A list of official government blogs maintained by USA.gov showcases a grand total of 16 blogs. Granted there are many “unofficial” bloggers sharing their thoughts with the world without official sanction. But the official list demonstrates just how conservative the bureaucracy is when it comes to communications with the public. Try this for perspective. Last count of the federal bureaucracy put the number of civil servants at roughly 1.87 million. If the government were to [...]

Read More

1 Comments

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently posted its Practitioners Handbook to the web and opened it up for revision by members of the bar. It’s a “no holds barred” approach to harnessing the collective wisdom of legal practitioners. Attorneys are encouraged to make comments, change information, add topics; in short, post whatever they think is important to know about practicing in the 7th Circuit. “Our proposition is that everyone knows more than any one [...]

Read More

2 Comments

Most web 2.0 fanatics have long known about Sweden’s foray into Second Life. Michelle Springer at the Library of Congress just alerted me to the Swedish Institute’s blog, where they chronicle their experiences running the virtual embassy. It’s worth checking out if your organization is curious about the opportunities and challenges of establishing and managing an organizational presence in Second Life.

Read More

0 Comments

Most people recognize Standford law professor Lawrence Lessig for his passionate work on copyright issues and culture. Recently he’s turned his attention to political corruption and the misuse or abuse of information by government officials and agencies. To bring attention to the poisonous influence of money on political decision-making, Lessig has launched an anti-corruption wiki where contributors are documenting instances of alleged abuse. My favorite part of the wiki is a collection of quotes that [...]

Read More

0 Comments

Since September 19, thousands of Burmese protesters have poured on to the streets of Rangoon to demand freedom from military rule. On September 26, the Burmese military government responded with violence. Thousands of protestors have since been seized and taken away. Yesterday, campaigners in 30 cities around the world showed solidarity by organizing local demonstrations against the bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.

Read More

1 Comments