Ideas
We Want Your Comments
You'll notice a new feature on Nextgov today. You now can submit a comment on a Nextgov article using the Disqus platform, which you will find at the bottom of each article. The application replaces the site's Forum section, with the expectation that if readers see comments at the bottom of an article it will encourage a dialogue.
Ideas
TSA Nominee Doesn't Check Out
My <em>Government Executive</em> colleague Alyssa Rosenberg has some <a href="http://blogs.govexec.com/fedblog/2009/11/vetting_gone_wrong.php">harsh but fair words</a> about he Obama administration's vetting process:
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Cybersecurity Goes Mainstream
Sunday night, the CBS news program <em>60 Minutes</em> devoted its first <a href=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5578986n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel>15-minute (or so)</a> segment to cyber espionage, quoting such experts in the space as Jim Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Mike McConnell, former director of National Intelligence; and Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., co-founder and co-chair of the House Cybersecurity Caucus.
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FDA on Pharma Ads 2.0
This week the Food and Drug Administration is holding <a href="http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/centersoffices/cder/ucm184250.htm">hearings</a> on the promotional use of social media by the pharmaceutical industry. Consumers, advertisers and the health care industry are anxious to know how FDA will advise drug companies on harnessing the viral power of social networking while protecting consumers from bogus medical advice.
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(Mail)Man Vs. Machine
Federal auditors on Thursday reported that workforce costs at the U.S. Postal Service decreased only slightly this year, despite automation at USPS.
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A HIPAA Twist That Can Hurt
Today at the TechAmerica panel discussion on identity management, Rick Kam of ID Experts brought up an interesting anecdote that illustrates the importance of using precise language when crafting information security legislation. Kam said confusion over the wording of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPAA">Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act</a> (HIPAA) has led to some victims of medical identity theft being locked out of their own medical records.
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Will Androids Land on Networx?
The trade press has been all abuzz about Google's Linux-based mobile operating system, dubbed Android: Which manufacturers will offer the application? Will it give the proprietary iPhone system a run for its money?
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Promoting Plain Language
You can have the most gorgeous Web site with the most amazing interactive functionality, but if the words on the site don't work for the site's users, you don't have a good Web site. That's why GSA's Office of Citizen Services decided to focus on plain language for <a href="http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/usability/world_usability_day2009.shtml">World Usability Day 2009,</a> according to Nicole Burton, a usability specialist at GSA.
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The Unreported White House Logs
The White House has been attracting attention recently for posting <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records">visitor logs</a> online in an attempt to demonstrate the unprecedented level of transparency that President Obama has promised since his campaign began. This is the first time such information has been posted online.
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Fed Faces Don't Satisfy the Public
When <a href="http://www.foreseeresults.com/">ForeSee Results</a> released its third-quarter e-government satisfaction scores this week, the big news was that public satisfaction with federal Web sites had <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20091027_3610.php">reached a record high.</a>
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Lieberman previews cybersecurity bill
Another day, another cybersecurity bill. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., previewed the bullet points of a measure he plans to introduce later this year, which includes procurement reform that requires vendors to comply with security standards when selling technology solutions to federal agencies.
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Recovery.gov Missing Pieces
Recovery.gov on Friday will sport a few improvements and a lot more offerings, but perhaps one piece of valuable information will be missing: the demographics of the people receiving money.
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Google Gets Virginians to the Polls
With the Virginia general election only a week away, residents of the commonwealth looking for voting information might find one of Google's latest gadgets useful.
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Nothing on the Internet is Dead
A few weeks ago, the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> published a piece about <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html">how e-mail's reign</a> as the king of online communication is over. Author Jessica Vascellaro didn't decree the death of e-mail, she just argued the constant stream of updates social media services like Facebook and Twitter provide are more in sync with today's permanently plugged-in approach to the Web.
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O Gov Directive? Not This Month
While the administration had hoped to issue a long-awaited open government directive <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20091002_5291.php">before the end of the month</a>, sources close to the process expect that it will be out within the next couple weeks.
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Obama Launches Global Tech Fund
The White House on Friday invited private equity fund managers to <a href="http://www.opic.gov/investment-funds/calls-for-proposals/global-technology-innovation-fund/">submit proposals</a> for the establishment of a fund that will invest in technology access in countries with large Muslim populations.
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Who's Gonna Win a Webby?
Early-bird entries for the Webbies, an international contest often called the Emmys of the Internet, are being <a href="http://www.webbyawards.com/index.php">accepted until Oct. 30,</a> and I am really hoping a number of federal Web managers are planning on entering their sites.
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The Hoping it Fails Syndrome
Something you hear quite often when covering government is the concern among top managers that some, or sometimes many, federal employees want executives who are trying to change government to fail. Most often, it's not politically driven. The change involves business processes and strategic shifts, ideas that are not ideologically spawned or driven. Mangers I have talked to say these employees just don't want to change the way they have worked for years, or they see the change as a threat to their control over a specific detailed process or policy, or they fear the change threatens their livelihood.
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GovLoop Expands
Last month I <a href="http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090928_8720.php">reported</a> that GovLoop, the unofficial "Facebook to the Feds," was acquired by GovDelivery, partly so founder Steve Ressler could devote all his time to nurturing and expanding his pet project. Yesterday Steve sent me some news: He's made the first addition to the GovLoop team and it's someone who should be familiar to the Gov 2.0 crowd. <a href="http://twitter.com/krazykriz">Andrew Krzmarzick</a>, formerly senior project coordinator at the USDA Graduate School.
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