Rock Creek Roundup (April 1 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Apr 01, 2011 0 Comments

Google chooses Kansas City for 1Gbps broadband service, telework gets the nod from federal employees and managers, the 2011 Federal Media and Marketing Study shows that social media usage among feds is growing, and Government Computer News challenges you to test your government IT wits, all in this week’s “no fooling” issue of the Rock Creek Roundup.

—Many cities competed for the opportunity to be named Google’s top pick in its Fiber for Communities project, but ultimately, Kansas City, Kansas, was named the winning location. As a result of being chosen, Google will be implementing its 1Gbps fiber Internet throughout the Kansas City community, creating a broadband network that is likely to be 100 times faster than standard Internet connections. Kansas City was one of more than 1,100 cities who competed for the opportunity, and joins Stanford University as the only other 1Gbps community in the United States. Congratulations, Kansas City!

—It looks like the concept of working from home is gaining more steam, especially within government agencies. According to the National Telework Exchange, last month’s National Telework Week was a huge hit, especially among federal employees. Federal employees accounted for 86% of the near 40,000 people who participated in the program by working from home at least two days during the week. Both employees and managers reported higher productivity levels as a result of working from home.

—Earlier this week, market research firm Market Connections, Inc. released the results of recent survey, the 2011 Federal Media and Marketing Study. Among the survey’s more interesting findings is the fact that the number of federal managers using social media is experiencing a significant “surge”. According to the study, Facebook is the leading social media application, with 54% of survey respondents reporting that they accessed the social media site. Of the federal employees who said they used Facebook, 45% said that they used it for both professional and personal purposes, and 6% reported only accessing the site for work purposes, while nearly half (49%) of respondents said their Facebook interaction was purely personal. Federal employees also mentioned using Facebook for research with 26% saying they’d used Facebook for research purposes.

—DARPA plans to embed tracking devices in DNA for surveillance. A hack of the Treasury Department database reveals a federal surplus. Which of the preceding statements is true, and which is April Fools’ Day fiction? In this article at Government Computer News, test your government IT wits by separating the real government headlines from those that are complete fabrications. And here’s a hint—it isn’t as easy as it may first seem.

Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

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