OhMyGov!

The 2010 Senate races heat up on Twitter

Amelia Hassani — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:35:00 GMT

As exhaustingly exhilarating as the 2008 elections were, the 2010 midterms are right around the corner and no one should be napping. Evan Bayh warned Democrats with both his words and his retirement that Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts is a grim indicator of electoral patterns in November. The race to the polls has already begun, and a useful mode of transportation for many is Twitter. A sizable portion of announced Senatorial candidates have active campaign-centered Twitter accounts, and we here at OhMyGov! have tracked them down and followed them all. Although the elections are still months away, the early tweeters are having their songs heard.

Most Senatorial candidates use Twitter to promote their other media-interjections. The candidates with a more established following, such as incumbent John Thune , often tweet of upcoming interviews, appearances, op-eds and blog entries: "I was on Campbell Brown on CNN to discuss the Dems' use of reconciliation to jam through the health care bill. Watch: http://bit.ly/5exJXY". Others are using Twitter to post scathing stories on their competitors, as Attorney General of Connecticut Dick Blumenthal so shrewdly did: "Can a $50 million self spender beat quality public service? Watch CNN's report on Linda McMahon's spending -http://bit.ly/ahfCnB #ctsen."

Twitter will definitely be a boxing ring for fighting words in these (and many subsequent) elections. Last week, when most of us were frenziedly following the Health Care Summit, Sen. Arlen Specter launched his notorious rant on Joe Sestak's alleged paying his staff less than minimum wage . Considering the two men will be duelling for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania , it's probably safe to assume that there will be plenty more tweets where this came from.

Not only is Twitter a handy platform for mudslinging, it's yet another way to point voters to what are still the central attraction: campaign ads.

We have seen campaign commercials have been tweeted by the dozen. Former WWE CEO Linda McMahon , who is running in Connecticut, has tweeted several campaign videos, including this Lifetime Original-status gem . Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway just posted first campaign commercial as has incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln, who attempts to distance herself from the pack (of donkeys). The timing of Lincoln's posting curiously coincided with the AFL-CIO's endorsement of her challenger, Bill Halter . In another case of convenient tweet-timing, Bill Halter first started tweeting on March 1st, the day he announced his campaign to represent Arkansas in the Senate.

More than anything, though, Twitter provides a peek into what these candidates are really like...or at least how they'd like us to think they're really like. Alexander Snitker , a Libertarian candidate from FL, tends to just tweet about a) Ron Paul & money bombs, and b) the latest YouTube channel he's subscribed to (which are sometimes kind of weird ).

Midge Potts ' bio describes her as a "Transgender Activist Musician Politician who is running for US Senate in Missouri's 2010 general election" which is definitely interesting, but almost pales in comparison to Mike Wiley's confusing-because-he-sounds-likes-he's-mad bio: "Freedom, Integrity, Guts, Honor & Tenacity - FIGHT~! G-D, Country & Family. Help me defeat HARRY REID; I'm the one TRUE conservative in the race." Louisiana Libertarian Anthony "Tony G" Gentile's name alone reeks of personality; exactly what kind of personality is still to be determined (further illustrated by his lack of followers).

And, aside from forcing me to question my own love affair with parenetheses with tweets (see photo below), Maryland Senatorial candidate Eric Wargotz has an oddly ethereal Twitter page. Veering from the typical red, white and blue uniform of campaign webpages and Twitter homepage templates, Wargotz has posted a serene pastel color palette and what appears to be a sailboat in a sunset as his background.

However, Twitter can't do all the talking and walking for you--you have got to have the gusto to back it up.

While searching for Darlene Fitzgerald Price 's Twitter account (to no avail...yet), I was taken by her surreal website, and couldn't help but think that undercover-cop-turned-Senator from Kentucky is a movie role with Julia Roberts/Sandra Bullock/reinvented Angelina Jolie's name written all over it. Despite the fact that she sat next to Frank Serpico at a hearing doesn't change the fact that I found myself getting frustrated with Mrs. Price and the other candidates who don't have Twitter accounts.

Candidates who shun Twitter as being too superficial or elitist miss the point that it's a no-cost, low-effort medium for directly reaching out to voters. Those who embrace it --- tweeting "early and often" --- may find they get a bump in recognition from opinion-shapers, the news media and like-minded supporters from other districts. Especially for candidates who are challenging well-known incumbents, the extra notice could go a long way.

Just what are the Census promoters trying to do?

Timothy Page — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:39:00 GMT

For something that occurs just once every ten years, the U.S. Census is remarkably…not cared about. By pretty much anyone. What’s worse, it is treated with skepticism and intentionally thwarted by people for a variety of reasons—from actual fears of deportation to a good old-fashioned “it’s none of their damn business” attitude toward gov.

That’s why the Census Bureau is forking out roughly $133 million for TV, print, and radio advertisements (in addition to their snazzy new website and other outreach efforts) in order that the 2010 Census, which officially kicked off March 1, achieves the highest mail-back rate ever.

The more specific reason for the ads was noted by Census chairman Robert Groves when the campaign was first announced: each percentage point increase in the mail-back rate saves taxpayers $80 to $90 million. This is mostly owing to non-spending on the temporary workers that go door-to-door asking after the folks who did not return the census form in the mail as instructed. Citing the successful across-the-board increases in mail-back rate in 2000—the first census for which advertising was implemented—Groves and the bureau figure they can raise the stakes with more advertising, and see greater net savings.

But the efforts have not been without some blowback. Perhaps the most puzzling move was the Census Bureau’s Super Bowl ad, which prompted criticism from several angles as an instance of wasteful government spending. The census answered its critics with a post on its website (in the more informal of the two frequently asked question sections, this one called “The Whole Story,” instead of “FAQ,” fyi) that details why the airtime was, in fact, a pretty sweet deal, considering how many people it reaches. But officials did not explain why they chose an offbeat Christopher Guest bit instead of a more universally appealing message—say, cuddly pets, babies talking to a webcam, etc.

Indeed the most scathing criticisms of the campaign as a whole center on the content itself, being that the main focus of the census advertising efforts is to reach minority and immigrant groups that are typically least likely to mail-back. Democrats and Republicans alike slammed the initial Super Bowl ads; “Not a very effective ad in our opinion. Ed Begley Jr. and a cast that has a unique following, which—we are going out on a limb and saying the following—is not in the hard-to-reach category," a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told the Wall Street Journal.

Even though ads were created in 28 different languages and targeted very specific ethnic groups with different culturally appropriate settings and props (such as different brands of rice makers—we kid you not), critics believe the effort is falling short because the messages are not direct enough.

“A March to the Mailbox,” another Census ad hitting the airwaves, might fare better. An average if strangely enthusiastic slob in a bathrobe explains why the census is important, en route to mailing his own form, assisted a barrage of visual leitmotifs illustrating his reasoning. It is direct, visually stimulating, and hits all the important points. Shorter fifteen-second sports are similarly pithy.

But ads like “Believe: A Census Benefit Message,” which looks exactly like the kind of pharmaceutical commercial that you’d mute, or “Musical Take,” a particularly awful hip-hop song that will probably fail at getting through to its audience by nature of its cheesiness, are as mistaken as the Super Bowl spot.

The 2010 website itself, too, has changed for the better since we last reported on it. The front page is less cluttered now, and some features have been embellished as promised, including the translation of the page into over fifty different languages. And just in time: the Wall Street Journal reports that it garnered 1.6 million hits in one week following the Super Bowl, and currently is number three in traffic among gov sites.

How is the Census doing in its social media outreach? Numbers wise, it’s doing all right. The Census Bureau has Facebook page that as of March 5 boasted 13,033 fans. (The Army has 186,000 fans, and the Library of Congress has 12,289 fans, by comparison.)

Census fans have been rising by 2% or more a day, and are growing at a faster pace this week than last.

The main Census Twitter feed (@uscensusbureau) has 2848 followers, and they’ve issued 145 tweets so far, including a few today, the first day that advance letters are being mailed to 120 million addresses.

The 2010 Census also maintains a presence on MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. The YouTube channel, which is not the most appealing setup we’ve seen from government, has had 81,000 visits so far, and 66,666 upload views. The Census YouTube videos don't appear to be embeddable, or we would have shared them with you here. This is a mighty strange restriction that limits the ability for the campaign to spread virally.

Still, the advertising and outreach effort, while imperfect, has been decent enough to inspire a little optimism. While it's an open question whether the public service messages will actually reach the most vulnerable Americans, if there is by our sophomoric math even a 2% increase in mail-back rate, the advertising will have paid for itself and led to a few million in savings for the taxpayer. Just like the Census, we’ll be here counting.

Facebook news links favor broadcast over print

Jenifer Reinhardt — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:50:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago we reported on the blog post at Hitwise Intelligence by Heather Hopkins revealing that Facebook had become the #4 source for upstream visits to News and Media sites. Last week Hopkins provided us with specifics regarding what type of news sites were being visited courtesy of Facebook. And according to the data, a majority of users prefer broadcast media over the more old-fashioned print media.

When the folks at Hitwise began taking a harder look at the original data they found the news hit list for Facebook was notably different from the hit list generated by Google News. The leader on the Facebook list was the Weather Channel, and included other broadcast media sites like CNN, MSNBC and FOX. The Google News list was topped by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, in that order.

The difference between the two is unambiguous; Facebook users like to get their news from talking heads and Google news consumers prefer the written word. Social media watchers suggest that this is due to the “water cooler” nature of Facebook. Members of Facebook seek out news that they can “chat” about, like the weather or Keith Olbermann’s latest over-the-top commentary.

Hitwise also looked at the numbers for individual news websites to see if the data were reflected in the same way there. Hopkins found that the Wall Street Journal website received more than 10% of its visits from Google News in a recent week, while only 1.4% came from Facebook. In the opposite case, CNN received nearly 6% of its visits from Facebook and only 1.77% from Google News.

Hopkins was curious whether there were any obvious reasons for the differences. “I ran a correlation analysis to try and figure out if the amount of traffic Facebook sends a site is related to the number of fans a brand has on its Facebook page. I found no correlation.”

The reasons for the different user behaviors may be simply that Google News is, as its name implies, all about news (and thus draws more serious news consumers), whereas Facebook is a social site where shared news stories are a means to a conversation.

Locked Up: FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending March 5, 2010

OhMyGov! — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:04:00 GMT

Atlanta: Twenty-Six MS-13 Gang Members Indicted on Racketeering Charges

A federal indictment was unsealed charging 26 MS-13 gang members with federal racketeering and related crimes in metropolitan Atlanta. The 29-count indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to participate in the affairs of MS-13, an international violent criminal organization, through a pattern of racketeering activity including multiple crimes of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Full Story

Washington Field: BAE Systems plc Pleads Guilty, Ordered to Pay $400 Million Criminal Fine

BAE Systems plc pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States by impairing and impeding its lawful functions, to make false statements about its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance program, and to violate the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations. BAE Systems plc was sentenced to pay a $400 million criminal fine, one of the largest criminal fines in the history of DOJ’s ongoing effort to combat overseas corruption in international business and enforce U.S. export control laws. Full Story

Miami: Owner of Health Care Company Sentenced for Threatening Investigators and Defrauding Medicare

Yamill Ramos Perez was sentenced to concurrent prison terms of 112 months for health care fraud and 60 months for harassing Medicare investigators. He was also ordered to pay more than $5.8 million in restitution. According to court documents, Ramos Perez owned, through intermediaries, two health care clinics that fraudulently billed Medicare approximately $20 million and received approximately $6 million in fraudulent reimbursements. After both clinics were placed under review for suspected fraud, Ramos Perez began a campaign to harass Medicare fraud investigators and a Medicare executive. Full Story

Chicago: New Federal Charges against Canopy Financial Co-Founders

Jeremy Blackburn and Anthony Banas, two co-founders of Canopy Financial, Inc., a bankrupt health care transaction software company, were charged with allegedly defrauding investors of approximately $75 million and misappropriating approximately $19 million from client custodial accounts intended for health care savings and expenses. Blackburn, Canopy’s former president and chief operating officer, was initially charged last December in connection with the investment fraud aspect of the case, while charges were filed for the first time against Banas, Canopy’s chief technology officer. Full Story

Newark: Four Indicted in $25 Million Scheme Defrauding and Hacking Ticket Vendors

Three men who used fraud, deceit, and computer hacking to make more than $25 million by acquiring and reselling more than 1.5 million of the most coveted tickets to concerts, sporting events, and live entertainment throughout the United States surrendered to federal authorities after being charged in an indictment. The 43-count indictment describes a scheme in which the defendants and their company, Wiseguy Tickets, Inc., targeted Ticketmaster, Tickets.com, MLB.com, MusicToday, and other online ticket vendors. Full Story

Columbia: Two Former Executives of Medical Manager Found Guilty in Securities Fraud Scheme

John H. Kang, the former president of Medical Manager Health Systems Inc., and John P. Sessions, the company’s former vice president and chief operating officer, were convicted of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud for their roles in a securities fraud scheme. The two conspired to fraudulently inflate the reported earnings of Medical Manager, a former subsidiary of WebMD Corporation, by more than $16.8 million between 1997 and 2003. Full Story

New York: Former Executive Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading with Hedge Fund Manager

Ali Hariri, a former executive at Atheros Communications, Inc., pleaded guilty to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy and securities fraud stemming from his involvement in the largest hedge fund insider trading case in history. Full Story

San Antonio: Somali Charged with Making False Statements on Asylum Application

A federal grand jury indicted 24-year-old Ahmed Muhammed Dhakane, a citizen of Somalia, on two counts of making false statements under penalty of perjury to federal authorities concerning his association with global terrorist organizations. The indictment alleges that in 2008, Dhakane falsely omitted on an application for asylum that from a time prior to September 11, 2001 until January 2003, he was a member of, or was associated with, al-Barakat and Al-Ittihad Al-Islami. Both organizations have been designated by the Department of Treasury as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Full Story

Portland: Man Indicted for Operating Illegal Money Transmitting Business

Victor Kaganov was indicted for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Kaganov established multiple shell corporations in Oregon on behalf of Russian clients. He allegedly used the shell corporations to move more than $172 million in and out of the United States to more than 50 countries. Full Story

Philadelphia: Norristown Man Charged in Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Case

Michael G. Spada was charged by information with wire fraud, bank fraud, filing a false tax return, and making a false statement to the federal government in a fraud case involving more than $6 million. Spada is accused of embezzling funds from his former employer and hiding that embezzlement from both a bank, that extended him a $3.2 million line of credit, and from the Internal Revenue Service. Full Story

TSP Talk Weekly Wrap Up - 03/06/10

TSP Talk — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:15:00 GMT

Stocks rallied sharply last week, punctuated by a big rally on Friday, which was triggered by what was apparently a better than expected jobs report.

For the week, the C-fund gained 3.12%, the S-fund surged 4.85%, and the I-fund added 4.01%, as the rally in the U.S. dollar lost some steam. The F-fund (bonds) slipped 0.10%, and the G-fund added 0.04%.

March is off to a good start as the C-fund is now positive for 2010, while the S-fund continues to lead the way with a 7.3% gain for the new year, but the I-fund is still lagging and down 1.3% in 2010, as the strength in the dollar has been holding it back. The F-fund is up 1.8% this year, and the G-fund is up 0.58%.

We have been watching with interest, the comparison between the chart of the S&P 500 from early 2007, and the current chart. We talked about it last week, and to be honest, I did not think we would still be talking about it this week. It always seems that once you find a pattern, it is usually about to end, but this one is still going.

........
Chart provided courtesy of www.decisionpoint.com, analysis by TSP Talk

I hate to be too picky, but we did not get that little dip down to the 20-day EMA (green line) that we saw in 2007 between points "F" and "G", as the S&P 500 seems to be going directly to "G". Whether we do pullback or just continue past "G" as the 2007 chart did, remains to be seen, but if we are still talking about this next week, we can consider ourselves very fortunate to have a copy of what appears to be a treasure map.

From a technical analysis perspective, things are going swimmingly. If there is a concern for the coming week it is that there is a tendency to see a reverse of rallies that are triggered by a surprise in the jobs report. (The opposite is also true - sell offs after a negative surprise tend to get reversed). This could be that pullback to the 20-day EMA.

This week could also see some volatility as we head toward the March 16 deadline for publication of the Greek timetable on measures to correct their deficits. This crisis in Greece is not over.

Good luck, and thanks for reading. We will be back here next week with another TSP Wrap Up.

Tom Crowley
www.tsptalk.com

--------------------------------------
TSP Talk does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this report, nor does TSPtalk.com assume any liability for any loss that may result from reliance by any person upon any such information or opinions. Such information and opinions are subject to change without notice and are for general information only.

The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and not intended to be recommendations, and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written consent from TSPtalk.com. Full Disclaimer

The week's 10 best political jokes - March 4, 2010

OhMyGov! — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:39:00 GMT

10. "Bernie Madoff's daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff, is changing her name. She says the Madoff name is tainted with scandal and she wants a name with less negative connotation. She is now known as Stephanie bin Laden." -Craig Ferguson

9. "Did you hear that Rush Limbaugh's Manhattan penthouse is on the market for $14 million? It's an amazing property. Over 4,000 square feet. And that's just the medicine cabinet." -Craig Ferguson

8. "Hey, did you hear about this story today? This is pretty wild. The FAA is investigating why a child was allowed to direct air traffic at John F. Kennedy airport. You know this story? ... Authorities say they got suspicious when five of the planes landed at a Toys 'R' Us parking lot...Of course, the pilots were stunned. One of them said, 'Am I still drunk, or is that a kid's voice?'" -Jay Leno -Jay Leno

7. "Now how about this? Dick Cheney had his fifth heart attack. He's O.K., resting comfortably. And the doctor, after they made the diagnosis, stamped his card and the sixth one is free." -David Letterman

6. "I love the biathlon. That's the sport that involves skiing and shooting the rifle. Or as Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, call it, 'date night.'" -Jay Leno

5. "I've been really busy. I picked up a gig in Las Vegas at the Legends show, playing Tina Fey." -Sarah Pali

4. "Keanu Reeves will star in 'Speed 3.' The first 'Speed' was about a runaway bus, the second was about a boat, and the third one is going to be about a Toyota." -Jay Leno

3. "The truth is though I'm glad I'm not vice president. I'm glad because I would not know what to do with all that free time." -Sarah Palin

2. "President Obama had his first physical exam as president over the weekend. The doctor said he was in much better shape than the country." -Jay Leno

1. "But Obama's physical turned out great. The doctor said a couple of things. He said: 'Cut out the cigarettes. Also, try to stay out of Toyotas.'" -David Letterman

Sarah Palin jokes from her Stand-Up Comedy Routine on The Tonight Show

[EVENT] Facebook Strategies and Stories from Successful Government Agencies

Samuel Knight — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:15:00 GMT

This New Media Talk features Adam Conner, the DC Associate Manager for Privacy and Global Public Policy at Facebook. Discuss how the government can use Facebook more effectively to engage citizens.

When: March 12, 2010. 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Cost: TBA

Location: Washington DC

Register: More info/sign up here.

[EVENT] Sunshine Day 2010: Celebrating Open Governance in North Carolina

Samuel Knight — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:15:00 GMT

Sunshine Day 2010 will highlight the importance of open government to investigative journalists. See The City of Greensboro present its revamped and aggressive reponse to public records requests.

When: March 16, 2010. 12:30 PM

Cost: $30 ($15 for students)

Location: International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Elon University (Elon, NC).

Register: Sign up/more info here.

Navy SEAL recruiting site gets sharp makeover

Timothy Page — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:01:00 GMT

When most people think of the Navy SEALs, they think of the most technically advanced military units in the world. With the recent design change on the SEALs website at www.sealswcc.com, that thinking only reflects in front of you, as the website captures the essence of what a career as a Navy SEAL is really like.

Sparing no expense, the new site does its part to get visitors' blood pumping. Flash videos and photos of America's toughest performing tasks are geared to catch the attention of the Navy's targeted audience: male athletes in their prime who are yearning for a challenge.

Besides the usual links for basic information such as contact numbers, benefits and other things you'd expect on a recruiting site, the most noticeable update is the appearance of the SEALs social networking connections to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. There's also a Forum and a Blog -- all open within a frame on the SEAL site, making the user experience fast and seamless.

"The new site was created to improve the information that is available online about Naval Special Warfare careers so that young men who might be interested in joining have as much information as possible to help them make informed choices and prepare," Navy SEAL Cpt. Adam Curtis, director of Naval Special Warfare Recruiting, told OhMyGov. "We want young men in our target audience to interact with us. Social networking sites provide a platform for that interaction. We can post information on Facebook, and our audience can let us know, in real time, what they think of it."

Another benefit to social networking is the ability to ask questions and hear thoughts from not only recruiters, but people going through the same decision making process. This interaction keeps people "engaged" as Cpt. Curtis said, helping those interested to decide better if a career as a Navy SEAL is for them.

Also included on the site is a PDF attachment of the SEALs Physical Training Guide, including nutrition information, and strength guides for swimming, running, and injury prevention. Plus, you can take the SEALs PST calculator to see if you could really hack it through basic training.

All of these Web features are designed to help young men understand more about the SEALs program, and how to prepare for the training better than ever before without knowing a SEAL personally.

"Our goal is to support the young men who are considering such challenges with the best information possible," Cpt. Curtis continued. "We at the Recruiting Directorate are driven to not just provide more candidates for Naval Special Warfare but to inform and prepare the best young men that America has to offer."

The boss who hates me gave me an unfair rating. What do I do now?

Bureaupat — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:43:00 GMT

Dear Bureau Pat:

Recently I sought your guidance on how to deal with my upcoming performance evaluation with my immediate supervisor who does not like me on a personal level. I took your advice and documented everything I could think of but after all was said and done, my worst fear happened. The boss who hates me gave me an unfair rating. What do I do now? Is there anything I can do to change my appraisal so it reflects my true performance?

Dear Screwed Over:

Stand fast and be strong. While it may take an act of congress (or God) to remove you from your current position, a performance rating below successful is not good for your long-term career as a federal employee and should be corrected if you were unfairly rated.

If your performance was truly underrated and your boss actually has it out for you, she demonstrated a lack of management savvy. Federal managers who know best how to work the system understand that there are two easy ways to shed an employee. Promote them, or rate them highly and make their lives miserable so they want and are able to leave for another job.

Chances are, if your boss really wanted you gone, she would have rated you higher so you could hightail it out of there in a hurry. But she didn't. This means she is likely attempting to discipline you for something. If you haven't been told what it is you've done wrong, you can fight her on it.

I'm glad you took my advice, and hopefully you have been taking copious notes and documenting everything. You will have to use these facts to present your case as you proceed with the long and bureaucratic process of seeking relief.

If you feel that this issue stemmed from a racial, gender, sexual preference and/or creed bias, you should solicit the assistance of the Equal Employment Office (EEO). If you can be represented by the union, all the better. They can provide legal and financial assistance as you march forward.

If you have no reason to suspect a motivating bias, you are on your own. Don't expect anyone to be a friend to you who is involved in your grievance, including the Human Resources Department that will be assisting you and your supervisor along the way.

Each Agency's process for filing a grievance differs slightly but the overall approach is the same.

Be aware that time is not on your side, and typically the grievance must be signed, dated, and presented in writing within 15 calendar days of the date you were notified of the rating. So get going! Although you have a number of rights, this system does not necessarily favor the employee.

Generally, a formal grievance must include:

Your name, position title, salary grade, and the organizational entity to which you are assigned
Name of your employee representative, if any
Date that you were notified of the questionable performance rating
A complete copy of the your performance appraisal and related documents
A clear and concise statement of the specific reason why you disagree with the rating, based on your demonstrated performance in relation to the performance standards developed for each critical element at issue.
The performance rating you believe is warranted based on your demonstrated performance in relation to the performance standards developed for each critical element at issue. Sufficient detail must be included to show how, why, and in what manner your performance warrants a higher rating than the one received, based on the demonstrated performance for each critical element.

The grievance must be submitted to the appropriate leadership within your organization.

This is the first step in a long process of fighting the rating. This step grants management the ability to fix the rating before you start making their lives miserable by filing more paperwork. Experience has taught me that when dealing with irrational leadership, they most likely will not take the path of least resistance and will sustain the poor rating.

Keep OhMyGov! informed of your progress on the issue. If your management sustains the rating, Bureau Pat will continue to provide advice on navigating you through the subsequent steps in the process.

With persistence, you can make things right. If not, air the dirty laundry about your boss confidentially with us.

The Only,

Bureaupat

5 Lessons from the Birth of a Government Blog

Greg Palmer — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:30:00 GMT

How did I convince one of the world's largest bureaucracies to enter the blogosphere? Trust me, it wasn't easy. NYC's Department of Education serves over a million students in 1,600+ schools and changing institutional momentum among 135,000 employees is like trying to turn an oil tanker.

But what's interesting is that its size is both its biggest challenge and its greatest asset. Because despite the best efforts of ingrained bureaucracy to make people just another cog in a wheel, you can't prevent the creativity of employees, teachers, and students from bubbling up. So instead, you have to learn to roll with it and become a part of the creativity that's already occurring.

Experiment and iterate. When I wanted to dip our toes into the waters of social media, there was a lot of hesitation, but also a recognition that our participation was inevitable. The challenge was to combine my progressive tendencies with the hesitancy of my bosses. There are two ways large institutions can enter a new space -- the first is to write an enormous policy manual and hope to be only 3-5 years behind; the second, and the one I chose, is to experiment and iterate quickly, something that's risky but has a more immediate return.

Circumvent the bureaucracy. I created the "Going Green in NYC Public Schools" blog because NYC's schools have some great green initiatives going on and it's a topic that I thought the public would rally around without getting mixed up in the larger world of NYC schools politics. It was also a way for me to create content outside of the normal bureaucratic world, and in a different format and voice than they were accustomed to, hopefully setting an example for more pleasant and personable interactions with the public.

Rally the troops. Once I had some initial content up, I leveraged the heck out of our Intranet, employee newsletters, Facebook networks, etc. We were doing a poor job communicating with our fellow employees, but my intuition told me that they could be our best and most fervent evangelists. Chances are they were wondering why we *hadn't* been blogging, and with very little promotion, our blog posts were getting a few thousand hits a day and a bunch of comments.

Follow the conversation. The majority of my time spent on Going Green was watching and learning what conversations people are having and trying to add some value to those conversations. For instance, some NYC schools use biodegradable sugar cane cafeteria trays, and parents were asking why all 1,600 schools don't use those trays. The answer was simple -- we give schools the choice to pay for the more expensive biodegradable trays if they choose to do so -- but it was an answer the public never would have gotten without knowing what question to ask. I think it even convinced some additional schools to begin using sugar cane trays.

Curate with a light hand. Participating isn't the only aspect of this -- you'll need to curate the comments and audience contributions. My advice is to try to be liberal with your curation policy; respectful discussion and a diversity of views is valuable. Part of this is picking a topic that you think will self-limit the scope of discussion, but you'll have to gently guide the discussion in order to keep your community on topic. If worse comes to worse (and it sometimes does) you'll need to delete a few comments and remind the the community to keep things on-topic and above-board.

All in all, Going Green was a successful pilot project for the NYC Department of Education. It caused some waves internally, but more importantly, it got internal stakeholders to take a second look at online communications and how to more successfully leverage that in the future.

Greg Palmer, a founder of CitizeNYC.com, is a web strategy, technology, and customer experience consultant to public and private sector clients. He specializes in user experience, implementing search engines, and creating web services for diverse constituencies. Prior to his consulting practice, Palmer headed up online communications for the NYC Department of Education and was Technology Advisor to Congressman Henry Waxman.

[EVENT] Social Media and Crisis Communication

Samuel Knight — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:45:00 GMT

Learn how to use social media to engage, disseminate information quickly, and create online networks to provide additional support in times of a crisis.

Presented by Web Manager University.

When: March 9, 2010.

Cost: $200 for all government employees (federal, state and local); $300 for everyone else.

Location: TBD, Washington DC

Register: Sign up/more info here.

[EVENT] WISMA 2010

Samuel Knight — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:12:00 GMT

For its 2010 workshop in Barcelona, The Workshop on Interoperable Social Media Applications is accepting 4-8 page papers about a plethora of online social networking issues.

Submission deadline: March 14th. For more information about submitting work, click here.

WISMA 2010 itself is taking place March 19th - March 20th in Barcelona, Spain.

Click here for more information about the workshop itself.

Florida County Uses Social Media for Budget Feedback

Samuel Knight — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:34:00 GMT

Commissioners in Hillsborough County, Florida – home to the city of Tampa – are injecting a bit of Gov 2.0 into next year's budget legislation, which officials are hoping will soften the blow of painful cuts. Citizens are being asked to voice their opinion about budgetary matters on Facebook, Twitter and the county's official blog.

“Our commissioners wanted us to gain more public comment on the services that citizens feel are important,” explained Willy Puz, a spokerperson for Hillsborough County government. Commissioners will take the suggestions into consideration between June and September, when they are preparing amendments to propose for the final vote on the 2010 Fiscal Year budget.

Last year, Hillsborough County did something similar, but through public meetings and taking phone calls. While this outreach was effective (for example, fees were implemented in parks to keep them open seven days a week, and childcare license fees increased to help the county monitor those facilities at the behest of citizens),in the spirit of budget slashing, the county is practicing what it is being forced to preach this year.

“People can do things from the privacy of their own home and we can reach people more efficiently,” Puz said of the move towards social media. So not only does the Hillsborough County save money, but citizens can make impassioned pleas to maintain their favorite government services from the comfort of their bathrobes.

Even the way in which the county will take suggestions over the phone is being affected by new technologies; Google Voice will be used to transcribe suggestions made by phone. “To transcribe the [800] calls took a lot of staff time,” Puz said. “This year, we're using the latest and greatest free technology out there.”

Become Hillsborough County Government's friend on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or check out their blog.

Postal Service can handle snow and rain, but Saturday delivery?

Alex Salta — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:06:00 GMT

The post office has long been known for getting the job of delivering the mail done through snow, heat, and dark of night. But what about making sure those precious parcels get to where they're going through massive budget cuts, incompetent management, and shifting customer behavior? The United States Postal Service may soon be finding out the answers to those questions, whether the mail-sending public is ready for it or not.

The USPS recently announced that it estimates to lose $238 billion over the next decade if everyone from lawmakers to union members don't start giving the agency more flexibility in the areas of setting delivery schedules, price increases, and labor costs. According to the USPS, mail volume is expected to decrease by about 26 billion pieces by the year 2020 as more customers lean towards the cheaper options of email and non-first class mail.

Last week Postmaster General John E. Potter told a group of lawmakers, union officials, and watchdogs that the USPS suffered a 13% drop in volume last year to go along with a $3.8 billion financial loss. And while that is certainly not good, Potter wasn't shy about presenting what he sees as possible solutions including putting an end to Saturday deliveries, longer delivery times, postage-stamp price increases, and possible layoffs. "At the end of the day, I'm convinced that if we make the changes that are necessary, we can continue to provide universal service for Americans for decades to come," Potter said.

Frederic Rolando, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers, is chief among those unimpressed with Potter's plan. "I do not believe that weakening our commitment of six-day service to the public will enhance the long-term position of the Postal Service as a critical element in our nation's economic infrastructure," Rolando told the Washington Post.

This isn't the first time Potter has made the call for such drastic changes. Last year the USPS pushed for deep reforms only to be rebuffed by lawmakers. This year however, buoyed by $4.8 million worth of studies by outside analysts like Accenture and McKinsey and Co, it seems that Potter's pleas are no longer falling on deaf ears.

While a June 2009 Gallup poll found a majority of Americans (52%) in favor of eliminating Saturday service if it resulted in lower costs, it is the proposed postage price increases and restructuring of USPS retiree benefits that may prove to be the most troublesome aspects of the plan for everyone from consumers to letter carriers.

The Postal Regulatory Commission's consent would be needed to increase the price of postage beyond the rate of inflation, a politically risky proposition, while Congress would have to overturn a 2006 law requiring the USPS to prepay retiree health benefits at an annual cost of $5 billion. It's that second point that could ultimately prove to be the undoing of Potter's plan. While the postal service has survived plenty in recent years, asking it to weather the inevitable labor disruption brought on by an unhappy union fighting for its retirement benefits may prove to be a bridge too far.

Last year Potter proposed consolidating 3,000 post offices, a plan that raised hackles from pretty much every corner. Since that plan was shot down and the USPS's situation shows no signs of improvement the time for radical and possibly painful changes may finally be at hand.

The USPS hasn't been immune from criticism in recent months. OhMyGov recently reported on the agency's myriad problems and bizarre pseudo-scandals. And while it may be tempting to bury the USPS as a bloated, inefficient bureaucratic dinosaur...the fact remains, somebody's gotta deliver Grandma's $12 Christmas check. Potter's proposals are drastic to be sure, but without any viable alternatives being offered by lawmakers or the union they may prove to be the only option.

[EVENT] INET Washington DC

Samuel Knight — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

INET Washington DC - expected to attract policy experts; technocrats; government personnel; the private sector and "the user community" - promises to showcase the latest in online applications from around a rapidly-growing world. Discuss how to bridge the digital gap with some of DC's experts at this free event hosted by the New York chapter of the Internet Society.

When: April 29, 2010. 8:15 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Cost: Free

Location: Capital Hilton, Washington DC (1001 16th St NW)

Register: Sign up/more info here.

The Role of Social Networking in Modern Combat

Samuel Knight — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Last Friday at an event in Washington D.C., U.S. military personnel who were at the forefront of counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq joined Slate Magazine's Chris Wilson at the New America Foundation to discuss the role of social networking theories in modern combat. While Bin Laden doesn't tweet and there may not be an al-Qaida fanpage on Facebook that can be browsed for intel, the experts agreed that understanding the other side's social networks -- as painstaking as the process may be -- can be crucial to operational success.

Studying social networks in Iraq yielded some high profile successes for American forces, event participants said. Col. Jim Hickey, who commanded the 1st Brigade Combat Team in the Fourth Infantry Division that captured Saddam, explained that Hussein's inner circle was cracked when military commanders quickly realized that Iraqi social networks were based on family ties. Focusing on the elite families based in Hussein's hometown of Tikrit eventually led American forces to his hideout -- the infamous farmhouse spiderhole located just outside the city.

The finding and killing of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was also made possible because of social network intelligence, according to Matthew Alexander, (the pseudonym of) an interrogator who played a prominent role in the affair. He recalled the story of Tariq, a captured insurgent commander who gave up crucial information about foreign fighters in Iraq that eventually lead US forces to al-Zarqawi. Alexander tricked Tariq into thinking that one of his subordinates had ratted him out as the group's leader. Because his Middle Eastern cultural sensibilities were upset by the fabricated revelation -- hierarchies are far more rigid in Arab societies -- he subsequently decided to go on a bean-spilling rampage, which Alexander said would not have been possible without knowledge of how Arabic social networks function (interestingly, Alexander said that his crafty approach on Tariq worked far better than his colleagues' hardline efforts and added that it is an insult to interrogators to assume that they need “enhanced interrogation” to get the job done, assuming that it even works).

Despite the success stories, the panel was keen to stress that social network theory can only help the military so much. Al-Qaida's social networks, for example, are extremely complex and have proven to be hard to crack. Leaders take on different roles, and their network is dynamic, if not amorphous. Alexander likened a map of Al-Qaida's network to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs smashed on the kitchen floor.

And despite the recent phenomenon of online social networking, social network theory has been studied by armies long before the advent of the Internet, who ended up losing to the very network they were trying to disrupt. The Nazis attempted to map the social networks of Allied pilots in World War II. In Vietnam, the U.S. military studied the Vietcong's social networks, and the French cracked the FLN's social network in Algeria's war for independence (chronicled in the historically accurate film, The Battle of Algiers), but eventually lost the war.

The problem with focusing too much attention on social network disruption, said Scott Helfstein, Ph.D., an assistant professor and social scientist at West Point, is that social networks are structurally resilient. Understanding them can be useful for certain scenarios, such as manhunting. But knowledge of militants' social networks alone won't stop them from operating. As long as disaffected people have an an ideological justification to fight, militants will emerge, Helfstein said. Knowing how they interact with each other can at least make it extremely difficult for them to carry out attacks.

Listen to an mp3 of the panel discussion at the New America Foundation.
Read Chris Wilson's five part series on Slate, which details how social networking theories were used to capture former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

[EVENT] Gov 2.0 Camp Rocky Mountains

Samuel Knight — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

The organizers of this "unconference" invite government leaders, policy makers, academics, students, contractors and government employees to come to Colorado to discuss how social media and Web 2.0 tech can be used to increase openness and efficiency in government agencies at all levels. This event is open to anyone with an interest in improving government through technology.

When: June 2010 (Exact date TBD)

Cost: Free

Location: Denver or Boulder

Register: Sign up/more info here.

Army looks to recruit software ideas with apps contest

Jenifer Reinhardt — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:10:00 GMT

On Monday the United States Army introduced a new challenge to its members: create software applications that advance any aspect of Army IT. The contest is being launched in an effort by the Army to take advantage of the skill and creativity within its own ranks. Army leaders hope that by tapping into this deep vein of talent they can "improve its current capabilities or add new ones."

This project is another brainchild of iStrategyLabs, the group that launched Apps for Democracy with then-District of Columbia Chief Technology Officer Vivek Kundra, now a member of Obama's information trust. The idea behind the crowd-sourced program is that finding solutions is a lot easier if you expand your field of potential problem solvers. The pilot program for the Department of Defense, if successful, may lead to expansion to other branches of the military.

It was last September when the Army originally introduced the competition concept "Apps for the Army." Lt. Gen. Jeff Sorenson, the Army's chief information officer, said then that it was useful for a number for reasons. "It is intended to reduce the time it takes to develop new technology applications for the service," he said.

The contest also greatly reduces the cost of developing new software. As Gen. Nicholas Justice so practically explained last September, "If I can get our soldiers to do the development, I can deliver more capability to the warfighter, without having to ask the Pentagon for more money." And that is what most people call a win-win scenario, the military's favorite kind.

The delay in the launch of this first contest was waiting on the final decisions about development platform, process for making the data available, and a contract for the management of the competition. All of these items have been addressed and should make the process even more enticing to potential applicants. "Apps for the Army features an innovative cloud computing service for participants to use during software creation," Sorenson said.

That service will be provided using RACE (Rapid Action Computing Environment) of the Defense Information Systems Agency. According to the Army press release, participants will "be able to pursue Web application development using all available programming languages supported by Windows Server and the Linux, Apache, MYSQL, and PHP (LAMP) frameworks. They will also be able to build emulated Blackberry, iPhone and Android applications."

The Army wants potential team members to have as many options as possible regarding the focus of their software. Just about everything is on the table from direct warfare applications to training and education. Heck, if you can figure out an application that allows the Army to complete even the most mundane of tasks more quickly and efficiently, then Uncle Sam wants you.

"We're building a culture of collaboration among our Army community to encourage smarter, better and faster technical solutions to meet operational needs," says Sorenson. "Soldiers and Army civilians will be creating new mobile and web applications of value for their peers -- tools that enhance warfighting effectiveness and business productivity today. And, we're rewarding their innovation with recognition and cash."

The Army will be judging the software apps on six criteria:

Usefulness to warfighters or business users.
Intuitive usability
Appeal over current our past approaches to executing the same tasks.
Inventiveness
Likelihood to have an effect on missions, and
Viability

Only the first 100 submissions will be accepted from teams or individuals from within the Army and enrollment began Monday. There will be 40 prizes awarded from a pool of $30,000 and the winning apps will be recognized at an Army IT conference later in the year. The competition will be judged on May 15, 2010.

[EVENT] Start-up Rockstars #8

Samuel Knight — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:25:00 GMT

Come meet and greet people in the DC area social web tech/creative community, and see local web start-ups give presentations about their concepts.

When: March 3rd, 2010, 6.30 - 8:30 PM.

Cost: Free

Location: Washington, DC (555 11th St NW, Suite 1200 - Bring your I.D)

Register: Sign up here. More info here.

[EVENT] NAGC Happy Hour: An Intro to Reading Body Language

Samuel Knight — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:55:00 GMT

Learn how to read people in under five minutes with Janine "The Lyin' Tamer" Driver. Driver will teach you to read body language and hone your lie-detector intuition.

When: March 11, 2010. 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Cost: Free

Location: Tonic Restaurant @ Quigley's Pharmacy, Washington DC (2036 G St NW)

Register: RSVP by March 2. More info here.

My boss hates me and my performance appraisal is this week. What do I do?

Bureaupat — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:19:00 GMT

Dear Bureaupat:

My performance appraisal is coming up and my immediate supervisor has provided limited feedback about my performance to date. What's worse is that she clearly does not like me on a personal level. I hope that she will be impartial and evaluate my performance objectively, but I fear this will not be the case. Is there anything I can do?

Dear Nerved Up:

Fortunately for you, you're a federal employee and firing you takes major work. So you've got nothing to worry about. Sit back, relax, and revel in the fact that the easiest way to get rid of you is through a promotion!

Bureau Pat has been in a similar situation. My SES (Senior Executive Service) supervisor wore her title with unchecked hubris and was hostile to anyone who questioned her methods and decisions. Prior to my review, I had little information about my performance. Going into her office game day, all I truly knew was that we disliked each other.

Good supervisors provide ongoing feedback and don't let personality interfere with their objectivity. Many of us are fortunate to work for such people. For situations like the ones you and I encountered, some strategy is required.

First, it's important to understand your work environment and your supervisor. Are there other stressors happening around you which might be upsetting your boss? If so, is it possible these stressors keep her in a lousy mood which you misinterpret as her distaste for you?

If not, and you find yourself in a toxic situation, you need to take some initiative. Approach your supervisor and see if there are any hot button issues she would like help with. You have two goals here: diffusing a personality clash and promoting yourself as a team player and hard worker prior to your review.

Begin documenting every encounter with your supervisor, as they will be useful in the future - even if it's just to show friends what an ass she is. If you have not been documenting communications - electronic and oral - start now; it's never too late to buy some spy gear or at the least, keep some email hardcopies in a folder marked CYA for a rainy day.

If your supervisor likes to give you instructions verbally, reiterate those instructions along with a progress update in meeting her requests over email. Doing so creates a record.

At least a day before your review, look over your performance objectives for the year and prepare for your meeting. This should be done on government time, but not while your boss is lurking. Make sure you can articulate your achievements with meaningful results. For example, "Workplace morale improved 20% from last year after I led the effort to improve communications within my division." See how easy that was?

While you're listing your achievements, prepare a list of questions for your supervisor. After all, a performance review should be a dialogue, not a soliloquy.

Questions should be direct and get her on record about your performance so there won't be any surprises on your written review. Don't be afraid to ask plainly how she feels you're doing, if you've failed to meet any of your objectives, and most importantly, how she feels you can improve.

Be prepared to address and listen to constructive or destructive criticism and have an appropriate response ready for every type of negative input. But, and I mean BUT; never fall into the trap of engaging in an argument with such a boss. Doing so will only hurt your chances for a good review. And keep your cool. If you lose composure, the review will quickly turn from conversation to debate to a nonverbal hate-fest. You don't want that, but it's OK to defend yourself with examples of successes. Just avoid being defensive and argumentative.

Here are two different ways to respond to criticism; one is the right way and one is the wrong way.

Supervisor: I've been disappointed with the timeliness of your work and feel you have had a hard time meeting deadlines.

Wrong Response: I think that's completely unfair. I never miss deadlines. You're confusing me with Joe. That guy never gets anything done without me riding his back.

Correct Response: Really, that's terrible; I never of thought of myself that way. I don't remember missing any deadlines but perhaps I overlooked something. Can you give me an example of a deadline I missed?

Naturally, during the review you should be taking copious notes. You may even want to record the conversation. People tend to alter what they "said" during a written review later on.

If you get a fair evaluation, good! If not, then there are steps that you will take to seek relief which I will address in the future. One of them is tacks on the seat. It won't get your raise back, but it will sure make for a funny story to tell over beers.

DoD on Social Media: "Default switch on access is to be open"

Mark Malseed — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:55:00 GMT

Department of Defense officials shed more light on the new agency-wide social media policy on Monday, saying that operational security was an ongoing concern as DoD opens up social media access, but that they hoped to see "more blogs, more tweets, more communication" between front line personnel and their families and friends back home.

"The default switch on access is to be open," said Mr. Price Floyd, the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, during a roundtable call with military and defense bloggers. Floyd said he wants to see "more, not less" blogging from the front lines and that the new policy should encourage communication by deployed personnel.

While social media presents new places where operational security can be compromised, Floyd noted that nothing is changing with respect to what servicemembers should and shouldn't be saying. The rule of "Don't say or do anything you wouldn't say or do in front of your boss" still applies.

Combatant commanders will be responsible for the security of the information infrastructure, but much as they might like to, they cannot shut down access to Facebook and Twitter. "Combatant
commands and bases cannot simply block access to all social media sites as a policy," Floyd said. "It has to be open."

The policy does allow for "temporary" shutdowns if intrusions or denial of service attacks are taking place. Details about the circumstances for and length of the temporary shutdowns will likely become known when the department issues the policy implementation guidelines in about 180 days.

Several other issues concerning the social media policy will be fleshed out in greater detail when the implementation guidelines are released. The preservation of official DoD records as shared on third-party sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter is an open question still, not just for DoD but across the federal government. It's not yet known how the government will archive information that is stored and published by private companies.

Being able to access and use social media sites like Facebook from DoD installations is another ongoing issue. A number of bases block access to the very sites that the department is now allowing and encouraging use of.

How Defense personnel will be trained on the particulars of complying with the social media policy is also to be determined. With thousands of personnel all across the country and globe, DoD faces an enormous challenge in both setting the right culture for communication via social media and getting its employees up to speed on the proper ways to use the sites, which are new and rapidly evolving.

To those commanders who might be reluctant to get involved with social media, Floyd points out that conversations are quite possibly already taking place across the Web, on Facebook and MySpace. "They might be surprised to know that they already are taking part," he said.

Mr. Sumit Agarwal, recently hired from Google to be the new deputy assistant secretary of Defense for New Media and Outreach, noted that the policy was about establishing a baseline, and that the final guidance might not be all that specific.

"Being prescriptive is a little antithetical for social media," said Agarwal. "That said, I understand that we do need to give people clarity in terms of what we would like to see and how they might go about making the right decisions."

[EVENT] Small Business Seminar: The Stimulus Package

Samuel Knight — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:05:00 GMT

Learn how your small business can benefit from stimulus funds. Presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce (which would be a good name for a rap group, by the way), this event will be moderated by CNN contributor and president of Optimum Capital Management, Ryan Mack.

Panelists:

Ann Kayman, CO of New York Grant Company
Bruce Niswander, director of the Office of Innovation and Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship at Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Michael Williams, dean of the Graduate School of Business at Touro College.

Panels:

The impact on the Stimulus program on the economy
How can I benefit from the Stimulus?
Planning for the effects of the government's proposed three-year spending freeze.
"Hidden" ways for businesses to save more in the "new economy".

When: Wednesday, March 24, 2010. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Cost: Free. RSVP by March 22.

Where: Pfizer Auditorium, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Brooklyn, NY (5 Metro Tech Center)

Register: More info/sign up here.

[EVENT] Happy Gov 2.0 Hour

Samuel Knight — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:03:00 GMT

An open bar happy hour designed to bring the Washington DC area Gov 2.0 community together.

When: March 25, 2010. 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

Cost: Free to attend; chipping in for drinks appreciated.

Where: TBD, Washington DC

Register: Sign up/more info here.