E-Government: April 2009 Archives

Federal, state, and local health agencies are working overtime to inform the public about the recent Swine Flu outbreak that is currently affecting Mexico and small portions of the United States, but that poses a real international threat. 

Direct information from the government is an important primary source of information for the public, the media, and the public health community during an outbreak.

Because the majority of federal health agencies and a large number of state and local agencies use the GovDelivery platform for digital outreach, we see the broad range of critically important messages going out the public. Already, government agencies have sent hundreds of thousands of messages regarding Swine Flu.

Here is a sample of those messages:

• Centers for Disease Control (English)
• Centers for Disease Control (Spanish)
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• USA.gov
• Texas Health & Human Services System (English)
• Texas Health & Human Services System (Spanish)
• Minnesota Department of Health
• San Diego County
  

When there is an emergency or potential emergency affecting your agency, you should follow the lead of these government communicators and get the word out as quickly as possible by using all key online and offline channels including your website, email, text message, and traditional media.  The key is to act quickly so that the citizens learn as much information as possible directly from their government.

See this story from the recent peanut recall to understand how every bit of communication makes a difference.

GovDelivery is currently working on a major information sharing project that allows government communicators and citizens to see updates coming out from across the government on a range of topics.  We are also encouraging more posting of information into social media to help spread the word when pressing issues arise.

You can learn more about this project, view a live prototype of information going out from different types of agencies in real time, and provide us with feedback by reading our blog entry on the topic.

Welcome to the first "Friday's Food For Thought" post here on the Reach the Public blog.  Every other Friday, we will showcase news and stories that enlighten, entertain and sometimes confound our readers. 

This week's post takes the theme of transportation to the next level with some entertaining travel stories, a government blog I like, rounded out with a classic comedy video clip.

Public Transportation is Fun!
There are many reasons to use public transportation, like saving on fuel costs and protecting the environment by 'going green'...but did you ever think it'd be entertaining?  In digging about for additional transportation insight, I found a blog that showcases a number of fun - and somewhat bizarre - travel stories from readers.  Check it out here.

U.S. Transportation Secretary's Official Blog
We here at GovDelivery are always fans of blogs managed and run by government officials.  As such, I would like to showcase the "Welcome to the Fast Lane" blog from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.  Be sure to check out the top story about Bo, the new "First Pup" and his connections on DOT.  By the way, it'd be cool if they used the Eagle's "Life in the Fast Lane" as the theme song of the blog.

NBA Season is Over; Now How Do I Get The Escalade Home?
Transportation never seems to be an issue for NBA players making the big bucks.  Having multiple high-end cars, and often someone to drive you, is not a bad way to go. But, it turns out there are some challenges for NBA players when it comes to their luxury cars.  Check out this NY Times story on how NBA players are dealing with getting their cars home post season. 

Classic National Lampoon Vacation Clip
To round out our inaugural Friday's Food For Thought post, I thought we should showcase a classic clip of one of America's favorite families...the Griswold's.  A road trip steeped in comedy pitfalls, family dysfunction and ultimately redemption at Walleyworld.  

Enjoy and Happy Friday!!