Rock Creek Roundup (August 5 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Aug 04, 2011 0 Comments

Ten apps that are changing the way government does business, a look at last week’s White House Office Hours, President Obama uses Twitter to get things done, NASA shares their social media story, and the White House appoints a new chief information officer, all in this week’s version of the Rock Creek Roundup!

— Technology is changing the way we interact with each other, but it also is changing the way we interact with the government. In a downloadable report, Government Executive reveals ten mobile apps changing the way government provides data and communicates with the public. Mobile applications offer an outlet for the government to utilize its data and help people whether they’re looking for a baby name or filing taxes. Many of the top ten apps provide useful information to users such as the IRS2go app letting taxpayers check their status on refunds and sign up for tips or the MyTSA app providing travelers with important airport-specific updates and regulations. Data previously unused or underutilized can now be accessed quickly, easily, and on-the-go. For the complete list of apps, download the whitepaper from Government Executive.

— Last Tuesday, the White House opened their social media doors to discussion with “Office Hours” on Twitter. Using the hashtag #WHChat, thousands of Twitter users submitted questions about the ongoing debt debate. Last week, the White House responded to nearly 100 questions and gained approximately 22,000 followers at a rate of 3,100 per day – a 37% increase. According to a Twitter monitoring site, tweets using the hashtag garnered over 33 million impressions to an audience of 10 million @WhiteHouse followers by Friday. This week’s Office Hours ran Monday through Wednesday with discussion still focused on the national debt ceiling and debt deal.

—Gone are the days of letters to your local lawmakers. Political pressure now comes in the form of 140 characters on Twitter. In last Monday’s televised address to the country, President Obama harnessed the power of social media to get something done about the debt crisis. Seemingly, the plan worked. With the debt ceiling raised and a deal finally agreed upon, Twitter may have been the closing factor that urged Congress to act. As the majority of Congress embraces social media as a constituent communication tool, it may become the future of political pressure and an agent of change.

—Not only is NASA a leader in social media in government, the agency is now helping others connect to their audiences through meaningful engagement. NASA has posted a presentation on how the agency uses social media, how to get started, how to identify opportunities, and how to connect to the audience. Sourcing from their own experiences, NASA developed the presentation to share with other agencies and government bodies interested in getting involved. The 36-page presentation is shared on Slideshare, a website for sharing presentations, documents, and videos freely and virally through social media outlets. While social media integration in government poses challenges and requires dedication, effective and meaningful communication with your audience is priceless.

—With technology innovation and efficiency on everyone’s mind, the position of White House Chief Information Officer is demanding, but unquestionably important. Thursday, President Obama announced that former FCC Managing Director Steven VanRoekel will become the new CIO following Vivek Kundra’s resignation earlier this year. With experience in the private and public sector, VanRoekel has the arduous task of continuing the government’s direction towards an open, efficient technology policy. While Vivek set the pace, VanRoekel has experience implementing new technology and social media into government agencies and will hopefully continue to usher in innovation.

Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

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