Professional Use of Social Media: Two Different Approaches

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Originally posted on GovLoop by Alain Lemay

Professional use of social media in the workplace is arguably one of the last taboo in public sector. Public Sector Organizations (PSOs) more than any other have a need, real or perceived, to control the message. Having dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of employees Tweeting away on behalf of the organization is no one's idea of controlling the message. And yet, the potential for message amplification is very enticing.

Message amplification is, after all, one of the superpowers of social media. No matter how many followers your account might have, it is a nothing compared to the combined networks of your employees. It is this realization that has convinced more and more PSOs to encourage employees to use their personal accounts to become brand ambassadors and help toe the company line.

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Is work culture the biggest roadblock to improving government IT?

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Originally posted on FedScoop by By Greg Otto

Be it deciding between issuing a device or allowing employees to bring their own, or moving agencies' data centers to the cloud, a group of public and private sector IT professionals said real change will come to federal IT when the government recognizes today's work culture is changing as quickly as technology is improving.

More than 350 IT professionals attended Citrix's Mobility 2014 conference Tuesday to talk about what agencies are doing to integrate new technologies and how agencies are moving past the PC-era.

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Cybersecurity a top priority in Senate appropriations bill

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Originally posted on FCW by By Adam Mazmanian

Cybersecurity provisions emerged as a leading theme in the fiscal 2015 appropriations bill for the Commerce Department, Justice Department and science agencies. Projects designed to beef up security for government systems, target malefactors in cyberspace, conduct research and encourage the growth of cybersecurity professions and businesses all held their own.

The FBI is maintaining the around-the-clock incident-response National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force and will continue an agent-training program that gives the FBI authority and expertise for incidents affecting government systems, utilities, classified defense contractor systems and banks. The Justice Department is set for an increase to fund 25 new positions, including nine attorneys to prosecute cybercrime cases.

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Two Sides to the Event Attendance Story

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The media has been packed with stories about the reduction in travel budgets and event spending. Last week some statistics came out that tell different stories about event attendance.

First, the upside. FOSE, a nearly 40 year-old conference aimed at providing access to the latest technology tools and best practices in government, reported that registrations for their 2014 conference were up 40% with nearly 5,000 professionals registered. They also noted a 25% increase in C-level registrants.  In addition to the exhibition of 150+ vendors, the FOSE speaker line-up included some unique speakers and topics including National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon; leaders of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies involved in catching the Boston Marathon bombing suspects; experts on change and agility in federal projects and programs; and women leaders in technology.

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Event Spending By the Numbers

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At GovEvents, we've been tracking the government's spending on events and travel and wanted to share some key stats with you.

17% -- The amount travel spending is down in 2014 (so far). Travel spending in fiscal 2014 through March is about $2.8 billion, compared to almost $3.4 billion through March of fiscal 2013.

30% -- The amount agencies are mandated to reduce their travel spending (as compared to 2010 numbers). That level is to be maintained through 2016.

$20,000 - Price of an event at which the agency has to loop in their inspector general to explain and justify cost.

$90,000 - Total amount GSA offered up to anyone who can develop a digital interactive tool to harness travel data to help agencies understand and reduce costs.

These numbers show that the reduction in travel and event spending is not just media buzz, it's happening and its here to stay (at least through 2016).  With this in mind, what do event managers (both in the private sector and government) need to do to continue our missions in this "new normal"?

As we've highlighted previously, there are a number of ways to maintain the collaboration of in-person events while keeping spending in check.

  1. Webinars - last year we saw a 30% rise in webinars posted on our site and there continues to be steady posting of webinars. People are embracing the medium for training and learning in light of travel restrictions.
  2. Smaller Events - lunches and more intimate events in more locations may allow for even greater networking than large events while saving time and money for both planners and attendees.
  3. Social Media - look at how can you use your social media properties to foster ongoing online collaboration between attendees.

How about you? How has the travel spending impacted the way you plan and attend events?

 

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