Weekly Round-up: February 17, 2012

This week was Social Media Week around the world, and here in DC we participated in Gov 2.0 style.  To start things off:

• Agencies +1 new social media platforms. The State Department has joined Google+ and the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard are now on Pinterest.  (Read this great primer on what, exactly, Pinterest is).
• Yes, there is an app(ropriation) for that. Sarah Stirland at TechPresident writes about what the FY2013 budget portends for Gov 2.0.  Upshot: e-government has been allocated less money than in FYs 2009 and 2010, but more money than congress had asked for this year.
• Good with Numbers, and Now Names, Too! The Social Security Administration has released an iPhone app that will tell you the top baby names of the past 130 years, or will generate a random baby name from its database should you want a more. . . uncommon appelation for your child.  Perhaps "Apple" was named by her mother's Apple?  Related: This move comes as the federal government is moving toward adopting Android and iOS devices, and leaving BlackBerries behind.
• Big Data Demands a New Kind of Journalism. Alex Howard interviews Liliana Bounegru on the topic of data journalism; focused as he is on the public sector, Alex's last question is "How does data journalism relate to open data and open government?"  The whole article is worth reading, however, to understand this new (to me, at least) journalistic beat.

Dan Chenok

• 2013 IT Budget released
• Transparency in Federal spending data still has a road to travel.
• Turning Data.Gov into Value-Add: Challenges and Opportunities.

John Kamensky

• Seeking Permission.  Federal News Radio reports that President Obama has formally requested reorganization authority from Congress so he can undertake his promised reorganization of the federal government’s trade and export functions.  Obama also designated exports as one of his top management initiatives in his FY 2013 budget.
• Closing Shop.  Federal Times reports that the Labor Department and Census Bureau plan to close a series of offices, and the Agriculture Department will shutter 260 offices, as part of their FY 2013 budget proposals.
• Layers of Spending.  Alice Lipowicz, with Federal Computer Week, has a good story explaining the flow of dollars down through the federal system: “Transparency on Government Spending:  The Missing Link.”  She describes it having five layers.  There’s really more, but that would make the story way to long!
• Fixing the Government.  The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the need to reduce, not reorganize, the government.  Witnesses offered a range of recommendations, with the most comprehensive (and entertaining) list offered by NYU professor Paul Light.

The Business of Government Radio Show: Dr. Jamie M. Morin

Federal News Radio 1500-AM 
Mondays at 11 a.m., Wednesdays at 12 p.m., Fridays at 2  p.m. 

The Business of Government Hour features a conversation about management with a government executive who is changing the way government does business. The executives discuss their careers and the management challenges facing their organizations.

Dr. Jamie M. Morin is the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, D.C. He serves as the Air Force's Chief Financial Officer and principal adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force on all financial matters. He is principally responsible for exercising the comptroller and financial management functions of the Air Force, which include preparation of the Air Force budget, directing cost and economic analysis programs and oversight of accounting and finance operations, systems and reporting.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday, February 20, at 11 a.m., Wednesday, February 22, at noon, and Friday, February 24, at 2:00 PM on Federal News Radio 1500AM WFED

If you can't wait, though, you can listen to (or download) this week's program and all our previous interviews at businessofgovernment.org and by searching our audio archives.

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