Luke Fretwell

GSA announced it has officially opened up its URL shortener Go.USA.gov to anyone with a .mil, .gov, .fed.us or .si.edu email address. The site lets users create trustworthy short .gov URLs on Twitter and other online services with character restrictions and was developed by the team behind USA.gov along with members of the Drupal community.

Video of New York State Senate Director of Technology Innovation Noel Hidaldo’s (@noneck) IgniteNYC presentation, ‘Government 2.0: An Empire State of Mind.’

A wrap-up of this week’s posts:

• Open vs. Open
• Introducing the Cycle of Transparency
• Edmonton CIO discusses city’s approach to open data
• Microsoft exec talks cloud computing and government
• New on GovFresh: ‘Fresh from: Sunlight’
• There’s a LocalGovChat for that
• Video: ‘How open source can make us a stronger society’
• Facebook Public Policy Director talks privacy, free speech, Beltway presence
• SF launches PolicySF to help governments share ideas

Microsoft Senior VP & General Counsel Brad Smith discusses the future of cloud computing in government on C-SPAN’s The Communicators. Smith addresses citizen privacy rights, cost-savings, service provider challenges, consumer awareness, data portability and other cloud computing related issues.

The City of San Francisco has launched PolicySF, a Website to ‘help communities share good ideas with one another.’ The site provides ‘policy toolkits’ with FAQs, processes, sample policy documents and ordinances on SF-specific initiatives. Other governments can also share their ideas.

Fresh from: Sunlight is a new GovFresh feature that highlights the latest transparency and open government news directly from Sunlight Foundation and Sunlight Labs. Contributors will include Sunlight’s best and brightest, including transparency hunk Jake Brewer.

Ingres Vice President of Product Management Deb Woods discusses Open Source for America and government policy issues around open source. Ingres is an OSFA founding member and Woods serves on its Steering Committee. She also runs the open source blog and podcast Out of the Woods.

LocalGovChat (@localgovchat) is a weekly Twitter chat to help local government communicators connect and learn from one another. Chats are held Wednesdays from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Facebook Public Policy Director Tim Sparapani discusses privacy and free speech issues affecting his company and opening a Washington DC public policy office on C-SPAN’s Communicators.

Edmonton’s Chief Information Officer Chris Moore discusses three ‘big things’ they’re addressing regarding open data, including collaboration, the role of government, non-profit organizations, universities and private sector.

A wrap-up of this week’s posts:

• Open government means open analytics
• Developers for Glory
• A different look at open government participation
• Gov 2.0 Hero: Mike Rupert
• Gov 2.0 Hero: John Lisle
• SF selects Brightidea to power employee ideas campaign
• Video: ‘New Media Risks and Rewards: People First, Mission Always’
• Kundra, SF officials promote Open311 API

Here’s video from yesterday’s Open311 press conference in San Francisco, including Vivek Kundra, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, SF CIO Chris Vein and O’Reilly Media’s Tim O’Reilly.

While there’s a push for citizen ideas using collaboration tools, the trend towards open analytics should be just as important, because it exposes what information real users want and where the agency should focus more of its attention. This should be standard practice for all Web/IT departments, so making this information public is as simple as posting it to the agency blog.

Deloitte has put out a video, New Media Risks and Rewards: People First, Mission Always, featuring Steve Lunceford Deloitte Senior Manager (also founder of GovTwit and co-host of Gov 2.0 Radio). Video highlights social media tips for agencies, including start small, have an executive champion, get key contacts collaborating early and focus on the mission first.

Mike Rupert, Communications Manager for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) in Washington, DC. Mike also recently started localgovchat.com and Twitter chat #localgovchat to unite local government communications professionals to share ideas.

San Francisco has selected Brightidea to power its new idea platform aimed to foster ideas from the city’s 26,000 employees. The site is located at ImproveSF.org.

The top idea will be selected for implementation with 10 other high ranking ideas recognized in an event with Mayor Gavin Newsom and get featured on SFGov.org as well as the city’s Facebook page.

John Lisle, Public Information Officer for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington, DC, shares his thoughts on leveraging social media and the value of using a little personality to connect with constituents.

A wrap-up of this week’s posts:

• Open Gov Blog Challenge: Share your ideas to get more open gov ideas
• A Peace Corps for Programmers
• Meet the hackers behind OpenGov Tracker
• €1m-plus fund for ideas to move Ireland forward
• Should government outsource long-term or crisis-related social media?
• New: ‘Fresh from: Adobe’
• Why is the Grateful Dead like USSOUTHCOM when it comes to open government?
• Introducing Sunlight Live

Adobe is our latest Fresh from contributor. First up from Adobe Government is Rob Pinkerton’s piece Why is the Grateful Dead like USSOUTHCOM when it comes to open government?

You can keep track of the latest from Adobe at adobe.govfresh.com.

My first answer to Andrea DiMaio’s Open Government Ideas Look All the Same: Are You Surprised? piece is a question:

Open Government Critiques Look All the Same: Are You Surprised?