Rock Creek Roundup (July 1 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Jun 30, 2011 0 Comments

Twitter visualizes its use during a disaster, OhMyGov! identifies 22 federal Twitter feeds you should follow, GSA moves to phase two in its mobile project, and the White House looks to experiment with new social media, all in this week’s version of the Rock Creek Roundup.

—140 characters don’t amount to a lot of words, but during a natural disaster it’s just enough to let the world know you’re safe. During and following the earthquake in Japan, people from all over the world turned to Twitter to get updates and news from family and friends. On Wednesday, Twitter posted visualizations of the flow of tweets and direct messages shortly after the earthquake. There was a 500% increase in tweets from Japan during the quake that devastated parts of northern Japan. The visualizations show the flow to and from Japan from all over the globe. Along with other social media platforms, Twitter is quickly become a resource during emergencies when other means of communication are down.

—Speaking of Twitter, it’s no secret that the federal government has taken to the platform to spread news, awareness, and useful information. With all the government feeds out there, OhMyGov! has compiled a list of 22 federal Twitter feeds that we all should follow to stay safe, healthy, and secure. Among the feeds that will keep you safe are FEMA, the CDC, and the National Hurricane Center. To stay healthy, be sure to follow feeds such as Women’s Health, FDA Recalls, and FoodSafety.gov. And to stay secure, OhMyGov recommends feeds such as the FBI Press Office, SEC Investor Education, and Customs and Border Protection as a way to stay up to date with news and tips. The shift towards open government has driven the federal government to utilize the power of Twitter and its ability to quickly and effectively disseminate information to the public.

—Leading the federal government to mobile technology, the General Services Administration is moving to phase two in the Making Mobile Gov Project by challenging the government one day at a time. At FedScoop’s Mobile Gov: Citizen Engagement On the Go on Tuesday, GSA Mobile Director Gwynne Kosten announced the agency will release one challenge each day for the next ten days to start a dialogue among government mobile leaders. Phase three will launch in mid-July and focus on the future of mobile technology. With 92% of people aged 18-29 and 82% of adults using a mobile device, the shift to mobile is an effort to reach and better serve a large segment of the population.

—As a leader and early-adopter of social media, the White House is looking to new platforms to further reach and interact with the public. The rapidly evolving nature of social media has lead the White House to consider experimenting with new outlets and their audiences. With the upcoming 2012 election on everyone’s mind, staff has noticed that users prefer tweets for individuals rather than institutions. While it’s unclear whether Obama will start authoring his own tweets, the trend is important to note. The two-way street of social media has created a different kind of interaction between government and citizen, forcing issues to be discussed rather than ignored.

Enjoy this post?

Subscribe to the feed

Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

• Most Recent
• Topics

View all previous posts