Entry bubble One Year Old, Happy Birthday GovGab

By: Ginger | September 26, 2008 | Category: General

Ginger at one year old.I’d offer you all a piece of Gov Gab birthday cake, but there is none left. Someone ate it all. If I were a detective, I’d be looking for someone toddling away from the scene of the crime with fat chipmunk cheeks stuffed with yummy cake...

We are going to hop on blogger Joanne’s way-back machine and dial it back to 1963. It was a year with tragedy. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Violence was escalating in response to the Civil Rights Movement and there were increasing troubles in Vietnam.

But, 1963 had moments of human triumph. The civil rights march on Washington took place and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

In literature, The Feminine Mystique and The Centaur were published. But heck, who had time to read those with such great children’s books: Where the Wild Things Are, Amelia Bedelia, and Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective?

On the entertainment front, The Fugitive took a train to Petticoat Junction to visit My Favorite Martian. When he met him he said, “Let’s Make a Deal.” The Fugitive took the prize behind door number 3 which allowed him to make The Great Escape. He didn’t even stop to help poor Suzanne Pleshette who was getting her eyes pecked out by The Birds.

1963 had its moments of sorrows and joys with a touch of humor thrown in. Many years from now when we look back, we will see that 2008 had its share of tragedies (Hurricane Ike and others), triumphs (Michael Phelps’ Olympic victories), and a dash of goofiness (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) too. We like to think that, in a small way, our Gov Gab Blog will be counted as a triumph for 2008. Thanks for celebrating our birthday with us.  Please share your stories about 1963.  Where were you when you heard President Kennedy was assassinated and what did it mean to you?

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 1963   blogging   ginger   govgab  

 

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  

 

Entry bubble Commence Gabbing

By: Nancy | September 20, 2007 | Category: General

computer key labeled "blog"

I wish you could feel the energy around our office this week. It’s been a long time in the works and we’re so happy to be blogging!

Gov Gab comes to you from the U.S. General Services Administration, where the blog team’s “day jobs” all involve making it easier for people to find government-related information online through sites like USA.gov, Pueblo.gsa.gov and ConsumerAction.gov, and by phone via 1 (800) FED-INFO.

When we began thinking about creating this group blog, we didn’t realize how much would need to go into it, before writing a single word for you to read. Refining the blog’s focus, choosing software, layout and graphics, and even finding a name that worked for everybody took lots of teamwork and creativity. And it was really worth it.

So why are we entering the fray of millions and millions of blogs worldwide competing for your attention, and joining the growing list of federal agencies that are blogging? Well, we’re constantly surprised by the breadth of federal, state and local government resources that we come across in our jobs and end up using in our everyday lives. And by blogging, we can share those fantastic finds, tips and information with you on a more personal level, to help you make your own life a little easier.

I’ll see you back here every Thursday. And I know you’ll get a kick out of getting to know my blogger friends between now and then. Hope you’ll stop by every weekday to read, join in the conversation and enjoy the latest from Gov Gab.

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blogging   consumeraction.gov   gsa   nancy   pueblo.gsa.gov   usa.gov