a blog with moderated comments.

I'm collecting examples for future study. If you've found a blog by a public official, please let me know.

2.0 from a corporate perspective

2006-06-05T15:08:00.000-05:00

The current Business Week has a helpful article on web 2.0 here.

Why 20?

2006-06-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

To begin -- I should explain why I call this blog government 2.0.

There's a lot of work and debate about a paradigm shift in (for profit) web sites from e-commerce to e-services. This shift includes important new developments in technology, user-focus and overall entreprise strategy - loosely referred to as web 2.0. (See O'Reilly's useful summary of the meaning of this term here.)

Despite William Eggers' recent book by the same name, the term "government 2.0" has not attracted much attention. Future posts will examine what 2.0 could mean for government agencies and their citizen constituents.

My First Post

2006-06-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my new blog -- designed to monitor and stimulate innovative web applications by government. I am a sociologist trying to learn about the future of "e-government".

Though my academic research currently focuses on local government web sites, my postings will be used to support a graduate seminar I am teaching this summer at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the Truman School of Public Affairs called "E-Government: Policies and Management in an Information Age". The course will examine trends in web-based public service delivery at local, regional, national and international levels.