GovLoop.com: Facebook for federal employees
GovLoop says it is the "premier social network connecting the government community." It is intended for anyone who is a: "gov't employee (fed/state/local/intl), public policy student/professor, good gov't organization, or gov't contractor with good intentions." TechInsider reports that it has 10,000 members. A press release from GovLoop says,
GovLoop (http://govloop.com), an online community created for and by government employees, announced today it has signed up its 10,000th member less than a year after launching. Dubbed by some as a “Facebook for Feds,” GovLoop brings together government employees from the U.S. and other nations to discuss ideas, share best practices and create a community dedicated to the betterment of government.Continue reading
Where’s Hillary?
The U.S. Department of State has a web page with an interactive map showing travel by the Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The site is an example of a hybrid site using Google maps, Yahoo APIs, and services from Thermopylae Sciences and Technology in addition to .gov hosting. Continue readingDOD withdraws embarrassing report
The Defense Department has withdrawn from its web site a report that had exonerated it from using retired generals for propaganda.
- Inspector at Pentagon Says Report Was Flawed, By David Barstow, New York Times, May 5, 2009.
In a highly unusual reversal, the Defense Department’s inspector general’s office has withdrawn a report it issued in January exonerating a Pentagon public relations program that made extensive use of retired officers who worked as military analysts for television and radio networks. ...In addition to repudiating its own report, the inspector general’s office took the additional step of removing the report from its Web site.The DOD memo withdrawing the report:
- Withdrawal Memo for IE-2009-004 "Examination of Allegations Involving DoD Public Affairs Outreach Program" (.pdf 262 kb), Memo from Donald M. Horstman, Deputy Inspector General for Policy and Oversight, Inspector General Department Of Defense, "Subject: Inspector General of the Department of Defense Report No. IE-2009-004, "Examination of Allegations Involving DoD Office of Public Affairs Outreach Program," January 14,2009" (05/05/09).
- New York Times Reporter David Barstow Wins Pulitzer Prize for Exposing Military’s Pro-War Propaganda Media Campaign, Democracy Now!, May 08, 2009.
Transparency 2.0
There is a lot of talk about transparency in government, and it seems that the Obama team is investing a lot of honest effort in making government more transparent. But the obstacles are big. This article gives a good overview of the scale of the problem, concentrating particularly on HUD and recovery.gov.
- Transparency 2.0, by Mary Hayes Weier, Internet Evolution, 5/9/2009.
Sunstein To Overhaul Regulations.gov
"It just isn't as accessible as it ought to be to citizens" said Harvard Law School professor Cass Sunstein at his confirmation hearing. He said regulations.gov requires a major redesign. Sunstein is President Obama's pick to run the Office of Management and Budget's administrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
- Sunstein To Overhaul Regulations.gov, Tech Daily Dose, MAY 12, 2009.