Managing & Technology — www.ddmcd.com

Website copyright © 2002-2025 by Dennis D. McDonald. From Alexandria, Virginia I support proposal writing & management, content and business development, market research, and strategic planning. I also practice and support cursive handwriting. My email: ddmcd@ddmcd.com. My bio: here.

Technology Hasn't Given Us a "Direct Democracy" - Yet

Feb 5

Feb 5 Technology Hasn't Given Us a "Direct Democracy" - Yet

Dennis D. McDonald

Fragmentation, Governance, Internet, Local Government, Newspapers, , , Technological Literacy, Video, Web 2.0, eGovernment

Chris Cizilla’s White House Cheat Sheet: Bypassing the Media Filter is an oversimplification of the shifting role of social media in politics. He makes the usual “Obama is using social media to bypass the mainstream media to go directly to voters” comment, which I think misses the point.

Feb 4
Feb 4 Eight Reality Checkpoints for Using "New Social Media" In Government (Slides)

Dennis D. McDonald

Lists, Presentations, eGovernment

The following is a slide deck that displays the eight points made in Eight Reality Checkpoints for Using “New Social Media” In Government:

Jan 29
Jan 29 My Professional Networking Map is Updated

Dennis D. McDonald

Blogging, Community, Facebook, FriendFeed, Linkedin, Microblogging, MindMeister, Mindmapping, MySpace, , , Twitter, Web 2.0, del.icio.us

This Mindmeister “mindmap” updates my list of professional networking tools that I started here. I’ve made the following changes:

A Panel Discussion, "Internet Technology in the Obama Age"

Jan 26

Jan 26 A Panel Discussion, "Internet Technology in the Obama Age"

Dennis D. McDonald

Governance, Innovation, Local Government, Policy, Politics, , , Technological Literacy, Technology, Transition, eGovernment

The main question addressed was, given the Obama campaign’s successful use of modern web and social technologies online, what will now be done with these technologies to actually improve government?

The Best Part of Obama's Inaugural Speech

Jan 21

Jan 21 The Best Part of Obama's Inaugural Speech

Dennis D. McDonald

Governance, Innovation, Network Effects, Policy, Politics, Science, Surveys, Technology, Telecommunications, eGovernment

This was my favorite part of President Obama’s inaugural speech; I’ve emphasized what I think is the best phrase:

Jan 18
Jan 18 SURVEY: Should the U.S. Government Delay Transition to Digital TV?

Dennis D. McDonald

Surveys, Television, Wireless

By Dennis D. McDonald

Jan 17
Jan 17 Free Rides Can't Last Forever

Dennis D. McDonald

Advertising, FriendFeed, Monetization, Twitter

The “free ride” we’re getting can’t last forever. Web users can’t expect to get 100% of all content free forever, otherwise certain types of content will eventually dry up. So I think outrage about what Scoble is doing is misplaced.

Jan 12
Jan 12 My Personal Twitter Rules So Far

Dennis D. McDonald

Basics, Lists, Twitter

So far I’ve found Twitter useful for keeping in touch, for getting quick questions answered, and for announcing new blog posts. I check in a couple of times a day if I’m at my computer. Here are my personal Twitter rules so far:

Jan 11
Jan 11 Seven Technologies I Really Like

Dennis D. McDonald

Cell Phones, Lists, Subscription, Technology, Telecommunications, Wireless

OK, it’s list time. Here are some consumer technologies I really like, and why:

Jan 8
Jan 8 Apple hasn't given up DRM entirely, not by a long shot

Dennis D. McDonald

Apple, Copyright, Corruption, DMCA, DRM, iPod

Before you get too excited about Apple’s recent decision to give up DRM on its iTunes music service, be sure to read Apple Shows Us DRM’s True Colors by Richard Esquerra which appeared January 7, 2008 on Electronic Frontier Foundation’s blog. Esquerra lists all the remaining uses of “DRM” being made by Apple.

Analog to Digital Converter Box Coupons Are No Longer Available

Jan 4

Jan 4 Analog to Digital Converter Box Coupons Are No Longer Available

Dennis D. McDonald

Cable TV, Counterfeiting, Disruption, FCC, Television, YouTube, eGovernment

I’m investigating ways to give up cable television due to the expense and lack of selectivity. This morning I applied for two coupons for analog to digital converter boxes, figuring I should be ready.

How We Use Media Will Drive Development of a Real Time Web

Dec 31

Dec 31 How We Use Media Will Drive Development of a Real Time Web

Dennis D. McDonald

Convergence, Data Web, Feeds, Media, Publishing, RSS, Semantic Web, , Telecommunications, Television, communications

Why do we use media? What got me thinking about this was a recent post by Robert Scoble about the “real-time web.” Scoble’s focus was on the technical standards and processes that are evolving to support the use of the web for instantaneous two way communication.

Comments on the Federal Web Managers Council's "Putting Citizens First" White Paper

Dec 29

Dec 29 Comments on the Federal Web Managers Council's "Putting Citizens First" White Paper

Dennis D. McDonald

CRM, Customer Communication, Internet, , , Web 2.0, eGovernment

The “white paper” published by the Federal Web Managers Council in November of 2008, Putting Citizens First: Transforming Online Government. A White Paper Written for the 2008 – 2009 Presidential Transition Team, contains a series of common-sense recommendations that are clearly stated — and deceptive in their simplicity:

Eight Reality Checkpoints for Using "New Social Media" In Government

Dec 21

Dec 21 Eight Reality Checkpoints for Using "New Social Media" In Government

Dennis D. McDonald

Collaboration, Disaster Response, Ethics, FCC, Industry Analysis, Local Government, Management Tools, Patents, Policy, Privacy, Regulation, , Standards, Surveys, Technology, Web 2.0, eGovernment, sustainability

Are You Building Professional Relationships or a Publishing Platform?

Dec 16

Dec 16 Are You Building Professional Relationships or a Publishing Platform?

Dennis D. McDonald

Basics, Consolidation, Fatigue, Linkedin, Microblogging, , Twitter, Media

Years ago when I first joined Linkedin I started receiving connection requests from people I’d never met before. Some were recruiters, some were fellow IT management consultants, and some were people I would probably never meet in a million years.

Dec 15
Dec 15 Results of My December 2008 Ad Survey

Dennis D. McDonald

Advertising, Banners, Market Research, Space Travel, Surveys, Widgets

Last week I experimented with putting the following ad on the front right hand page of my web site:

Dec 9
Dec 9 Introduction: Blogging and Social Networking Basics for Professionals

Dennis D. McDonald

Basics, Blogging, Facebook, Linkedin, , , Twitter

I’ve been getting an increasing number of requests lately from friends and colleagues to explain or help with inividual blogging and professional networking practices. To help I’ve tagged a few of the entries on this web site with the category tag “basics.”