Agencies turn to public for Gov 2.0 ideas

Technology

Agencies turn to public for Gov 2.0 ideas

ReadWriteWeb and Government 2.0 in Action report on ways that government can be more open using technology.

Federal News Network Staff

October 21, 2010 2:29 pm

1 min read

Agencies are striving for more openness in government with the help of technology and ideas from the public.

A project from the General Services Administration is documenting the progress in Gov 2.0 with input from citizens. David McClure, the associate administrator of the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, announced a new government social media timeline that tracks how technology has helped make government better, ReadWriteWeb reports.

The public can e-mail suggestions for the timeline to GovNewMedia@gsa.gov. McClure said examples of milestones include the first government YouTube channel, the redesign of WhiteHouse.gov with open-source software and the use of Twitter by the State and Defense Departments after the Haiti earthquake.

In a blog on Government 2.0 in Action, John Moore said agencies should start thinking of their employees as citizens and encouraging feds themselves to come up with ideas. One example is the Department of Health and Human Services’ innovation awards. More than 100 innovations were nominated last year and HHS employees voted on their top six picks, with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius choosing the top three winners.

Moore suggested HHS take the idea of innovation one step further by putting the innovation nominations online and letting the public vote. Moore wrote, “Providing transparency into the process will get citizens excited and help them understand the challenges of the organization.”

And as the government grapples with budget deficits, Gov 2.0 offers cost-cutting solutions. One example is using Web 2.0 to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests, which has measurable results, according to Government 2.0 in Action. Kevin Dunion, Scottish Information Commissioner, explained how his country’s government has used technology in FOIAs.

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