OpenGovRadio 2/23/10: How to Measure Success in OpenGov

Here's what we'll be talking about on today's show (2-3pm ET, Tuesday, February 23th) on OpenGovRadio. We invite you to call in with your comments and questions (917-388-4210).

Under the President's Open Government Inititiative, federal agencies have been told to become more "Transparent, Participatory, and Collaborative".  Howcver, the White House's Open Government Directive has NOT made it clear (i.e., transparent) to federal agencies just how their efforts in those three areas of OpenGov are going to measured and judged.

And recent remarks from the White House are unclear as to when or how official guidance will be forthcoming, even as federal agencies wrestle with writing their OpenGov Plans (due April 7th) :

1. OSTP Blog (2/9/10):  Evolving the Open Government Dashboard with You (excerpt below) :

As such, the Open Government Working Group is preparing a set of "stretch criteria" to help evaluate the plans and celebrate those agencies that exceed the minimal requirements of the Directive to reflect the President's vision of openness and accountability as articulated in the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. We are eager to seek your input in this process, so keep an eye out for opportunities to weigh in over the next two weeks.

After agencies have successfully delivered on the demanding deadlines set out for the first 120 days, Version 2.0 of the Dashboard can deploy a more holistic set of metrics, informed by agency Plans. Identifying the right set of metrics will help steer agencies toward high-impact efforts in the years to come.

Dave Lewan of ForeSeeResults will be on the show today to explain how his company is using standard tools to measure the levels of Transparency, Participation, and Collaboration with citizens at federal agency websites, and how that approach can work elsewhere.

2.  The Inaugural ForeSee Results’ E-Government Transparency Index (2/16/10)

3.  Feb. 18th Webinar (39 minutes; with Q&A) on the E-Government Transparency Index

Also, we'll discuss a keyword search of "measur" (leave off the "e") on these documents:

4.  Open Government Directive (12/8/09)

5.  OPEN GOVERNMENT: A Progress Report to the American People (December 2009)

Short URL for this posting:
http://bit.ly/9JKbQn

OpenGovRadio 2/16/10: Citizen Input on OpenGov Plans: After the First 10 days

Here's what we'll be talking about on today's show (2-3pm EST, Tuesday, February 16th) on OpenGovRadio.  We invite you to call in with your comments and questions (917-388-4210).

For the past 10 days, citizen have been providing Ideas, Votes, and Comments about how to improve Transparency, Participation and Collaboration with federal agencies.

What do YOU think of this "online engagement"?  Is there an Idea that you (or someone else) posted that you would like people to vote for?  Tell us about it on OpenGovRadio.

We will take calls from listeners about their experiences, but first we will discuss Tim Bonnemann's coverage of this topic at his blog at Intellitics.com, as well as the new dynamic tracking graphic at http://www.opengovtracker.com/, created by NASA's Robbie Schingler and Jessy Cowan-Sharp.

And, you can also follow (or join) their GovLoop conversation, "Monitoring and Continuous Evaluation of OpenGov forums" (registration required, but you do NOT have to be a government employee).

Short URL for this post:
http://bit.ly/cF5rga

OpenGovRadio 2/9/10: OGD Workshop on Feb. 17th and the OGD Feb. 6th Deliverables

Here are the links that we will be discussing on today's OpenGovRadio program.  We invite you to call in with your comments and questions.

The OpenGov Playbook
http://www.opengovplaybook.org/

February Open Government Directive Workshop (#3 in the Series):
http://opengovdirective.pbworks.com/February-Open-Government-Directive-Workshop

How to RSVP for the OGD Workshop #3:
http://www.govloop.com/group/opengovplaybook/forum/topics/the-open-government-directive-1

Tim ("Intellitics") Bonnemann's blog-post about Federal agencies' "citizen engagement tool":
http://www.intellitics.com/blog/2010/02/09/share-your-opengov-forum-tracking-data-on-govloop/

The White House/OMB's Open Government Dashboard:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/around

Government Agencies listening to Citizens (using ForeSeeResults):
http://www.foreseeresults.com/CsGovernment.html

Discussed, but added after the show:

CDC eHealth Metrics Dashboard:
http://www.cdc.gov/metrics

White House blog (2/9/10) - Evolving the Open Government Dashboard with You:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/02/09/evolving-open-government-dashboard-with-you

Today's Guests and Callers:

Chris Jones, SourcePOV.com
Bernie Lubran, ForeSeeResults.com
Andy Krzmarzick, GovLoop.com
Bev Godwin, GSA.gov

Short URL for this posting:
http://bit.ly/crCIG4

OpenGovRadio Today (2/2/10): "Engagement-Lite" and the OpenGov Dashboard

NOTE:  To listen to OpenGovRadio, keep this page open, and then center-click here and push the Play-button (Tues. from 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST).  To join the discussion, call (917) 388-4210.

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Has OpenGov become so fixated on the "Transparency" aspect that it is ignoring "Public Engagement"?

Public engagement advocate Peter Levine writes that White House's "Open Government Initiative" has focused so much on "Transparency" that it has neglected the other two aspects: "Participation" and "Collaboration".

1.  About Peter Levine and his work (do watch the short, non-music video: "Song of a Citizen")
http://www.peterlevine.ws/

2.  Peter Levine's blog-post (1/27/10): "The Path Not Taken (so far): Civic Engagement for Reform"
http://www.peterlevine.ws/mt/archives/2010/01/the-path-not-ta.html

But just HOW do we measure the progress of federal agencies in "Transparency", "Participation", and "Collaboration"?

According to the Open Government Directive, the White House is scheduled to unveil the OpenGov "Dashboard" on Feb. 6th.  But what exactly will its "gauges" measure? We'll discuss that with Katie Delahaye Paine, the author of "Measuring Public Relationships: The Data-Driven Communicator's Guide to Success"

3.  KDPaine's homepage:
http://www.kdpaine.com/

4.  KDPaine's blog-post (8/24/09): "How To Measure Transparency and Open Government"
http://kdpaine.blogs.com/themeasurementstandard/2009/08/how-to-measure-transparency-and-open-government.html

5.  KDPaine: Developing a Dashboard for Measuring Public Relations
http://www.kdpaine.com/kdp/index.cfm/custom-research-consulting-services/dashboard-demo/

Other Websites to which we may refer, during this week's show:

A.  President's Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government (1/21/09)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Transparency_and_Open_Government/

B.  Open Government Directive (issued by OMB, 12/8/09)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive

C.  "The White House Open Government Dashboard: Seeking Your Input" (from OSTP blog, 12/16/09):
http://blog.ostp.gov/2009/12/16/the-white-house-open-government-dashboard-seeking-your-input/

D.  The February Open Government Directive Workshop (3rd in the series, 2/17/10)
https://opengovdirective.pbworks.com/February-Open-Government-Directive-Workshop

E.  The OpenGov Playbook (a wiki of resources about the Open Government Directive)
http://www.opengovplaybook.org/

F.  Gov2.0 Camp New England (March 6th at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government)
http://gov20ne.eventbrite.com/

Short URL for this blog-post:
http://bit.ly/9nPGR3

OpenGovRadio (1/26/10): OGD Compliance - Questions & Comments

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I will be hosting Open Government Radio this next Tuesday, January 26th, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST.  You can listen to it live (or later) on your computer or PDA, and you can call-in with your questions or comments to (917) 388-4210. 

Here's the show's description:

The first deadline for federal agencies to comply with the Open Government Directive was last Friday, January 22, 2010 (i.e., "high-value datasets"). How did they do? Let's talk about it.

Also, the next OGD deadline is February 6, 2010 for each agency to set up its own "OpenGov" webpage. Some have already done it. What do you think of them? What could make them better?

And, now, each federal agency has a "New Media Director".  But what is that role, exactly, with respect to their agency's "OpenGov Planning Team"?  And, who IS in charge?  We'll be discussing these topics, along with the ones that YOU want to talk about.

PLEASE NOTE:  It would be very helpful if -- before the show -- you use the Comment section, below, to raise a question or comment (along with web-addresses) that you would like discussed on the show..  That way, I can see, along with everyone else, the links to what you are talking about, along with a "heads-up" on the topic.

Tiny URL that points to this posting:
  http://bit.ly/7VkR9U

Open Government Directive Issued Today

For my Current Subscribers:  Today, at 11:00 am, the White House will issue the Open Government Directive (see details below).

For New Visitors to this blog:  If you want to stay informed about developments in the implementation of the new "Open Government Directive", then you have found the right place.  Here are four (4) complementary ways to do that:

1.  EMAIL:  Primarily News (but some discussion):  Join the email-group on "Open Government Directive".  See the link in the right-hand column of this blog, or simply send a blank email to: opengovernmentdirective+subscribe@googlegroups.com

2.  BLOG:  Primarily Opinion (with reader comments):  Subscribe to this blog.  See the link in the right-hand column for subscribing by email, etc.

3.  TWITTER (micro-blog):  Get short "F.Y.I.s" by following me at http://twitter.com/transpartisan

3.  RADIO:  News and Opinion (invited guests with listeners call-in):  "Open Government Radio" will now begin weekly shows with discussion on implementation of "open government" at all levels of government.  Initial focus will be on the "Open Government Directive" of the U.S. federal government.  Notices about upcoming shows will be posted to this blog, twitter, and the email-group (see above).

HERE is the announcement for Today's release of the Open Government Directive:

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2009

ADVISORY: Administration Officials to Launch Comprehensive Open Government Plan
with Webcast Open to All Americans

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow at 11:00am ET, U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra and U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will launch the administration’s comprehensive Open Government Plan, furthering the President’s commitment to increasing transparency and accountability in Washington and ensuring greater access and information for the American people.

This announcement will be streamed live on whitehouse.gov, and will be followed by a web forum where individuals will be given an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions about the administration’s Open Government Plan.

WHO: U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra and U.S. CTO Aneesh Chopra
WHAT: Administration Launches Comprehensive Open Government Plan
WHERE: Watch it live and participate at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
WHEN: Tuesday, December 8
11:00am ET
##############################

Short URL for this blog-post:   http://bit.ly/6k3XGI

Open Government Intiative: Chapter Two of "Reinventing Government"

Beth Noveck, who is in charge of the White House's "Open Government Initiative", spoke last Friday at the National Center for Digital Government at the University of Massachusetts. (Video of the event was accessible online, and will be available in "early November" at http://www.ncdg.org/ .)

As someone who was involved in the intitiative for "open-government" during the Clinton-Gore administration (aka, "Reinventing Government"), I was glad to finally hear Ms. Noveck acknowledge the existence of that previous effort. I was afraid that the people in charge of this new "openness" effort by the Obama administration had no clue that what they are attempting to do had been tried (with mixed results) before. The danger is that they fail to appreciate (and avoid) the mistakes made before.

Now, based on her remarks last Friday, I know that Ms. Noveck does "have a clue". Unfortunately, however, it seems that she is still under-informed about the fundamental parallel between the current "Open Government Intiative" (OGI) and the previous "Reinventing Government" (REGO) effort.

Based on her remarks (see partial transcript, below), Ms. Noveck believes that, compared to the REGO effort, the current OGI involves "a shift to a new set of values" that focus on "openness".
Excuse me? "New set of values"?

"So we created this agenda of institutional innovation, and that we define this agenda around a set of core values. So, in many ways, it builds on work that you [gesturing towards NCDG staff] were involved in, earlier, around 'Reinventing Government' and have written extensively about.

"But -- for a variety of reasons that I hope we can talk more about in the discussion -- I think we have come to a different place in today's approach to "Reinventing Government". It very much builds on that work, and we are able to do things, because of technology, that's different today that it was 15 years ago.

"But the technology has also enabled a shift to a new set of values really drive the conception of what it means to "reinvent government", what it means to innovate in terms of our public sector institutions. And these are tested, really, around "Openness" .. around this notion of creating ways that are more open, more collaborative, more participatory than we've ever seen before.

"Again, engendered by technology, because it makes it possible, but driven very much by a philosophical mindset that believes that Openness should be at the root of this change. And so, when we focus now on institutional innovation, and thinking about how we create a more open government, it's not simply for its own sake. It's not just innovation because it's a nice thing to have, or because it's frankly the more democratic way of doing things.

 "It is integration of public sector institutions, by necessity, to make them more effective in the way that we work, more efficient in the way that we work, and that will improve the quality of people's lives."

Okay, perhaps the REGO effort did not have "Open" in its name, but "openness" was a core value of REGO. Every successful aspect of REGO was based on "openness", both with citizens and within government. Please show me one that was not. (For a few references in REGO: type in "openness" here.)

This just more evidence (at least, to me) about the low level of understanding, by many relative newcomers to the campaign "open-government", about the culture-war experience gained by their predecessors. Hopefully, with some openmindedness on the subject, that will change.

But that means some more humility that President Obama talks about when he says that, sometimes, the people in government don't know as much as they think they do. Even for a program on "openness".

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Link to this posting -->  http://bit.ly/3W7ZBc