Rialtas.net – Government 2.0

By Doug Beizer
This is an article from March last year (published while I was out of commission for a few months) but outlines an interesting precedent for governments internationally.
By Doug Beizer on FCW.com
The General Services Administration has signed agreements with Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and blip.tv that make it possible for federal agencies to use new-media tools while [...]

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The 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1 took on symbolic importance not only for the Communist Party, but also for connoisseurs of China’s Internet controls. The thinking by some was that with the last of a series of sensitive anniversaries this year now finally behind us, the guardians of China’s [...]

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Interesting article by Mike Elgan (Earthweb) on an effort by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members to “assert supremacy over online public opinion, raise the level and study the art of online guidance and actively use new technologies to increase the strength of positive propaganda”.
The article also introduced me to the concept of astroturfing which I [...]

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Came across this text ‘Network Citizens: Power and Responsibility at Work‘ via Paul Glazowski at Mashable.com

Here is an excerpt from the foreword by Robert Ainger, Corporate Director, Orange Business
One of the key findings within this research is the tension that distinctions between purely personal and professional life are becoming increasingly blurred and that this is [...]

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From an article by Peter Nowak from CBC News Canada.
Quebec’s open-source software association is suing the provincial government, saying it is giving preferential treatment to Microsoft Corp. by buying the company’s products rather than using free alternatives.
The lawsuit by Facil was lodged with the Quebec Superior Court on July 15 and made public on Wednesday. [...]

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Interesting article on the Memphis based site commercialappeal.com
Apparently the director of police is using public funds to attempt sue and identify an anonymous blogger believed to be a Memphis police officer (or several officers)
Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and the city of Memphis have filed a lawsuit to learn who operates a blog harshly critical [...]

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The EU Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, publicly supported the use of open source software in eGovernment, in a public speech at a seminar hosted by OpenForum Europe in Brussels on 10 June 2008.
The Commission must do its part. It must not rely on one vendor, it must not accept closed standards, and it must refuse [...]

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Tom Watson MP Minister for Transformational Government, Cabinet Office
Below is an excerpt from the speech he gave at the Tower ‘08 conference on 10th March 2008.
You are all in this room today because you “get it”.
You know that the way that government configures public services is going to change beyond comprehension in years to come [...]

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Photo By Jrawle from Flickr.
Interesting Series of blog entries and comments debating as to whether Civil Servant Bloggers in the UK should be governed by a set of blogging guidelines or whether adherence to the UK civil service code should be sufficient. This was all prompted by the recent posts of an anonymous blogger [...]

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Lots of organisations are starting to clamp down on Internet usage within the organisation. It should be remembered however, that heavy handed IT security policies can demoralise and demotivate staff. The old adage, ‘treat people like children and they will behave like children’ comes to mind.
I know some people whom have had experience working in [...]

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