Social Media News Release

September 19, 2008

Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog Celebrates First Birthday

Contacts:

Colleen Ann Bayus
Consumer Information Specialist
The Federal Citizen Information Center
(202) 501-1273
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov
http://www.govgab.gov

Core Facts:

• Gov Gab (http://www.govgab.gov), your U.S. government blog, is turning one, and has a year's worth of entries, all focused on how to make daily life easier with helpful, perhaps little-known, government information.
• The week of September 22nd, the daily bloggers are each using the theme "When I was one-year-old..." to talk about the way things were and how different (or similar) they are today.
• Packed with useful and relevant tips and hints on everything from consumer fraud to going green, Gov Gab discusses the past and links to helpful information to use both now and in the future.
• Interact with Gov Gab by leaving a comment or sending an e-mail.

Quotes:

"The idea behind this blog was simple," said Martha Dorris, Deputy Associate Administrator of GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Communications (OCSC). "We wanted to improve public access to government information and services and engage in conversations with Americans. Over the past year our readership has steadily grown; we're delighted it's been so well received."

"Gov Gab is a great way for citizens to interact with the government. Over the past year our readership has grown, and the conversation being carried out over the blog is engaging and helpful—not only to the public, but to the Office of Citizen Services and Communications as well." – Teresa Nasif, Director, Federal Citizen Information Center

Other Facts:

Gov Gab is maintained and managed by the Office of Citizen Services and Communications at the U.S. General Services Administration. Its purpose is to demonstrate the usefulness, practicality, helpfulness, and vitality of federal, state, and local government information though real-life examples in the bloggers' daily lives. Gov Gab is a part of the OCSC family of websites: USA.gov, the official web portal of the U.S. government; GobiernoUSA.gov, the official Spanish language web portal of the U.S. government; Pueblo.gsa.gov, the public's trusted source of consumer information for more than 35 years; and ConsumerAction.gov, the federal site that helps with consumer problems.