Digital Government

Facebook Boom In Users Age 55+

EWeek.com <a href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Facebook-Sees-500-Boost-in-Users-Aged-55-and-Older-538731/?kc=rss">reports</a> that social networking Web site Facebook has seen a 500 percent boost in users aged 55 and above during the past six months. This adds to the great amount of <a href="http://wiredworkplace.nextgov.com/2009/06/social_media_use_explodes.php">new evidence</a> that points to a blurring of the generational lines when it comes to Web 2.0 use.

People

What happens when feds, the media and advertisers have dinner?

A recent misstep by the Washington Post could lead to tighter rules for feds attending events with corporate sponsorship.

Modernization

FEMA plans consolidation of IT support contracts

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will consolidate the ways it contracts for systems engineering support and technical assistance.

Digital Government

Hiring Through Social Media

Examiner.com <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-3566-Oklahoma-City-Job-Search-Examiner~y2009m7d4-Build-a-Social-Media-Hiring-Strategy">reports</a> on how hiring managers at small, mid-size and large companies are increasingly using social networking Web sites to research job candidates before making a job offer. But while social media has become a major part of the hiring process, it takes time and effort to make such Web sites truly useful.

Modernization

Military seeks to marry communications, collaboration networks

The lessons of VOIP are helping expand and combine rich communications and collaboration on military networks.

People

Army IT exec weighs in on the service's technology programs, challenges

Gary Winkler, Army program executive officer for enterprise information systems at Fort Belvoir, Va., discussed a number of current initiatives, including the Logistics Modernization Program, in a recent interview.

Cybersecurity

Coast Guard unit to outsource metrics management

The Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center will hire a contractor to implement its Earned Value Management program.

Cybersecurity

Registered Traveler customers file class-action lawsuit

Two law firms have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of customers of a private operator of Registered Traveler services that shut down abruptly in late June.

People

Op-ed: Dispelling the myth of GSA schedule lag times

Vivek Kundra was off the mark when he described long lead times for buying technology through the GSA schedule, writes Larry Allen, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement.

Modernization

Virtualization: Organizations getting better at disaster recovery

A Symantec survey reveals the "rising [disaster recovery] pressures on organizations caused by soaring downtime costs and more stringent IT service-level requirements to mitigate risk to the business."

Digital Government

This time, White House receives kudos for participation

An advisory council report on health care research released last month by the Health and Human Services Department marks an exception to the White House's closed-door decision-making on how to spend stimulus funds, which critics said run counter to the president's pledge to bring transparency, public participation and collaboration to policymaking.

Digital Government

Nurse files privacy suit against IT sections in stimulus spending law

Lawsuit, which is expected to be the first of many, alleges billions of dollars earmarked for creating electronic health records put personal data 'a mouse-click away from being accessible to an intruder.'

Digital Government

Social Security numbers fall out of favor as personal identifiers

Research institute finds the nine-digit codes are easy to crack with a combination of personal information and computer software.