Technology

We need a government that listens to us, and online discussion boards make that doable, at least for people who can get online. (We'll need other solutions for everyone else.)

Problem with conventional discussion boards is that it's hard to find the good stuff, and it's also very easy for a bad guy to disrupt the discussion, maybe to fake a consensus. We're hoping that can be solved with discussion boards which allow people to vote up the good stuff. That works if you have a lot of people getting involved.

OK, I was at the thing last week, focusing on improving customer service, since that's what I do for a living.

My basic take was What gov't can learn from private industry.

Candi Harrison, a retired Federal Web manager, offers a view from the inside.

Jesse Lee has a great summary, in the detail I'm not good at.

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Google did the right thing yesterday when it said enough is enough to the Chinese government.

Chinese military assets launched a coordinated cyber-attack on Google and about 30 other multinational, mostly American companies over the last couple of weeks, probing into their databases and their computer systems.

There were reports that the Chinese were looking for information on human-rights activists, but in actuality, they were looking to steal intellectual property from American companies.

Candi Harrison was a Federal Web manager and says some of the smartest stuff around regarding serious website support, applicable to private industry as well as government.

Check out Customer Service Standards Worth Living Up To:

The deal is that we now have an administration that is serious about listening to Americans and to getting the job done. You've seen my previous blogging on the Department of Veterans Affairs restarting to really help veterans.

Now the FCC is asking for your help, soliciting your take on the future of communications, which is really critical in a democracy.

Hey, more real stuff regarding government basics, like fixing potholes and improving public transportation.

The deal is that you report a problem with your phone, maybe snapping a photo, and get it fixed.

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Check out an article in Business Week about how things are changing in Washington, and the blog, which fills in the rest:

I was impressed by the Obamans respect for the people who work in government. The Bush administration treated government workers like lazy dolts—setting rigid goals for them and outsourcing government functions to private industry as much as possible. (Do a Google search on “Halliburton” to see how well that worked out for the taxpayer.) In contrast, Zients helps government people set their own goals and provides some of the essential tools they need to accomplish them. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist and good-government maven, explains the shift: “In the past, government workers were told that government is the problem and nothing was expected of them. Now there’s a new message: You do matter. Now, get stuff done.

Privacy and anonymity are challenged by public records and transparency demands. The latest venue of this clash of public interests is Washington state and its referendum petitions process.

The United States Supreme Court recently upheld a federal lower court ruling (by not accepting the case and allowing the ruling to stand) that the names of the signers of the petitions should not be made public. At issue were 138,000 names of people petitioning for extension of married-couple rights to same-sex couples. Those seeking the names argued that disclosure prevents fraud and makes public the names of people seeking to influence legislation. Opponents feared intimidation, as names going on the Internet will chill free speech and association rights. Read more...