Entry bubble Government and Social Media

By: Joanne | October 28, 2008 | Category: General

connectLast week the Social Media Club of Washington kindly invited me to join a panel presentation on social media in government. It was a great opportunity for me to talk to the group about how USA.gov is exploring social media to connect with the public and to deliver government information and services in this powerful new way.

I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback about the government using social media, and when I was with the Social Media Club it was really energizing to see the level of interest the social media community has in government using social media tools.

That’s why we’re stepping up to the next level. Government agencies are using social media tools like blogs, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter to reach out and give you information. USA.gov is working on a strategy to use social media tools to better engage in conversation with the public and to deliver information and services the way you want to get it. Do you like to get your information from the printed page, hold that publication in your hands? Do you like to talk to us on the phone? Or are you into blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and the like?

Help us form our strategy by telling us what you like – fill out this quick (about 5 minute) survey.

| View Comments [12] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blog   club   facebook   government   joanne   media   social   twitter  

 

By: Jake | July 28, 2008 | Category: Fun

The other day as I was walking down the street, someone called "Jacob," and I turned to see a little boy running to the person who said my name. This happens to me a lot since Jacob is no longer a rare name—it has been the most popular male baby name for almost a decade.

RolodexEver year the Social Security Administration tallies up the Social Security card applications from the previous year and releases the most popular baby names list around Mother's Day. Though there are some limitations to their method, the most popular boy name since 1999 has been Jacob. Baby Jacob, along with most popular female name (11 years running) Baby Emily, are currently promoting SSA's retirement calculator and other SSA programs on their webpage.

If you've never checked out SSA's most popular baby name website, take a gander. You can search your own name and see how popular it has been over the years. You can search popular baby names for each year back to 1880, find popular names by state, popular twin names and look at what cities parents have named their children after. You can also find information about children's benefits and other programs benefiting children.

If you are expecting a baby, it's a great resource to consider various names. When you search on a name, SSA also shows you the popularity of spelling variations of that name (e.g., Rachel vs Raechel, Jeffrey vs Jeffery). While you are picking out a baby name, you can also check out other parenting resources available from the government.

And after all this talk of names, if you feel like changing yours, Nancy has that covered for you.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: baby   jake   names   popular   security   social  

 

Entry bubble The Hassles of a Stolen Wallet

By: Nicole | April 25, 2008 | Category: Money

Purse Theft

A scary thing happened to me Tuesday night. I was shooting pool with some friends when a stranger tried to snatch my purse. I couldn’t believe it. My purse was a mere five feet away. The guy quietly swiped it, hid it beneath his sweatshirt, and sauntered toward the door. I was lucky. I noticed almost immediately, and the guy was apprehended.

For a few terrible moments, I thought he had gotten away. I began to imagine the hassle of replacing my credit cards, my driver’s license, and my ATM card (not to mention the songs on my iPod). What a mess. So, today, I’ve decided to post a few things you should do, just in case:

  • Keep a list of all of your credit, debit, and ATM cards. This list should include card numbers as well as customer service phone numbers. You might also want to include the fraud hotlines of credit reporting agencies, so you can place a fraud alert on your credit report. You should keep this list somewhere safe and easy to access (but not in your wallet!).
  • Because your Social Security number is a gold mine for identity thieves, never keep your Social Security card in your wallet. If your driver’s license has your Social Security number on it, you should contact your state motor vehicles office and ask for a replacement that doesn’t display your Social Security number.
  • Never keep PIN numbers in your wallet or with your credit or debit cards.

If your wallet has been stolen, the FTC provides a quick list of what to do. And of course, there are lots of other things you can do to avoid identity theft.

Do you have any tips for how to make life difficult for purse snatchers?

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: card   credit   purse   replace   robbery   security   social   theft  

 

Entry bubble Government in the Web 2.0 Age

By: Sommer | April 11, 2008 | Category: General

 the word connect spelled out with computer keyboard keys

Since you’re reading this blog you know that government is somewhat active in the social media arena. Here at GSA's Office of Citizen Services, we’re really having fun with this new and exciting way to communicate with the American public. We have very supportive leadership that encourages us to be innovative and creative and to reach out to you in a way that’s most convenient for you rather than making you come to us and conform to the bureaucracy.

However, some government agencies don’t have the same flexibility we do. A lot of agencies are afraid of losing control of their information and content and many don't understand if and how using social media tools can advance their agency missions.

So, America, I pose a question to you… What do you think of government agencies using social media tools like blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, YouTube, Flickr, widgets, and microblogs to reach out and give you information? Is it good? Bad? Are there ways you’d like the government to provide information that we haven’t thought of or addressed yet? After all, we’re public servants and we’re here to serve, so let us know what you want and need.

| View Comments [21] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blogging   conversation   government   media   rssfeeds   social   sommer   web2.0