BasicGov / BLOG

Government 2.0, also called Gov 2.0 and e-government, essentially gives easier access to government information.

There are many benefits of Gov 2.0 from more citizen engagement, paperless office, faster processing, and better service with added convenience.

Examples of Gov 2.0 and greater citizen participation include blogging and web portals.

1. Blogging to communicate with citizens

• Montgomery County, Maryland, Division of Solid Waste has a blog titled “Talkin’ Trash“

• The government of Rhode Island has a media center on their portal, including a place where you can read state agency blogs

• EPA.gov has established blog writing and blog commenting guidelines, which include sample blog posts

• To read tips for starting a government agency blog, click here

2. Web portals for citizen services such as

• Submit building plans for permits and check progress on permit approval

• Apply for or renew business licenses

• Schedule construction inspections

• Report graffiti or other neighborhood complaints

• Click here to see citizen portal example

• To learn more about finding the right services for a citizen portal, click here for a down-loadable book

3. More resources

To learn about strategies and planning for Government 2.0 initiatives click here

Feel free to share your examples and resources …

The Gov 2.0 Summit presentations are available on bliptv and worth listening to.  Fascinating comments and discussions about government at all levels changing,  adopting innovative technologies and re-using / sharing information.

Here are a few highlights:

• Tim O’Reilly’s opening about government participating in Web 2.0, killer apps, Software as a service, “harnessing collective intelligence” … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFXxEXH23CE
• Jen Palka with TechWeb to announce a new exciting initiative “Code for America” which is about sharing  some of the best “experiments going on locally” and “propagate best local Gov 2.0″ ; based on the notion “What if, instead of reinventing the wheel every time, cities shared technology resources?”
• Andrew McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the Obama administration, talking about “speeding up government” in the decisions, data it makes available, real time capabilities to data.gov and apps.gov

What do you think about Code for America?