Entrepreneurs and Gov 2.0
govfresh has a great list of entrepreneurs that are changing the way government work. Many of their companies have been featured on this site, but you should check out the list for new ideas for your organization.
National Budget Video Game?
A USA Today article on Wednesday had an interesting bit buried deep within the text:
[Former White House Chief of Staff Erskine] Bowles has been in touch with Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer about creating a deficit-reduction video game that would enable anyone with a computer to take a stab at balancing the budget, much like the 1994 commission did.
Updated for 2010, Kerrey says, such a game could “go viral.”
The tech site Gizmodo picked up on the video game mention.
While it might not “go viral,” this might be a good way for the ordinary citizen to understand the Federal budget issues.
Social Media for Government Communications
Software provider Adobe’s Government Bits Blog has a great post on using social media for government communications:
One lesson from social media is the immediacy and richness of information that can be shared through digital channels. Blogs, online video sharing platforms and Twitter have demonstrated the power and desire by the public to share information quickly and easily.
An example of injecting social media lessons into achieving core agency missions is the French Government, who in partnership with students of EPITA (France Graduate School of Computer Science and Advanced Technologies) created a cross-platform widget, DirectGouv, to increase transparency and communication to the press community and thus, to citizens-at-large.
White House in the iPhone App Store
Last night the White House announced the availability of a new White House iPhone/iPod Touch app (see coverage on TechCrunch). The App is even going to stream live the President’s State of the Union Address. More on teh features:
The application comes packed with content, including the latest news items, videos, photos and blog posts from The White House. One feature that stands out is live video streaming, which enables iPhone and iPod Touch owners to watch the President’s public events at the White House as well as other events like key speeches and press briefings in real-time.
The White House also announced that they will soon have a mobile site available at http://mobile.whitehouse.gov.
Newmark Link about Gov 2.0
Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist, links to a great CNN article about mobile apps and gov 2.0.
Gov 2.0 Predictions for 2010
Social Computing Journal has 7 government 2.0 predictions for 2010, which include: self-service integration (and mashups), increased transparency and citizen involvement (due to apps), and incorporating more social media.
NYTimes on Local Government Data
The New York Times has a great article today on local governments that are opening up their data to be used in mashups, apps, and mobile apps (think iPhone apps).
Example of Online Reporting
New web application for citizen interaction and 311, SeeClickFix allows for citizen reporting of problems and government response. They recently posted an example interaction with a citizen in Meriden, CT and the city manager.
TSA Crowdsources with Employees
The US Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration are getting employees to brainstorm, using a new crowd-sourcing app.
SF Mayor Announces City App Store
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom posts on TechCrunch about the City’s App Store.