Our ability to store and provide access to vast amounts of information is growing. We need to focus on how such information is to be used most efficiently and most effectively.
At the same time, through careful planning and design we must avoid the expense of developing and supporting systems and websites that people do not or cannot use. In these times of fiscal austerity such an outcome would be inexcusable.
My Top Ten "Managing Technology" Posts from 2012
It’s time to reflect on the year past. Courtesy of Google Analytics I’ve ranked the Managing Technology posts I published in 2012. Here are the “top ten” based on the number of pageviews received in 2012:
Why I'm Uneasy about "Big Data" and Government Programs
I appreciate that scaling, discoverability, and innovation are all potentially enhanced when the size, variety, quality and number of data sets surrounding a particular process or function are aggregated and exposed. Jewels can become visible. Inconsistencies can be identified and resolved. Impacts can be tracked.
Panel Discussion: Transparency and the Obama Administration
On Monday Dec. 3, 2012 at the invitation of Hudson Hollister of the Data Transparency Coalition I attended the “Transparency and the Obama Administration” panel discussion on Capitol Hill in Washington DC sponsored by the Congressional Transparency Caucus.
In some ways, you might say that Google is just as secretive as Apple when it comes to customer data.
Better Org Charts Will Improve Government Agency Transparency and Accountability
Making sure that a meaningful org chart is available, precisely because it is a public statement about responsibility, might just be one of the simplest and most direct methods we have for promoting government program transparency and accountability.
What does it mean to say that something is “transparent”?
That’s easy; you can see through it, like a window let you see through a wall and into — or out of — a room.
What does it mean for a government program to be “transparent”?
Forget “Best Practices.” Think “Best People” Instead.
A major assumption is that “practices” needing improvement will actually stand still long enough to be measured, modeled, compared, then improved. That may not be a good assumption to make.
Data Cleanup, Big Data, Standards, and Program Transparency
Mary Shacklett’s 10 Roadblocks to Implementing Big Data Analytics will be familiar to anyone experienced with large data conversion or database construction projects:
What Makes a Government Program "Transparent"?
What makes a government program “transparent”? I’ve been thinking about this while researching my framework for transparency program planning and assessment. Here are criteria to use when designing, modifying, or assessing a program’s “transparency”:
A Framework for Transparency Program Planning and Assessment
I support the practice of transparency for government programs. People need to know and understand how their tax dollars are spent. At the same time, transparency is not an end in itself.
The "Open Movement" Continues: Big Pharma Company Opens Up Access to Clinical Trial Data
I was serious when I suggested it would be to Apple’s advantage to open up to the public on how it is repairing its Maps app problem.
More Thoughts on Linkedin's One-Click Skill Endorsements
While I like the granularity of endorsing for specific skills, I also have concerns about the validity of the data given the lack of control over how the data are generated, analyzed, and used.
My Thumbs are Mixed on Linkedin's New Skill Endorsements
I have mixed feelings about Linkedin’s new skill endorsements.
What’s next for Apple, now that Tim Cook has apologized for the new Maps app and has suggested alternate or competing products to use while things get fixed?
What Does "Open Access" Mean, Really?
Having devoted part of my career to electronic publishing systems for scientific and technical publishing I’ve tried to follow the “Open Access” movement, but I have never quite understood what “Open Access” means.
Progress On Open and Collaborative Project Management
My friend Dave Witzel posted an article titled 12 Leadership Lessons of Internet Pioneers in which he summarizes the findings of a recent report he did for IBM’s Center for the Business of Government, Designing Open Projects: Lessons from Internet Pioneers.
Why I'm Avoiding Google+ Today
But I think I’m going to avoid Google+ today. Apple is announcing new products.
I’ve really enjoyed using my iPhone for web access, basic communications, and social media such as Google+, Twitter, and Linkedin. I’ve found the user interfaces and resulting user experience for many such smartphone apps tend to be simpler and more straightforward than the web versions. Increasingly I find myself actually preferring the smartphone experience over the web experience.
I was disappointed to see the Nexus 7 tablet ad on Google Search yesterday.