How IT Can Work For You

In conversations I've had with feds recently, I've noticed a theme to questions. People are moving beyond the question of simply how certain Web 2.0 technologies work, but how those technologies can best serve individual agencies. I think it's promising that we're in a place where people are thinking strategically, which is why I wanted to call attention to two posts at GovLoop (May require registration). In one, a county-level employee is explaining where he is in the process of designing his agency's new website. In another, the author discusses how social networking can be a tool to reduce budget expenditures.

I wanted to highlight these two posts for different reasons. I was interested in the first because I don't really know what goes into creating a web presence, and for those of us who are not IT people, I think it's valuable to know how much hard work goes into creating our online identities. I also think familiarity breeds comfort: knowing how technology works and is put together makes it much less intimidating.

The second post caught my eye because of its practicality. I think that agencies sometimes use technology for the case of using technology, as was the case of FEMA's Twitter press conference. That seems fine as an occasional practice, as a way to demonstrate that you're engaged with trends in technology. But long-term, agencies shouldn't hold press conferences on Twitter if that's not the best way to hold an engaging press conference. Agencies shouldn't develop internal social networks unless they have demonstrated utility and value. So thinking about what's strategic, not just what's new, matters.