Government Media & Analysis

How to Improve your Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Results (Part Two)

Stewart Liff — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:19:00 GMT

In my last column, I reported that the results of the latest government-wide Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey survey have been released. Over 687,000 federal employees completed the FEVS survey, and according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, "The 2012 FEVS indicates the Federal workforce remains resilient -- hardworking, motivated and mission-focused even amidst the many challenges facing Government today."

OPM also concluded that the Federal workforce remains mission-focused and hardworking, and Employee Engagement remains strong.

But it sounded troubling notes too, concluding that Federal employees' satisfaction with their jobs, pay and organizations are areas of continued risk. Further, on the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework (HCAAF) Index, for the category which is probably of the greatest interest to the general public - Results-Oriented Performance Culture, almost half the Federal employees surveyed have consistently given this area the lowest score.

So what can be done?

In my previous column, I identified three areas that if handled well, will collectively make a big difference:

Communication
Employee Engagement
Manage Performance

Let's examine two other areas where you can make a difference.

Make sure you have the right supervisors and then develop them

From an employee's perspective, the supervisor is the face of the organization. Sure the leader sets the policy, direction and values; however, ultimately, the rubber meets the road in each employee's interaction with his supervisor. After all, if the leader gives a great speech that pumps up the employees and they are then advised by the supervisor to ignore the speech and simply do what she tells them, how do you think the employees are going to feel?

That is why you must have the right supervisors in place. For example, I once took over an organization where almost everyone (including me) felt that many of the supervisors were not right for the job. Some were simply too weak, others were too cynical while still others were not comfortable managing people. After giving everyone the chance to demonstrate what they could do, we wound up reassigning about half of them to non-supervisory jobs and replaced them with other, more qualified people who were better fits. Having the right supervisors in place made all the difference because we were now able to move together as a team with the supervisors who could move the organization forward.

Once you have the right ones in place, do everything you can to develop them so they have the right mindset and skill sets to lead their employees. Teach them how to communicate, treat people well, lead by example, manage performance, provide appropriate feedback, develop their employees and deal with poor performers. As they master these areas, the employees will both feel and perform better and everyone will win.

Looking at this issue from a different perspective, even with the best supervisors, there will always have challenges. After all, getting people to do what you want is never easy; nor is achieving stringent performance goals, managing leave, appraising your subordinates, dealing with difficult people, etc... while also attending many different meetings, answering a constant slew of e-mails, taking grief from the union, etc. Being a supervisor is simply a tough job in any industry.

A different and often better approach is to have self-managed teams wherein the employees eventually manage themselves and the supervisor serves as a coach/advisor to the team and focuses most of his energy on higher level issues. Under this approach, the team or unit slowly transitions from a traditional supervisor-centric model to one in which everyone ultimately becomes a leader, receives the appropriate training and development along the way and is able to handle the core work of the team. Such an approach results in a much higher degree of energy, focus and employee commitment and eliminates many of the problems everyone grapples with in the traditional unit model.

To convert to such a design takes time, effort, skill and most of all commitment; however, the payoff can be enormous. For further information on this approach, look for the upcoming on the subject I will be co-authoring with Paul Gustavson.

Make your organization more transparent

Two findings from the FEVS that really jumped out were:

Two out of 10 employees feel pay raises are related to their job performance;

Three out of 10 employees feel that their performance is recognized in a meaningful way and that promotions are based on merit.

This clearly indicates a lack of trust and a general belief among the employees that decisions are not being made for the right reasons. While not completely surprising since people who do not get the job they want or the bonus they think they deserve often become frustrated, there are strategies that can be used to alleviate the hard feelings that are often caused when these decisions are made.

I start out with one of my core HRM philosophies: Employees should always be able to see an action coming. I have developed this belief because in my experience, one of the single biggest sources of irritation for employees is when they cannot predict with some degree of confidence what their appraisal and reward, if any will be or who will get selected for a job. That is not to say that employees must become prescient and all-knowing - it simply means that they should have a good idea of how they are doing from management's perspective so they know what to expect (e.g. are they considered to be a star? average? below average?) and what they need to do to improve. That is because when employees have this information, they will generally be much more accepting of management's decisions since when they have the same basic information they most likely would have made the same decision.

So how do you ensure that employees have this information? The best way to do this is through a system of on-going communication, not on an ad hoc basis. Here are some ways of accomplishing this objective:

1. Monthly feedback sessions --- having monthly feedback sessions ensures that employees get up-to-date information as to how they are doing and gives them the chance to ask questions of management and offer their perspective on things. It is also a great opportunity to explore how the employee is doing relative to her individual development plan.

2. Employee report cards --- providing the employee with report cards along with the feedback sessions gives the employee timely performance information in writing so there are no surprises or secrets. These report cards should also contain data regarding how the employee is doing relative to the group's average so she will have sense of context.

3. Posting individual performance --- this means hanging a spreadsheet within the team that shows how each employee occupying the same position is doing relative to everyone else. This is intended to spur the group to talk to each other about performance and share best practices. At the same time, it is also intended to give each individual the same information that management has (I recommend assigning a letter or other symbol to each employee in order to protect their privacy) so they will see where they stand relative to their peers. Finally, it is designed to protect the organization from those supervisors who like to protect their favorites or go after people they don't like regardless of the numbers.

When employees have access to this much information, it tends to lift the cloud of mystery that generally hangs over most organizations. If they then see that management is making decisions based on the numbers, rather than based on who they like and/or don't like, it will build a sense of trust that rarely exists today and will improve the scores they assign to the organization under the FEVS.

Stewart Liff writes on human resources management issues in government for OhMyGov. A recipient of the President's Council on Management Improvement Award, he is the author of five books, including Improving the Performance of Government Employees. His expertise includes employee relations, labor relations, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), performance management, staffing, training, rewards and recognition, metrics, systems design and succession planning. More at StewartLiff.com

Event Preview: How to Measure Social Media in Government

OhMyGov — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:18:00 GMT

While social media has become part of every government agency's communications efforts, there is still disparity in how agencies collect and use social data. An upcoming conference entitled "How to Measure Social Media in Government" --- taking place from April 29 to May 2 in Arlington, VA --- will tee up a number of the opportunities and challenges of analyzing social media data in the public sector.

The 4-day event, hosted by the Advanced Learning Institute, includes two days of general sessions, plus two additional days of special workshops that offer a deeper dive into practical topics like Search Engine Optimization and developing content for YouTube. The event is being held at the Crowne Plaza Washington National Airport.

A range of federal and state agencies are scheduled to present at the conference, including the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Army's Fort Huachuca, Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Texas.gov, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, the Department of State, the VA, and others. A number of companies serving the government market will be presenting as well.

Among the case studies and interactive Q&A sessions on the schedule are:

-- Understanding Your Social Media Audience: Who Are They, Where Are They, & What Are They Looking For

-- How To Engage The Virtual Learning Audience Through Social Media

-- Monitoring Insights To Determine The Next Steps In Your Agency’s Social Media Strategy

-- How To Utilize Twitter To Build Your Audience And Establish Your Brand, Especially In Times Of Emergency

See the full conference agenda and register here. Note that OhMyGov readers receive a $200 discount on registration by using the code OhMyGov.

Social Media Strategies to Quell Sequestration Fears

OhMyGov — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:43:00 GMT

Federal managers facing sequestration and other cost cutting mandates can "gain control" of budget discussions by using elements of the social media network, according to an article in the Senior Executives Association (SEA) April 2013 "The Action" newsletter.

SEA is a nonprofit professional association representing the career executive corps of the federal government with the stated mission of improving the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the federal government. This mission is complicated more than ever as association members and other senior government leaders find themselves at a crossroads in this era of indiscriminate budget cutting, finding efficiency forced upon them but at the cost of diminished effectiveness and productivity. As a result, the association is reaching out to thought leaders to help bring that balanced approach back to the table.

One such way to find that balance, the article argues, is by adding real-time input from constituents, employees, and stakeholders through analysis of social media outlets. The space agency NASA is highlighted in the article as one organization that already seems to be doing a good job of this and is reaping the benefits. The SEA article recognizes that this task is enormous and the target ever changing, so it encourages members to seek out resources to help them gain back their control of budget discussions.

Federal Gov't Science and Social Media Policy: Q&A with Gretchen Goldman

Mark Malseed — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:05:00 GMT

When you think of the many ways our federal government uses social media, "promoting scientific research" isn't likely to be at the top of your list. Yet amid the political chatter, policy news, and, lately, snow and sequestration talk, plenty of federally-supported science gets spread via social channels.

The social media policies of federal agencies don't always have the interests of federal scientists in mind, however, according to a study published today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Grading Government Transparency --- Scientists' Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies looked at the social media policies of 17 federal agencies that employ scientists and graded them on a scale from A to F. The scoring took into account how well each policy protected scientific free speech, safeguarded against abuse, promoted openness and timeliness and several other measures. As the second such grading effort from UCS, the report tracks the progress of agencies on their media policies since 2008. Most agencies improved their performance according to UCS's evaluation criteria, though a disappointingly large number still earned grades of "Incomplete."

A bright spot in the report was the improvement made by a number of agencies in addressing personal views exceptions, whistleblower protections, and dispute resolution processes in their written policies. But, notes the report, "Most agencies today (as in 2008) continue to lack other important provisions, such as ... right of last review [and] access to drafts and revisions."

I asked Gretchen Goldman, an analyst at the Center for Science and Democracy and one of the report's authors, to discuss the impetus for the report and its findings.

OMG: Why did you decide to examine Federal agencies' social media policies and give them grades?

Goldman: We saw that federal agencies have embraced social media at varying levels. Past analysis has looked social media policies at agencies with an eye on performance metrics or on security and privacy of government information. We wanted to assess the policies from a different angle: Do they provide sufficient guidance to government employees, especially scientists? Do they adequately guide employees in a way that promotes responsible use while also affording them the freedom to use these tools to share their work? And how do different agencies compare? We analyzed the social media policies of 17 federal agencies to find out.

Your group wants to see better communication from federal scientists to the public. In what ways is the job of communicating science to the public different from other types of public outreach?

Science can be difficult to engage the public on. We see social media as a huge opportunity for communicating federal science. The accessibility, speed, and two-way communication options enable public engagement on government science that was never possible before. There are a lot of examples of agencies succeeding with science communication on social media. NASA held a Google+ Hangout with the International Space Station. FEMA uses social media to coordinate disaster response efforts. And NIH has used it to recruit study participants. Creating an environment where individual scientists-in addition to their agencies-can fully utilize these tools will only increase opportunities like these for connecting the public with federal science.

Name a few key things that a social media policy should do to support science communications.

The policy should help ensure the accuracy of scientific information released from official agency accounts. This means different things for different platforms. For blogs, scientists should have the right of last review before entries that significantly rely on their work are posted. For platforms like Twitter where this may not be realistic, there should be a mechanism for corrections to any scientific errors released.

Another key component of a social media policy is the right of scientists to identify their agency on their personal accounts, provided they make clear that they are not speaking for the agency. Scientists have much to contribute on social media and their professional affiliation can enhance their engagement since it adds to their credentials. But too many social media policies currently don't have these important provisions.

What did you find most surprising in your research?

We were most surprised by the diversity of results we found across federal agencies. There are agencies that have clearly mastered social media, with a clear policy and active participation on multiple platforms. There are other agencies with no policy or social media presence that we could find. Initiatives like the White House's Digital Government Strategy and the work of the Government Services Administration (GSA) have helped encourage agencies to embrace social media tools, but clearly there's still a long way to go when many agencies do not have a basic policy on social media.

Which aspects of social media usage are the thorniest for federal scientists and their agencies?

From the agency perspective, there is a lot of concern about losing control of the message. Agencies have missions that come with specific messages they want to communicate to the public. Social media tools sometimes are perceived as threatening this. But we've seen agencies address this well through education and management rather than restricting use of the tools. These agencies treat social media like other public-facing venues by emphasizing responsible use and requiring employees make clear when they are expressing their personal views rather than agency positions. Policies like these can allow agencies to preserve their official messaging while empowering their employees to use social media responsibly.

Who in the federal government has the most scientist-friendly social media policies?

The National Institutes of Health and the Department of Interior have very thorough policies that clearly guide their employees on social media outlets. Both institutions allow their scientists to identify their employer on social media sites, provided they include a disclaimer indicating the views expressed are their own. As part of our analysis, we created a model social media policy that agencies could adopt to afford their scientists and other employees basic guidance and freedom to use social media tools responsibly.

Where can people read and comment on the report?

The report is available on our website at www.ucsusa.org/GradingGovernmentTransparency. And we invite you to join the conversation on our blog at http://blog.ucsusa.org/ where my colleagues, Francesca Grifo and Michael Halpern have blog posts on the report.

Follow Gretchen Goldman on Twitter at @GretchenTG

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

Gen. McChrystal and Joe Theismann To Keynote FOSE Conference and Expo

OhMyGov — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:48:00 GMT

The popular FOSE conference and expo, a fixture on the government IT calendar each year, returns to Washington, DC, this May 14-16 at the Washington Convention Center.

Keynoting FOSE this year is General Stan McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, along with Joe Theismann, the legendary quarterback of the Washington Redskins. Gen. McChrystal will speak about the state of international affairs and security challenges facing the U.S., while Theismann will talk about "Managing to Win."

Other speakers include:

Senator Tom Carper of Delaware

Craig Killough, Vice President of Organization Markets, Project Management Institute

Jan Frye, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Acquisition and Logistics, Department of Veterans Affairs

Daniel Burrus, Futurist, Technology Strategist, and Trends Forecaster

The full FOSE educational program includes 5 conference tracks --- Cloud & Virtualization, Cybersecurity, Mobile Government, Big Data and Business Intelligence, and Project Management --- that focus on case studies and lessons learned, with a strict "no selling" policy. On the expo floor, attendees can interact with hundreds of exhibitors and take advantage of workshops and solution sessions geared at all aspects of government technology, from biometrics to office equipment.

Special features at FOSE 2013 will include Government Tech Talks that present 3 strategies in 15 minutes or less, and an App Arcade that gives attendees a chance to test drive the latest apps developed for government.

The free Expo showcases industry partners and their solutions, covering everything from cybersecurity and information assurance to big data and business intelligence. Registration also includes free access to the Government Security Expo, held jointly with FOSE.

OhMyGov readers can use the code "OhMyGov" when registering. More information and full conference agendas are available at FOSE.com

Follow FOSE on Twitter at @FOSE

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

2013 Federal Pay Calendar

OhMyGov — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:44:00 GMT

Have you been looking for a 2013 federal pay calendar? Well, you've come to the right place!

OhMyGov! has the pay calendar you've been waiting to pin to your cubicle or hang in your home office. With no end to the sequestration, those pay dates are even more important than ever. So if you want to know when that money will appear in your bank account, plus all those federal holidays, pay periods and your payroll dates, use our 2013 Federal Pay Calendar.

The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (and how to improve YOUR results)

Stewart Liff — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:18:00 GMT

The results of the latest government-wide Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey have been released. Over 687,000 federal employees completed the FEVS survey, and according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (PDF):

The 2012 FEVS indicates the Federal workforce remains resilient - hardworking, motivated and mission-focused even amidst the many challenges facing Government today.

The Federal workforce remains mission-focused and hardworking

Nearly all Federal employees report that their work is important, they are constantly looking for ways to do their job better, and they are willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done. This finding is consistent across the 82 Federal agencies that participated in the 2012 FEVS.

Eight out of 10 employees like the work they do, understand how their work relates to the agency's goals and priorities, and rate the overall quality of the work done by their work unit as high.

Employee Engagement remains strong

Employee Engagement scores are relatively consistent with the 2010 levels. Approximately two out of three employees report positive conditions for engagement still exist in their agencies.

Federal employees' satisfaction with their jobs, pay and organizations are areas of continued risk

This year employee responses were down two percentage points when recommending their organization as a good place to work (67 percent) and down three percentage points with their satisfaction with their job (68 percent) and organization (59 percent).

Satisfaction with pay (59 percent) had the greatest impact on the Global Satisfaction scores, as it decreased by four percentage points. This is pay satisfaction's lowest level since the 2004 survey administration.

Two out of 10 employees feel pay raises are related to their job performance.

Three out of 10 employees feel that their performance is recognized in a meaningful way and that promotions are based on merit.

Though some areas trended downward, results vary by agency and subcomponents within agencies. The FEVS presents an opportunity for agency leadership to make improvements.

While the Survey indicates that several key areas are trending downward, it also states that there are plenty of opportunities for improvement, which is true.

A Less Rosy Picture

Another less optimistic way to look at the FEVS report is to note the following:

About 33% of the employees do not believe that positive conditions for engagement exist in their agencies.
About 33% of the employees do not believe their organization is a good place to work.
32% of the employees are dissatisfied with their jobs.
41% of the employees are not satisfied with their organization.

When you extrapolate these numbers across a government-wide workforce of about 1.6 million Federal employees, those numbers are actually pretty scary. For example, the results suggest that over 640,000 Federal employees are not satisfied with their agencies.

Human Capital Assessment and Accountability

A different way to look at this is to examine the results of The Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework index. The HCAAF index uses a set of metrics to evaluate Federal agencies' human capital management. The HCAAF looks at four key areas: Leadership & Knowledge Management, Results-Oriented Performance Culture, Talent Management, and Job Satisfaction. The FEVS is one of the tools used to develop these overall scores.

Here are the overall results for the Federal Government in these four areas. For additional perspective, let's compare the results in each of the four categories to the surveys from 2010, 2008 and 2006:

HCAAF Scores 2006 - 2012

2012 2010 2008 2006

Leadership/Knowledge Management 60% 61% 59% 58%

Results-Oriented Performance Culture 52% 54% 54% 53%

Talent Management 59% 60% 60% 59%

Job Satisfaction 66% 69% 67% 67%

As you can see, the overall scores have declined by 1% to 3% from their high in each category, with pay most likely being the largest contributor to these declines. However, regardless of the year in which you look at the numbers, it is still quite clear that the Federal Government has enormous opportunities to improve --- in every category.

Most troubling, if you look at the category which is probably of the greatest interest to the general public --- Results-Oriented Performance Culture --- even under the best of circumstances, almost 800,000 Federal employees have consistently given this area the lowest score.

What can be done?

With Sequestration looming, it is unlikely that most agencies will have an enormous amount of money to throw at this issue. That is simply the current reality. However, there are several things that can be done which will collectively make a big difference. Let's review a few of them now.

Communication

Communication always seems to be a workplace issue, whether it is in the private or public sector. The best way to address it is to develop and maintain a two-way communication strategy that shares information in a whole-brain manner. After all, you don't want your employees spending an inordinate amount of time around the water cooler griping because they don't know and/or understand what is going on.

By making a conscious effort to both transmit and receive information, you will be in a better position to know what your employees are thinking and feeling and be able to make adjustments when necessary.

Here are some concrete steps you can take which will reduce some of the frustration and discontent among the troops:

Have frequent information sessions with the employees through town hall meetings, team meetings, newsletters, etc. Better to over-communicate than under-communicate.
Be honest and upfront with them. Tell them what to expect with respect to future pay, cutbacks, Sequestration, etc. If possible, any bad news should come directly from you rather than from the newspaper or through the grapevine.
With respect to workload challenges, let them know what you are doing to address the current situation. Share the pressures you are under so they have a realistic idea of what you are dealing with. Moreover, let them know the strategies you are pursuing to try and make things better and invite them to share their ideas with you.
Periodically remind everyone that things are not as bad as they might appear. That is because while pay increases have clearly been limited, millions of people are out of work and would gladly take a government job if they could get one.
Manage by walking around. If people see you everyday and you interact with them, they will conclude you are truly concerned about them. Moreover, they will be much more inclined to talk with you and give you a realistic sense as to what is really happening on the floor.

Employee Engagement

A "turned on" workforce is what everyone strives for, but since one out of three employees don't feel that way, more needs to be done in this area. Here are some steps you can take to address this issue:

People want to be part of something bigger than them. To do this, connect them to the mission. Sounds simple enough but it often doesn't happen because of workload pressures, bureaucracy, poor management, etc. After all, if you only talk about numbers; that is all people will think you care about. Therefore, when you talk about your metrics, also talk about the people you serve. Design your physical plant using Visual Management principles** so that it "breathes" your mission, describes your history and showcases your many success stories. Nothing breeds success better than success.

(**Editor's Note: For more on visual management, see Stewart Liff's recent articles on OhMyGov.com wherein he explains how this novel approach to management has helped transform some government agencies. For a complete description of the concept, see Stewart's book Seeing is Believing: How the New Art of Visual Management can Boost Performance throughout your Organization, written with Pamela A. Posey.)

Make sure your employees are involved in all aspects of the work. That is, involve them in setting goals, workload planning, performance management, self-development, etc. The more people are engaged in all facets of the work experience, the more they will be turned on.
Utilize the team concept. Most people don't want to work alone; they want to work with others and be part of something special. In addition, given the length of time that people spend at work, they often need to establish meaningful social connections with their co-workers. Setting up a team environment is the best way to accomplish your work and build relationships among the employees.
Consider self-managed teams. They take teamwork to a completely different level and if done correctly, help create an environment where everyone can be a leader. Moreover, they produce a much higher degree of employee involvement, employee knowledge and engagement.
Make sure your systems are carefully aligned and support teamwork. Otherwise, you will send mixed messages. For example, high partitions generally inhibit teamwork. If you only reward individual performance, people will be less likely to help each other. Remember, organizations are perfectly designed to get the results that they get.

Manage Performance

In my experience, most people want to be part of a winning organization. They want to work for an organization where performance is valued and people are treated fairly. In order to accomplish this, here are some actions you can take:

Share the performance goals and actual performance statistics with everyone so they know what the goals are and how they are doing (at both the group and individual levels.) I strongly advocate posting this information in locations where employees meet.
You should have daily (15 minutes is usually sufficient), weekly and monthly performance meetings as appropriate to discuss group performance. This will ensure that everyone is involved and has the chance to participate.
Employees should receive periodic feedback on how they are doing relative to their performance standards (monthly is preferable.) Along these lines, consider providing them with a monthly report card telling them how they are doing.
You should have reliable consequences for every level of performance, regardless of whether you like the employees or not. In other words, people should always be able to see an action coming, whether it is good, neutral or bad. However, in the FEVS Survey, only 41% of the respondents agreed that "Awards in my work unit depend on how well employees perform their jobs." Clearly, many people believe that awards, among other actions, are not reliably given based on performance. (As stated earlier, only two out of 10 employees felt that pay raises are related to their job performance.)
Most importantly, DEAL with your problem employees; do not move them. After all, this continues to be perhaps the most frustrating area for Federal employees. For instance, in response to the following statement, "In my work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor performer who cannot or will not improve," only 29.7% of the employees responded affirmatively, meaning over 1.1 million Federal employees do NOT feel that poor performers are properly dealt with.

These are only some relatively simple but effective actions you can take to improve your results. In my next column, I'll discuss additional steps you can take to improve the views of your employees.

Stewart Liff writes on human resources management issues in government for OhMyGov. A recipient of the President's Council on Management Improvement Award, he is the author of five books, including the just-released Improving the Performance of Government Employees. His expertise includes employee relations, labor relations, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), performance management, staffing, training, rewards and recognition, metrics, systems design and succession planning.

#SOTU Social Media Guide - Tonight's Politics on Twitter

Matt Roberts — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:36:00 GMT

Already the day’s highest trending topic, tonight’s State of the Union (#SOTU) will undoubtedly be making waves on social media for the next few days – starting with play-by-play commentary from the White House, politicians, the media, and the public-at-large on social media all evening.

A quick primer for tonight’s events on social media:

Once again the White House will be streaming an enhanced version of the speech that features graphics, data and stats that highlight the issues the President is discussing on WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU. They will also live stream that broadcast through the White House Live App on Facebook, YouTube and their Google+ page.
During a special “Open for Questions” event following the speech, a panel of senior advisors will be answering questions about the President's address submitted by citizens via Twitter (using the hashtag's #WHChat & #SOTU), Google+ and Facebook, as well as from the live in-person audience of White House Social participants. (More details on the White House’s plans can be found here).
Expect some heavy traffic on the White House’s official Twitter hashtag for the conversation about guns and violence, #NowIstheTime. (This hashtag seems to have gained more traction than the much derided #My2k, about the fiscal cliff).

And it’s not all just about POTUS this evening. Since 1966 the major opposition party has promoted an official response to the president’s speech (that year it was the influential Sen. Dirksen and future president Gerald Ford, at the time a House member, responding to President Johnson).

This responsibility is both a coveted and dreaded speaking role, and this year the challenge goes to first-term Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Rubio is in almost exactly the same position as Governor Bobby Jindal was four years ago when he rebutted the President’s speech – a prominent politician, son of immigrants, hailing from the South, and sold as “the savior” of the Republican Party.

This speech may well be Rubio’s make-or-break moment, whether he thinks of himself as a savior of the party or not. Most argue that 2009 was a definite stumbling point in Jindal’s trajectory into the national spotlight, and there will be plenty of Wednesday morning quarterbacking on his 2016 prospects.

Sen. Rubio is definitely influential on social media (see our analysis here) and has been a rising star online for some time. Since it was revealed on February 6th that Rubio would fill the role, he is gaining even more traction and visibility online with over 14,000 mentions of him on Twitter the following day and continued growth in followers.

Expect Rubio’s speech to be hotly debated online – and its implications for Rubio as a viable candidate in 2016. You can see an early preview of his speech here.

Some other social media activities from the GOP this evening:

For the third year in a row, the Tea Party is organizing an official response as well, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will be stepping to the podium – another rising star with his own aspirations for Washington. Expect increased traffic for the hastags #TeaParty and #tcot along with his comments.
Republican leaders will also be taking questions throughout the speech and afterwards with the #SOTUGOP hashtag.
Groups like RNC Research (@RNCResearch) will be live fact checking #SOTU this evening on Twitter – queue a handful of instant controversies over phrasing…
In a bit of planned political name calling, Rep. Steve Stockman is planning a #YouLie hashtag fact check campaign.
The GOP has even set up an official facts and charts page on their site - www.GOP.gov/SOTU - that will rebuff the White House’s own attempts at data-driven live coverage.
Expect the GOP to almost entirely ignore the #NowIstheTime hashtag on Twitter, or find a way to attempt and hijack it. They have already embraced their own hashtag for the night, #NotSerious, to question Obama’s commitment to real reforms.

Whether you engage with the State of the Union through social media or not, expect #SOTU to be a trending topic for the next couple of days as the public debate plays out online.

We of course will be offering some thoughts during the speech as well, and you can always see our commentary on Twitter (@OhMyGov).

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OhMyGov specializes in providing media analytics, business intelligence and performance management consulting services to government agencies, politicians, political campaigns, and private organizations that lobby or work with government. Learn more here.

Military Hosts Role of Social Media Discussion on Twitter: #ArmyChat

Matt Roberts — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:06:00 GMT

The U.S. Army hosted an online chat today via its official @USArmy Twitter account to talk about the role of social media in the organization, and how the Army employs tools like Twitter to tell its story.

Staff Sgt. Dale Sweetnam (@DSweetnam) responded to a host of questions and comments labeled #ArmyChat for about an hour this afternoon, serving up a number of helpful points on how to best manage content on different platforms and how to engage with users across the web.

Sweetnam also responded to some questions about the Army’s policy regarding soldiers and employees tweeting from their personal accounts. The Army has actually developed a social media handbook that encourages members of the military to use the Internet to share information while being mindful that OPSEC (Operations Security) is always a top priority when speaking publicly.

According to OhMyGov’s media tracking platform, the U.S. Army has more than 220,000 followers for its @USArmy handle alone, and has grown its Twitter following by 3% since January 1. The Army ranks second among large government agencies in Media Power and also has almost 1.7 million Facebook followers of the main U.S. Army page.

You can see the entire chat session here on Twitter.

Today’s #ArmyChat produced more than 175 tweets, with 17 direct responses from @USArmy to questions posed by the Twitter community. Overall, the Army noted in a tweet that the chat session was a success, and that it plans other similar events in the future.

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How Government Can Leverage Graph Search to Expand on Facebook

Matt Roberts — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:41:00 GMT

Facebook announced last week that it is rolling out a new feature for its social media empire called Graph Search, which is billed as a new way to discover information online. One of the notable parts of this new search approach is that Facebook is making user interactions a key component of the math that drives the results – which is unique from traditional search engines, and has implications for those in government and politics looking to succeed in social media.

Graph Search is hyped as a powerful new tool that for the first time allows someone to answer life’s most important questions, like “What movies are liked by people who like Mitt Romney?“ or “Do my coworkers enjoy fly fishing?”

Not impressed? Perhaps you should be.

This type of dynamic search could open up new opportunities and some pitfalls for those in government and politics who have a presence on the web. Here is a quick primer of what you will want to know.

How Graph Search Works

One thing to clear up right out of the gate, the term ‘Graph Search’ refers to the way that Facebook and others organize interconnected content – in graphs of intersecting data. Every piece of content on Facebook has its own audience, and it is all contained within a user’s own ‘social graph.’

To show how the new feature works, at the company’s press conference, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly asked the new search engine the following questions as examples, and got exactly the results one would want from these social queries.

My friends who live in Palo Alto and like "Game of Thrones"
Friends of friends who are single men in San Francisco and are from India
NASA Ames employees who are friends of Facebook employees
Bars in Dublin, Ireland liked by people who live in Dublin, Ireland

This shows the broad variety of applications that Graph Search aims to fulfill – travel, research, recruiting and even dating. It is currently in beta testing among a portion of Facebook’s 1 billion active users, and Graph Search is definitely unique among search options on the web.

Traditional search (Google, Bing) is designed to take a set of keywords and provide the best possible results from the internet that match those words and phrases. The pages are ranked based on the prominence of the particular source on the web compared to others – generally with sites like NYTimes.com at the top and smaller ones like a personal blog towards the bottom.

On Facebook, Graph Search will be populated first with content from Facebook itself, limiting the scope for queries. Importantly, Graph Search will also base the top results on a user’s own social graph and the amount of interactions, likes and shares that a user and their friends have with a particular piece of content. This interaction-driven approach to search means if more of someone’s friends like a particular page, picture, article or link it will appear at the top of results, and this differentiation has implications for how an organization should approach Facebook as a tool for outreach in social media.

(You can find out more about Graph Search’s functions by checking out this official announcement, and summary articles here and here.)

Augmenting Your Approach to Facebook

Graph Search is a long way from replacing the big search engines, but this tool dramatically increases the number of searches that will start on Facebook instead of the broader internet – and that will change the way that any organization’s content is found online.

Here are some techniques to prepare for the new feature:

1. Grow Your Network
Graph Search reemphasizes the importance of actual connection in social media, not just having a presence. When someone likes your page, you instantly become a part of the search database for every single one of that user’s friends (and friend’s of friends in some cases).

Not actively growing followers on Facebook means missing out on all of that potential search visibility and being excluded from the conversation.

For example, if someone were to search for information about ‘civil rights’, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights will only appear within these listings if their friend’s have liked the OCR’s page. If they have not (or the searcher has not), then results will show for other organizations with that focus. If multiple friends have liked the page, then results will appear closer to the top.

2. Be Share-Worthy
While one person liking you will expose your page to hundreds of searchers, a user sharing content that you have posted will add even more dynamic results to those queries.

Liking your page means that your general overview (and the keywords contained within) will become accessible through search, but blog posts, photos and articles you post and are shared by users will include that expanded content in their search algorithm and their friends’ searches as well, even if neither person follows your page directly.

That means you gain more exposure to the search algorithm and can be found by an increasing number of different queries if you are actively engaging with the Facebook community.

The Army Corps of Engineers is commonly known for their civil works projects in the U.S. like dams and levees. By spreading information through likes and shares on Facebook about the Corps other missions and objectives – like overseas or military projects, environmental work, or research – the ACE becomes a part of search results for all of these topics as well and will rise in the results as more users interact with them in different ways besides just liking their page.

3. Target Your Information
Graph Search also presents a major advantage for organizations in understanding their social networks and how best to target their content and information. With the demonstrated ability to layer a search query (‘Movies liked by people who like Mitt Romney’), any user can investigate the entire Facebook community’s interconnectedness and glean useful information about their own network.

If an employee at the National Gallery of Art searched for ‘people who like the NGA and modern art’ or ‘African-American art’, they will get a list of Facebook followers that have both interests. With that knowledge, the NGA could promote their recently acquired works from Glenn Ligon and know how many of their followers will be more likely to share that information with their friends. Or in planning a new exhibit or promotion, the NGA could see which artists their followers like in general to know what pieces to highlight to attract more visitors.

Organizations can now know not only who likes them, but also what else interests those users, what they talk about, and what they share – a treasure trove of information for strategic outreach. Targeting users with information they are more likely to promote and share themselves increases visibility for the organization and overall presence within every user’s social graph.

- - -

There is still plenty we don’t know about how exactly the functionality will be implemented. For instance, will Graph Search also search users’ status updates for keywords? But we do know that for the first time it organizes information on the social network so it can be put to good use.

Organizations should be mindful of the potential impact this new feature can have as they develop their strategic plans for outreach and marketing online. We have always known that engagement with audiences was the key to success – now, Facebook has created a formula to prove it.

Big Data and the Fiscal Cliff

OhMyGov — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:34:00 GMT

Federal, state and local government budgets soon may be in for a serious slashing. Whether Congress acts to avert the looming fiscal cliff or the automatic cuts kick in, government agencies can expect continued pressure on their pocketbooks for the foreseeable future.

This calls for smarter, leaner government. A recent commentary on NextGov.com by John Salamone and OhMyGov's Richard Hartman outlined one approach to respond to the new budget and program realities: Turn to big data.

In our age of digital everything, useful information is everywhere; leaders just need to know where to look. Government has long been a leading data collector, and it needs to tap this experience for its own purposes: assessing its programs, surveying its workers, and listening to what the public is saying.

Salamone and Hartman single out the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey as a key information-gathering tool for leaders to understand the "opportunities and challenges" facing agencies.

Further, digital media analytics can give leaders targeted real-time data on the priorities, positions and sentiments of both the general public and any number of select constituencies, be they citizen groups, veterans, business leaders, or even state and local politicians.

What will survive the budget crunch? Mission-critical programs, administration priorities, and programs embraced by key constituencies have the best shot. Agency leaders can prepare for informed, rational decision-making by using the best available digital tools to collect as much relevant data as possible. Fiscal cliff or not, embracing and using big data is a sensible way forward.

Read the full story at NextGov.

Designing your Space Using Visual Management (Part 3)

Stewart Liff — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:54:00 GMT

Visual Management is a system of management that uses all of your available space to send a consistent, whole-brained message which focuses on accomplishing your mission and achieving your goals. At the same time, it will help you engage and motivate your employees.

Instead of making your space a nice place to work in, you transform it into an inspiring environment that honors the mission, celebrates the great work of the employees, shares information in a strategic manner, and helps hold employees accountable. Moreover, when you do this, the work space will also help shape the outside world's view of your organization and attract great people who will want to work for you. That is a design choice in the same way that many of today's nondescript spaces are.

To get started, ensure that your space is properly designed. You want to have the right people sitting next to each other, those who require privacy should have it, and the entire space should flow properly. You should also ensure that the space is consistent with your values. For example, if you want to have a team environment, where appropriate, use low, rather than high partitions.

Make sure that the space is well lit, airy and cheerful. Ensure that the colors of the walls and carpets/floors match and promote the right atmosphere. The idea here is that before you actually begin to implement a formal visual management program, the existing space needs to support the more complex design elements.

Once you are ready, put together a visual management team comprised of people in your organization who are champions of the concept. Make sure the team has a leader who can make things happen. The team will probably include people who have diverse interests and skills in the fine arts, photography, information technology, history, construction, etc. Include the union as well if they represent your employees.

When putting your plan together, the goal is not to hang up a bunch of stuff on the walls that look good; rather, it is to hang/place everything in a logical and coherent manner and send a clear and consistent message. A good example is the way art museums display works of art. They don't hang a Rembrandt next to a Picasso. They group the work by century, period or country so that everything flows.

The Path to a Transformed Workspace

You need to constantly ask yourself: how does everything fit together? In my experience, those organizations that tried to implement a visual management program on a piecemeal basis wound up with a bit of a mishmash because the components were not well integrated.

When it's time to implement the plan, don't try and do everything at once. Expect things to take time unless you have an enormous of expertise, money and other resources at your disposal. You might want to start off with some form of a road map or mission/vision/values statement. This is a good way to get the ball rolling and let everyone know you are taking a new and creative approach. The first time I tried this, virtually everyone hung up our road map as a symbol of pride. It even got published in Japan! Here is a copy of that roadmap:

After that, focus on the most important items first - I recommend you start off with the metrics because they directly relate to performance and always get people's attention. Note that when you do this, make sure the employees understand what the metrics mean and where they come from. In addition, only post information that is meaningful to the employees and over which they have some control. Otherwise, they will tune the metrics out and pay no attention to them.

After that, start to work on the fun stuff - the history of your organization, success stories, employee walls of fame, etc. This is where the program really begins to take off because it connects with people on an emotional level.

Eventually, add information about group rewards and recognition and consider posting individual employee statistics (by symbol, not by name). While this may be a bit controversial, it sends a message that everyone will be treated by the numbers; information is available to all and no one can hide. Furthermore, start thinking beyond just visual displays and think in terms of sensory management. By this I mean consider adding sound (music, voices, etc.), give people the chance to touch some three-dimensional displays, and so forth.

Over time you will find ways to make your displays increasingly creative and others will step forward and want to participate. In short, visual management will become a self-fulfilling prophecy that will drive performance, change attitudes and be fun. Good luck on your journey!

For more information on the concept of visual management, visit Stew Liff's website, his book on visual management (co-authored with Pamela A. Posey, DBA), and his recent article for The Public Manager on visual management. Also, see all of Stew's previous columns for OhMyGov.

Life on the "Big E": Where Government Works!

Richard Hartman — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:00:00 GMT

In honor to all those that served on the USS Enterprise...

I was provided the opportunity of a life-time courtesy of the US Navy. Along with 1200 other civilians, I embarked aboard USS Enterprise “Big E” for the last stretch of the ship’s six-month deployment, known as Tiger Cruise which immerses family and friends of the deployed members into Navy life: eating, sleeping and experiencing firsthand what Sailors and Marines experience while living aboard a naval vessel.

While on the monstrous aircraft carrier, we observed a variety of events to demonstrate the skills and training used to defend this country, including an air show featuring aircraft launches and recoveries, a 50-cal. machine gun live fire exercise, tours of the ship, and a rescue demonstration. I recorded the videos below, the first of which shows a helicopter rescue exercise.

This was my first time on a military ship, which gave me a better understanding of the hard work and professionalism these Sailors and Marines display throughout their deployment. During their six-month tour, the strike group conducted operations in the Persian Gulf to support troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and patrolled the coast of Africa.

These sailors and aviators, whose average age is in the mid 20s, demonstrated how they launch, fly, and recover over 20 aircraft within a 2-hour period on a floating airport just over four acres. When I compare the difficulty I've witnessed in getting a one-page Agency health policy signed (12 months) to the remarkable synchrony needed to accomplish this work, I become sick to my stomach. More impressive than the demonstration were the statistics of their combat tour where these young professionals launched over 1,600 sorties without a single injury or mishap.

Just as impressive as the aircraft operation was the smooth logistics to cloth, feed, and care for over 5,000 crew members. I was very fortunate to have my own quarters, but most Sailors and Marines spend their sleeping time in vertical bed racks in quarters smaller than a single bed.

After realizing the scope of their success, and the day-to-day challenges faced by these young Sailors and Marines, I gained a greater appreciation for our men and women in uniform as well as a tangible observation of Government working well. It was also great way for the Navy to show its gratitude to the families who have supported these war fighters and made sacrifices of their own while their loved ones were deployed.

For the families and friends, it was an early reunion. For all hands, the Tiger Cruise meant one thing: the Enterprise made it home!

Gov Customer Service Expo comes to D.C.

OhMyGov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:52:00 GMT

Public sector leaders will be coming together in Washington, D.C., in early December for a conference and expo on improving government customer service.

The Government Customer Service Conference and Expo convenes on Dec. 6, 2012, at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown D.C. Hosted by the Digital Government Institute, the event is one in a series of conferences and trainings geared at public servants that also includes a Best Practices in Gov't Customer Service session on Dec. 5.

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar will serve as keynote for the Dec. 6 conference and expo. Rep. Cuellar (D-TX) introduced the legislation to require the establishment of customer service standards for Federal agencies, which he will be speaking about.

Speakers include:

Gwynne Kostin, Director Digital Services Innovation Center, Office of Citizen Services & Innovative Technologies, GSA
Brenda Wensil, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education
Sean Herron, Technology Strategist, Open Innovation Program, NASA
Jacqueline Howard, Chief, Policyholders Service Division, Department of Veterans Affairs
Georgianne Costa, Assistant Chief, Policyholders Service Division, Department of Veterans Affairs
Mark Malseed, Director of 311 Solutions for ChaCha (and a founder of OhMyGov)
Steve Graff, Chief Technical Architect, Autonomy

The master of ceremonies is Daryl Covey, the author of "Government Customer Service Standards" and former NEXRAD Hotline Manager at the National Weather Service, a division of NOAA.

Sessions will explore strategies and technologies for tackling customer service in the digital age, including case studies of successful customer experience transformations, 311 systems, the impact of Big Data, content creation for the adaptive web, and orchestrating positive customer experiences.

There has never been a more promising time for government agencies looking to improve citizen engagement. Executive mandates, new tools, and better data combine to present federal agencies (and their state and local counterparts) with the power to rewrite how government conducts customer service. Anyone with a portfolio that includes citizen engagement or customer service will find sessions that address pressing problems and solutions and the larger context in which today's rapid change is taking place.

The conference is FREE to all government employees and to contractors with a government email and ID. The fee for others is $395, with a $100 discount for registrations prior thru Nov. 21. Explore a range of resources at DGI's online Government Customer Service Knowledge Center

See the full agenda at DigitalGovernment.com or Register now

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

DGA improves social media following, but RGA still dominant [DATASHOT]

Rachel Greenway — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:45:00 GMT

A few months ago, OhMyGov looked at how the governors associations of the major parties stacked up on social media. New data show that the Republican Governors Association holds a large lead in overall social media fans, but the Democratic Governors Association has made some gains in recent months, particularly on Twitter.

On Facebook, the RGA [see PROFILE] maintains a huge lead in fans. But over the last 3 months, the DGA [see PROFILE] has grown its fan base by 99% vs. a paltry 4% for the RGA.

Even with those gains, however, the Democrats have plenty of ground to go. As of Oct. 23, the DGA had 46,900 Facebook fans compared to 118,000 for the RGA. And the momentum here may even be shifting back, as the RGA picked up more than 4,000 new fans in just the past week after spending the prior three months virtually unchanged. (The last week netted the DGA 2,800 new fans.)

In terms of fan engagement on Facebook, the gap is noticeably less. As to be expected, the overall level of activity on these pages is significantly higher over the past 3 months, nearing Election Day, compared to earlier in the spring/summer. The DGA has been running neck-to-neck with the RGA in terms of comments and likes on posts, despite the far smaller fan base. In fact, the DGA Facebook page has seen more comment activity than the RGA page over 6 of the past 13 weeks.

On Twitter, the situation is similar: The DGA is still lagging, but catching up a little quicker. Over the past 3 months, the DGA has increased its Twitter following by 42%, compared to 10% for the RGA. The biggest leap was during the Democratic National Convention, which netted the DGA nearly 1,500 new followers.

What's surprising is that the RGA consistently pushes out more information on social media than its Democratic counterpart. This is true for both Facebook and Twitter. Week after week, the RGA publishes about double the amount of Facebook posts and tweets than the DGA. We would have expected the DGA to be more aggressive in posting content to social sites, given their large follower deficit.

A previous OhMyGov study showed that in the critical time period leading up to national elections, momentum on social media for candidates can correlate to results on voting day. It is the rate of growth in new followers and fans that matters more than the overall number. Whether this applies to umbrella groups like the governors associations is unproven. But any clear social media momentum would still be a very good sign.

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

11 Political Parody Accounts to Follow on Twitter

Mel Jones — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:24:00 GMT

Twitter has become an indispensable part of political dialogue in the U.S., opening the door for clever political humorists to gain --- and potentially influence --- a large audience.

There's no shortage of sarcasm and wit on Twitter, but the social network is particularly well-suited to parody, whose history of influence over culture and politics stretches back well before the Internet age.

Parodies, with their equal parts imitation and ridicule, can be very effective on Twitter because of their proximity to what they're mocking. On Twitter, users can assume names that have little or no relation to their given names. In addition, Twitter has an established class of politically-savvy and educated users who look to the site to provide breaking news and analysis. They want real-time news, and they are happy to have real-time humor too.

Parodies often get launched on a whim, sometimes within minutes of a ripe statement or event. It only took a few minutes for an enterprising convention-watcher to launch @InvisibleObama in reaction to Clint Eastwood's speech/performance at the GOP meeting in Tampa. Ditto for a flurry of "Big Bird" parody accounts that launched during the first presidential debate, mere moments after Mitt Romney mentioned the feathered fella.

Some accounts start slowly, then gain steam as events bring their subjects into the limelight. The @GingrichIdeas account was "started in the midst of the primary campaign, before Newt's first rise in the polls," said the account's creator to OhMyGov. "There was a Washington Post article that described Newt Gingrich as an ‘ideas factory'... [The account] was as much a joke on DC media as on Newt himself."

We asked one of Twitter's most famous parody voices, the sometimes crass but always honest @Wise_Kaplan, what he thought about the use of political parody on Twitter. His answer, naturally: "It's Newt."

Here are 11 political parody accounts that we enjoy following:

Joe Biden (@VeepJoeBiden)
The well-meaning vice-president whose irrationality and fun-loving ways get in the way of stately conduct

#IfIWereRomney I'd just sit in my Firebird and ride my car elevator up and down all day.
— Joe Biden (@VeepJoeBiden) September 7, 2012

Angela Merkel (@Queen_Europe)
A perpetually-exasperated and impatient female leader surrounded by unappreciative, weaker foreign countries

Relaxing with a horror movie. Oh hang on, this is the videoconference.
— Angela Merkel (not) (@Queen_Europe) June 15, 2012

Dalai Parton (@DalaiParton)
A no-nonsense, heartbroken singer with an appreciation for global peace and equality

Especially when working 9 to 5. RT @deepakchopra Be kind to yourself and others. Come from love every moment you can.
— Dalai Parton (@DalaiParton) August 20, 2012

Kim Jong Il (@KimJongNumberUn)
A young dictator with double the amount of fervor than practicality

URGENT NEED TO FIND DUDE WHO DID OLYMPIC FIREWORKS HOW DID THEY MAKE ROCKETS GO SO FAR CONTACT ME ON MYSPACE KTHXBYE
— KimJongNumberUn (@KimJongNumberUn) August 12, 2012

InvisibleObama (@invisibleobama)
The president as empty chair. Consistent and still clever two months after its primetime RNC launch.

Honored to have been featured in Facebook's first commercial. youtu.be/c7SjvLceXgU #invisiblebrag
— Invisible Obama (@InvisibleObama) October 4, 2012

Clinton Arithmetic (@ClintonMath)
The wise elder politician who enjoys at-length discussions of poll numbers and economic data

@cliffordthehutt @political_bill -- Taxes were higher, especially for the wealthy, during the Clinton years, and the economy did very well.
— Clinton Arithmetic (@ClintonMath) September 24, 2012

El Bloombito (@ElBloombito)
The Spanglish-language mayor who struggles to overcome language barriers in a diverse metropolis

Stay awayo para los next few days los parks y los trees. Que fall down. El BOOM!
— Miguel Bloombito (@ElBloombito) August 28, 2011

Senior White House Official (@SrWHOfficial)
An almost official voice of the White House.

When he speaks, the teleprompter quits. He is... The Most Interesting Ex-President In The World.
— Sr. WH Official (@SrWHOfficial) September 6, 2012

Paul Ryan Gosling (@PaulRyanGosling)
The combination of Paul Ryan and Ryan Gosling, a romantic fiscal conservative with your best interests at heart / wallet

Hey girl, I know I'm only 42, but my ideas on women's rights are over 500 years old.
— Paul Ryan Gosling (@PaulRyanGosling) August 12, 2012

Romney Hood (@MittR0mney)
An affable, if offensive, former governor and 2012 presidential candidate

Romney: "I didn't want to be President of you losers anyway."
— Romney Hood (@MittRmoney) September 17, 2012

Gingrich Ideas (@GingrichIdeas)
Newt Gingrich's ideas, if they were wild animals caged in a zoo on the moon

Reduce length of the mile to improve fuel efficiency.
— Newt Gingrich Ideas (@GingrichIdeas) December 27, 2011

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

Government Big Data Conference coming Oct. 11

OhMyGov — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:44:00 GMT

Big Data is a Big Deal in government these days.

The mountain of data collected and processed by government agencies has always been substantial --- and of importance not just to policymakers but also to people and business in the private sector. Today, thanks to smarter devices, additional computing power, and demand for more hard numbers, the amount of data being managed by government is growing at an astonishing rate, and threatens to overwhelm the unprepared agency.

A new conference & expo taking place next week in Washington, D.C., will address the deluge of data and how agencies can harness it.

Government Big Data Conference & Expo is being presented by the Digital Government Institute, a knowledge building organization that hosts numerous conferences and trainings each year.

The event, which is free for all government personnel (including contractors with a government email and ID), runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11. Industry representatives can attend the one-day conference and expo for $395. The conference will be held in the Pavillion Room of the Ronald Reagan Building (1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW).

Conference sessions will address:

How to effectively address the overwhelming task of managing big data
How to harness the power of large amounts of data
The technological developments that allow analysts to store, manage and analyze large and diverse datasets
The potential benefits big data applications and solutions can provide agencies, including the ability to integrate disparate datasets for analysis and interagency cooperation

Speakers at the conference include:

• Brett Bobley, Chief Information Officer, Director, Office of Digital Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities

• John Montel of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of the Interior

• Shawn Kingsberry, Chief Information Officer, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

• Kapil Bakshi, Chief Architect and Strategist, Cisco

• Dale Wickizer, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Public Sector, NetApp

• and several others.

View the complete conference agenda here.

Other upcoming events from the Digital Government Institute include the Government Customer Service Conference & Expo on Dec. 6.

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

Romney Adds 208,000 Facebook Fans Within Hours of Debate

Andrew B. Einhorn — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:04:00 GMT

Pundits continue to speculate on the political impact of Mitt Romney's stellar performance during Wednesday night's Presidential debate. But that impact is already palpable on social media, as Romney added over 208,000 new Facebook fans within hours of finishing the debate - the second largest boost in fans Romney has ever received.

The surge of fans is part of a consistent explosion in support for Romney on social media, as the former Massachusetts Governor has added over six million new fans in the past three months, compared to just 2.1 million for President Obama.

Studies have linked the daily change in Facebook fan growth to polling data, noting that favorability polls rise and fall in correlation with Facebook fan numbers. So the progress Romney is showing in garnering support through the social media platform may be an early indicator of his movement in the polls to close the gap on Obama.

A recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos following the debate showed Romney's approval rating had increased after the debates, rising for the first time to a level above 50 percent since he began running for the Presidency. The poll's finding is in line with what is seen on social media as the public jumping behind a seemingly sharper, more commanding Mitt Romney.

On Twitter, the situation was a bit different, however, with President Obama garnering twice as many new Twitter followers in the wake of the debate than Romney.

Each candidate was also discussed on Twitter equally, with the Twitterverse producing over 2 million tweets within hours of the debate.

Ever the modern battle ground for political mudslinging, Twitter has become a critical platform for driving home each candidate's talking points. Among the Romney camp, the most widely circulated tweet attacked the President's healthcare program, claiming the plan would burden the middle class with higher taxes - a mirror image of the criticism that camp Obama has been putting on Romney's tax plan.

"mittromney: Obamacare will raise taxes on nearly 5 million middle class Americans by 2016 #CantAfford4More http://t.co/8vD3ZuYs."

Meanwhile, across aisle, the Obama team fired back on Twitter at Romney in an attempt to debunk some of Romney's accusations and plans.

"FACT: Romney told students struggling to afford tuition to “shop around,” ”borrow money” from parents for school to start a business."

As we move closer to the next debate, it will be interesting to see if Romney continues to attract supporters at the same rate, or whether Team Obama can leverage their advertising warchest to take the wind out of Romney's full sails.

The Rise of Women in Technology

Andrew B. Einhorn — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:58:00 GMT

A new infographic recently released by MBAonline sheds light on just how underrepresented women are in the technology field. To date, women occupy one in four jobs in the science, technology, engineering or math fields and lead only eight percent of venture-backed startups.

At first glance, the statistics are troubling, especially given the consistent growth in prevalence of the two-income family, and the need for new small businesses and technology companies to power the U.S. economy out of crisis mode. But there may be a silver lining in a surge of female entrepreneurs entering the workforce.

The number of women entering the technology field grew by 29 percent from 2011 to 2012. Today, 41 percent of Harvard computer scientists to be are women. Women are now starting businesses at a rate that is 150 percent greater than the national average, which could give rise to an entire generation of female-owned and operated companies. Will one of them be the next Google, Apple or Facebook?

According to the data, it's likely. Companies that have more than three women on their Board of Directors significantly outperformed companies that did not across sales and return on equity.

In the social media space, women also dominate, accounting for 55 percent of social media users and 60 to 70 percent of social media jobs within the public relations field. Are we witnessing the rise of women once and for all in the workplace, where they are in charge of the messaging and messenger? So it seems.

Romney Is Losing His Social Media Mojo

Mark Malseed — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:20:00 GMT

Nevermind the recent gaffes and the lagging swing state polls, Mitt Romney has a major problem right now. And it's called Facebook.

Romney's trouble with the social network has nothing to do with President Obama's commanding overall lead in total number of Facebook "Likes."

Rather, it has everything to do with the fact that in August, plenty of people were liking Mitt Romney on Facebook, yet in September that growth has suddenly --- and significantly --- slowed.

Everything looked hunky dory on September 1, the day after the former Massachusetts governor formally accepted the Republican nomination for president. On that day, Romney netted 212,556 new Facebook fans, his biggest day ever according to OhMyGov Media Monitoring. The strong gains capped a huge month for Romney, during which he grew his Facebook following by 88%, adding 2.8 million new fans.

Then, immediately, the growth slowed. On Sept. 2, Romney added only 107k fans, less than half the previous day. During the Democratic convention, Romney's growth slowed further, though he still outgained Obama during the week.

But the really bad news for the Romney campaign is that the trend has been downhill, not uphill, since the Democrats left Charlotte. In fact, Romney's best day on Facebook since the (Democratic) convention wasn't as good as his worst day during the convention.

Even for folks who don't put much stock in social media numbers, there can be little doubt: this trend is certifiable bad news for Camp Romney.

A Facebook like does not equal a vote, but it's a fairly useful proxy. Facebook likes can actually help a candidate by showing positive momentum and providing extra data points beyond polls. At the very least, a Like shows a willingness to vote for a person. The fact that Romney isn't nabbing more of these "practice votes" at this critical stage in the race is further sign he received no sustained convention bounce. We'll be watching the debates closely --- they are Romney's last chance to change the dynamic of the race.

Here's the graphical story:

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

Related Stories:

1. Social Media Predicts Polling

2. GOP Reign on Social Media Ending

3. GOP Widens Social Media Lead 2010 Elections

Digital Government Summit to focus on CMS and mobility management

OhMyGov — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:43:00 GMT

UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Leaders in digital government will converge in San Jose, California, this October for a three-day conference addressing technology challenges and major trends in managing information in the public sector.

The Digital Government Summit, hosted by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement, will take place from October 29-31, 2012.

Attendees will hear about capability requirements to implement the White House's Digital Government Roadmap, a major focus for agency information officers, communicators and program managers. Other sessions will cover acquisition priorities and trends for enhancing mobility management, as well as how to leverage and benchmark social media.

State and local government officials will be able to foster connections to other government agencies and innovative IT companies.

On the optional Big Data Management focus day, Oct. 29, a series of sessions and workshops will focus on harnessing the power of the enormous amount of data now collected by agencies. NASA's social media manager will share best practices from administering over 200 social media accounts. A trio of California state health and systems officials will dive deep into big data as it related to implementing the Affordable Care Act.

The main summit on Oct. 30 and 31 will kick off with a Tuesday keynote by Nabil Fares, CIO, Department of Public Health, State of California on "Gov 2.0 Mobility Management: How to Maximize Challenges and Opportunities."

Featured speakers at the conference include:

• John Yembrick, Social Media Manager, NASA Headquarters

• Richard Kerby, Senior Inter-regional Adviser on e-Government, United Nations

• Scott Burns, CEO & Co-Founder, GovDelivery

• Chris Cruz, Deputy Director and CIO, Department of Health Services, State of California

The Institute for Defense & Government Advancement (IDGA) is a non-partisan organization dedicated to the promotion of innovative ideas in public service and defense. IDGA puts on numerous professional conferences each year that bring together speakers and participants from military, government and industry.

"Digitizing the government has to be implemented by every state agency from May 2012 through May 2013," says Verena Lagler, program director for IDGA. "[Attendees will] discover the capability requirements and acquisition priorities of key organizations straight from high-level government executives, specifically in regards to information management (CMS), mobility and big data management."

Other speakers include:

• Melody Hayes, Deputy Director, Office of Systems Integration, State of California

• Captain Cappy Surette, Public Relations Director, US Navy

• Daniel Holden, Chief Hacking Prevention Officer, California Natural Resources Agency

• Joseph A. Panora, Director, Enterprise Information Services (EIS), Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

• Andrew Einhorn, CEO, OhMyGov

• Liana Bailey-Crimmins, CIO, Correctional Health Care Services, California

Details on conference fees and registration can be found at digitalgovernmentconference.com

Follow IDGA on Twitter at @idgainsight

Follow OhMyGov on Twitter at @ohmygov

Social Media Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Government Career

Mark Malseed — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:04:00 GMT

Are you a federal government employee with a Facebook or Twitter account and a passing interest in politics? Be extra careful if you are, as we head into the thick of election season: your government career could be on the line.

Participation in political activities while serving as a federal employee is restricted under the Hatch Act, an old statute that is still very much in force. Violating the Hatch Act is no small matter. It could very easily lead to your dismissal; at minimum, a violation will nab you a 30-day or longer suspension without pay.

What constitutes a political activity is murkier now than in the days when organizing and fund-raising were done entirely offline. With the emergence of Facebook and Twitter, which span the traditional barrier between workplace and home, the application of the Hatch Act has gotten even more intricate. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is trying to keep up. OSC publishes plain language FAQs that explain what you can and cannot do, politically-speaking, as a fed. Their Hatch Act webpage is an important source; read it if you have any doubt about your actions (or those of colleagues).

But let's be frank, here. Despite OSC's best efforts to reduce the legalese, there are still a ton of words to comb through to find the answer to basic questions like, "Can I list my political party affiliation on my Facebook profile?" (Answer: Yes, you can) or "Can I suggest that my friends 'Like' a political candidate on Facebook?" (Answer: No, you can't).

OhMyGov distilled the many pages of social media rules under the Hatch Act into one simple infographic.

Bottom line: If you're a federal employee and you ever post on Facebook or Twitter or have a blog, READ THIS INFOGRAPHIC CAREFULLY.

Elections can bring out the worst in people. Just read the tale in today's Wall Street Journal of a die-hard Democrat who threw out her Republican husband's absentee ballot instead of mailing it in. If you engage in a politically charged conversation --- whether around the watercooler or on Twitter --- you risk creating new enemies or further chafing testy office relationships. Know the rules about what's safe on social media, and you will avoid giving anyone a chance to file a valid Hatch Act complaint and boot YOU out of office.

As always, get legal advice from a knowledgeable attorney if you have any questions. And please, share this with your friends, colleagues, and officemates.

Follow us on Twitter at @ohmygov

The week's 10 best political jokes – August 31, 2012

OhMyGov — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:53:00 GMT

10. "Chris Christie gave the keynote address. In his speech he said the word 'I' 37 times, 'Romney' 7 times, and 'jobs' only once. And then there was the 622 times he said the word 'ham.'" –Conan O'Brien

9. "John McCain was at the convention. He just wandered out on stage in his bathrobe." –David Letterman

8. "According to a poll released last week, Mitt Romney has zero percent of the black vote. In fact, if it weren't for John Boehner, Romney wouldn't have any support from people of color at all." –Jay Leno

7. "Mitt Romney went birther today. He was in Michigan, where he was born, and he said, 'No one has ever asked to see my birth certificate.' Right, because you weren't born. You have a warranty card." –Bill Maher

6. "Some of the Republicans, I think, are over-reacting to Hurricane Isaac — like today Rick Santorum was seen gathering up two of every animal." –Jay Leno

5. "You can think outside the box and pick someone who'll excite people like Sarah Palin or you can play it safe with an honest down-home family man like John Edwards." –Craig Ferguson

4. "I can't wait to see the debate between Ryan and Joe Biden. Biden is said to be already trying out different strategies. So far the one that Obama likes is where Biden pretends to have food poisoning and they cancel the debate." –Craig Ferguson

3. "Herman Cain was in Tampa. When a reporter asked him if Isaac reminded him of Katrina, he said, 'I never even met the woman.'" –Jay Leno

2. "It seems the GOP has placed 13,000 umbrellas in bins outside the hall for people to use. Delegates can't bring them inside for security reasons, so after you use the umbrella, you drop it off for the next person to use. That sounds like creeping socialism." –Jay Leno

1. "It looks like Hurricane Isaac has delayed the Republican convention for one day. See, I think the Republicans should use these 60-mile an-hour winds to their advantage. Mitt Romney should walk about there and go, here are my tax returns for the last 10 years....Oh my gosh, what happened?'" –Jay Leno

And we can't forget old man talking to an empty chair...

InvisibleObama Outgains Romney and Ryan on Social Media

OhMyGov — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Though it was Mitt Romney's night at the Republican National Convention last night, Romney's "No. 2" saw better sustained buzz on social media. But the ultimate social star was an unlikely parody Twitter account.

Rep. Paul Ryan picked up more new Facebook Fans than Romney over the period from Thursday morning thru Friday morning --- and nearly as many Twitter followers --- as the GOP ticket topper, capping a big week that introduced the Republican VP nominee to the nation.

Ryan added an impressive 87,000 fans on Facebook in the past 24 hours, nearly doubling the 48,500 new fans who signed up for Romney. To that Ryan also added 18,000 new Twitter followers.

The Wisconsin congressman now has 2.6 million total Facebook fans and some 432,000 Twitter followers across his several accounts, which include new Facebook and Twitter pages rolled out specifically for his VP run.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who had a primetime speaking slot last night, also saw big gains. Rubio's fiery and heartwarming speech introducing Romney drew a flurry of Twitter activity --- nearly 9,000 tweets per minute and 6,500 confirmed mentions by name (we're still analyzing complete numbers) --- and helped him attract more than 6,000 new Facebook fans and 5,000 Twitter followers. The Republicans will need to capitalize on Rubio's expanding base for Romney to win Florida, an absolutely critical swing state in 2012.

But, as we were reminded last night, Americans' attention for politics wouldn't be anything without comedy. The surreal ad-libbed speech by actor Clint Eastwood generated a huge amount of buzz (7,000 tweets per minute) and upended the GOP's tightly scripted convention themes. Eastwood's speech spawned a spoof Twitter account, @InvisibleObama, that gained more than 42,000 followers since yesterday, more than Romney + Ryan combined. Did the GOP just inadvertently launch a distracting meme that will cloud the Romney/Ryan message between now and the start of the Democrats' confab in Charlotte?

Snapshots of social media activity for the final day of the 2012 RNC

from OhMyGov Media Monitoring

Twitter Mentions, last 24 hours

Twitter Followers, last 24 hours

Facebook Fans, last 24 hours

Note: In many cases, Politicians have more than one Twitter account or Facebook page. OhMyGov's numbers reflect the total number of followers and fans across politicians' social accounts, resulting in numbers that are more comprehensive and more accurate than what you will see reported elsewhere.

Obama Overshares On Twitter, Romney Is A Disciplined Machine

Mel Jones — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:22:00 GMT

The 2012 presidential race pits a former community organizer vs. a former corporate executive, with Twitter sharing styles to match.

Data collected and analyzed by OhMyGov shows that President Barack Obama's tweeting pattern is, in a word, volatile.

Some days @BarackObama tweets a lot, other days hardly at all. The tweeting seems to be unscheduled, or at least far less preplanned than that of his opponent, Mitt Romney.

The @MittRomney account, on the other hand, has maintained steady behavior throughout the entire year. Romney keeps tweet output strictly under 25 tweets a week. This approach is tantamount to an accountant's ledger: there is an agreed-upon limit for tweets, and no matter what happens, it shall not be extended.

Clearly, the folks running @MittRomney are consciously trying to avoid tweeting "too much," which can be defined as at a frequency your followers are not accustomed to. The @BarackObama feed, in comparison, looks unplanned, reactive, even moody. Maybe the staff's caffeine consumption drives the output.

To compare the behaviors of the @BarackObama and @MittRomney accounts, we looked at how often they tweeted (overall quantity and frequency of tweets) and why they tweeted (if it was proactive or reactive to daily news, which is observable by volatility). We reviewed outgoing Twitter activity for the past year and found a stark difference between the two campaigns. Though Obama also has control over the official @WhiteHouse account and various campaign accounts (such as @Obama2012), we chose to focus our comparison on the primary personal handles of the two candidates. Okay, who's up for a little social media psychology couch session?

Reactive or Consistent?

As heated political campaigns go, how candidates say something is as important as what they say. With millions of dollars spent on voter polling and focus groups every day, observing how campaigns use social networks like Twitter is a window into the state of mind of the staffers who are dealing with the pressures of the 24-hour news cycle as well as justifying the costs of their outreach (in both campaign time and money).

Real-time methods of reaching out to voters provide campaigns the opportunity to respond quickly to breaking news and mitigate potential fallout caused by unaddressed rumors or otherwise negative messages. There are likely dozens of campaign strategists handling the official accounts for Mitt Romney and President Obama, working around the clock to make sure messaging is consistent across platforms.

While the campaigns have the opportunity to tweet at any time, rapid response is a double-edged sword: messages will reach millions fast, but they may not have been vetted by appropriate staff for accuracy. In addition, using social media as a purely reactive way to reach out to the public is a generally frowned upon practice; it's the equivalent of only calling a friend when you need a favor -- and then calling them five times in a row until they pick up the phone.

On the other hand, campaigns which aren't flexible to the interests of their followers on Twitter may come across as aloof or impersonal. There is danger in either approach, but many large social media publicity campaigns -- politics or otherwise -- strive for consistency first.

Obama's Volatile Tweet Schedule

The first chart below shows the weekly Outgoing Tweets for @BarackObama over the last year. Note that Obama tweeted with a relatively steady cadence from last September until mid-January 2012, mostly keeping to a comfortable 25 to 50 tweets per week. But as the Republican primary season shifted into its final heated stages, @BarackObama started on a series of Twitter benders.

During the last week of January, Obama more than doubled his tweeting over the week before, posting 96 times. Then he effectively clammed up for a few weeks. Then another huge spike, and a "new normal" characterized by more frequent tweeting and considerable week-to-week volatility.

The "Now you see me, now you don't" nature of Obama's tweeting is even more apparent when you look at the DAILY activity. People following @barackobama may see 20, 30, 40 posts from the president in a single day, or 5.

Is the Obama social media gang deciding what and how to tweet on a day-by-day basis?

Between August 30 of last year and today, @BarackObama sent a total of 3,615 tweets, @Mitt Romney sent 543. This equates to an average of just under 10 tweets a day for Obama, and 1.5 for Romney. But, of course, averages don't tell the whole story. The occasions on which Team Obama posted in the neighborhood of 10 tweets in a day weren't all that common. It was more likely you'd see a whole slew of tweets, or just a few.

Over the three months since May 30, Obama has increased his Twitter onslaught to an average of 16 tweets a day. Romney has remained steady all year at 1.5 per day.

There are a few major spikes in activity which seem directly related to national events. The spike in March occurred around the same time that most political analysts began to raise serious concerns that the March jobs report indicated the US economic recovery was slowing, rather than continuing or accelerating. Stories like this one in the New York Times received 390 comments, a high level of interest from readers. This level of online engagement was likely seen as an "emergency call" to ramp up engagement with voters across all platforms.

The most volatile activity from @BarackObama occurs around, sure enough, the most chaotic announcement of the Obama Administration in 2012: the change in policy regarding gay marriage. Just take a look at the Google Trends graph for mentions of "Obama" during May 2012 - you can be sure the administration experienced a flood of incoming media request during this time which, in turn, put pressure on the entire communications staff to use all methods possible (including Twitter) to communicate to the public and media in response of their interest.

Zooming in on Romney's Twitter output for the last year, the machinelike consistency is even more apparent.

Mitt's Twitter feed has got rhythm, anyway

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism recently took a look at the @BarackObama activity (as well as many other networks), remarking that "Obama's campaign has made far more use of direct digital messaging than Romney's." It's true: Obama has put out more content than Romney. For example, since early July, @BarackObama has increased the average tweets to over 125 tweets per week, suggesting even more pressure being put on the campaign to reach voters in the last two months alone. Pew notes the activity may lay, in part, due to the campaign's revamped website launch in July.

The inconsistent, even erratic, nature of Obama's tweet output is rare for someone with a large, well-funded campaign. Even across the U.S. Senate, no one comes close to the Twitter activity of @BarackObama. The Senate's most prolific tweeter over the last year, John Cornyn (R-TX), posted just 2,815 tweets. And he was one of only four Senators to top the 2,000 mark. Where would Mitt fit? Exactly half of the Senate tweeted more than Romney over the past year, half tweeted less. (See, he is just an average guy.)

Four members of the U.S. House out-tweeted @BarackObama over that same time, with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) ranking first with 5,145 tweets and giving the president a run for his money in volatility. However, if you include tweets from the official @WhiteHouse account, Obama would regain the top overall spot.

So when it comes to getting out the message, President Obama is indisputably the tweeter-in-chief.

A deeper look at a few nationally known politicians running for office this year -- including House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and others -- revealed a tweeting frequency and pattern that's more akin to the Romney approach. This group averaged around 2 tweets daily; rare was a day with more than 10 posts.

When you compare the volatility and frequency of the campaigns' tweets, @BarackObama is definitely pushing limits, taking a calculated risk of saying too much, too often. Mitt Romney, in favoring consistency, may not be saying enough. We'll find out in November.

Editor: Mark Malseed

Follow us on Twitter at @ohmygov