Tag Archives: munigov2.0

May 7 2010

Grab Yer Cyber Shovel and Start Diggin’! Virtual Town Begins!

Today I posted a message to the MuniGov mailing list announcing the development of our latest MuniGov collaboration project. During our last few regular group meetings, the group has finalized the scope our next venture.  We are going to immediately begin a build out of a “town” within the virtual world of Second Life.  This town is going to include several simulations and resources that will be focused on establishing a resources kit for all local governments.

The concept is simple:  we want to build a series of training simulators and tools that can be used, free of charge, by any member of the organization.  We intend to include the basic tools (conference room, auditorium/lecture hall, etc.) But we also are working on some very basic customizable tools such as a polling center, a paramedic training simulator and the like.  We even intend to build a forum for use in public meetings. This is only the beginning of what we hope will become a centralized hub of virtual world resources for all of us to share and “check out” for specific purposes within a locality.

It might sound far-fetched to consider virtual worlds as a tool for real life government business, but believe me, it isn’t new.  Many of the agencies at the federal level are using SL or other virtual worlds as a cost-effective means to conduct simulations, meetings, interviews and collaborative strategy sessions. And just this week I read an insightful article about how major corporations, like IBM, Dell and Intel are now giving virtual worlds the second look that typically indicates a technology’s staying power.

So the MuniGov organization is trying to capitalize on the richness of these virtual worlds in order to achieve some real-world results. It seems kind of silly for each of us to try to establish and experiment with our own sort of virtual world presence.  We determined it would be best to pool our resources, talents and interests into establishing a virtual “Town” that can be shared by all, since so many of our service needs at the local level are similar. We intend to build this without any funding, however we are also currently evaluating several grant opportunities that would enhance the town and speed the construction process.

At our next meeting, we will be focusing exclusively on this build-out.  I invite you to join us in SL on Wednesday, May 12th at 7PM EST/4PM PST at our new MuniGov HQ ( http://slurl.com/secondlife/Second%20Earth%204/227/30/24) so that you can be a part of this exciting new venture.  If you are new to SecondLife, no problem!  MuniGov also offers one-on-one tutotials.

I am very excited about the potential this new platform holds for us in government. I’ll be sure to provide you with regular updates via the blog and we’ll keep the info coming via our twitter stream and our Web site as well. Please leave comments if you have any questions.  I hope to see you next week!

Apr 27 2010

Technology Enables Local Governments to Collaborate

Below is a copy of an article that appeared in the Spring 2010 Government by Collaboration newsletter, a product of the GSA Office of Citizen Services and Communications. I have reprinted it in its entirety, (with permission from the GSA of course!) because I thought it was germane to my typical blog fair.  Enjoy!

By Bill Greeves and Pam Broviak
Co-founders
MuniGov2.0
Come Mix it Up With Us!

In September 2008, we were both civil servants on a mission, scanning the horizon from our work stations in city and county governments 750 miles apart, looking for better resources for government foot soldiers to take some Web 2.0 action.  We met through a mutual online colleague and discussed some great ideas via Skype and Second Life, but when we returned to our respective work in Geneva, IL and Roanoke, VA, we found it hard to find some solid resources to help us build on our ideas.  We whined about it for a little while but soon we decided that if we couldn’t find it, we’d build it! So we put our money where our mouths were, and we founded MuniGov 2.0.  MuniGov 2.0 is a coalition of federal/state /municipal and international governments focused on exploring the use and principles of Web 2.0 in an effort to improve citizen services and communication via technology.

We based the group solely on the idea that there was value to be had in collaboration, and that Web2.0 could be just the platform we needed to promote and leverage that collaboration in government.

We started the organization with a collaboration Web site using Google Sites.  Then we built a Google Groups discussion board and established a foothold in the virtual world by setting up a MuniGov HQ in Second Life. These initial efforts attracted a community of like-minded peers with a common interest in applying Web 2.0 concepts to local government. Our growing group embraced the use of these online tools and started documenting Web 2.0 resources and best practices. We welcomed ideas from around the world and opened the group up to collaboration from anyone working in or for government.  Word of mouth and some very timely media coverage did the rest.  We grew rapidly, nearly exponentially, as the demand skyrocketed for guidance and camaraderie and the journey of 2.0 use in government became commonplace.

We modeled MuniGov on the following principles to allow the group to evolve as more governments begin exploring and applying the concepts and technologies of the Web2.0 movement:

  • The more people participate in the development of the product, the more valuable it will become
  • All ideas and collaboration are welcome
  • Individual feedback and submissions will make the group a truly effective resource and create an environment in which everyone learns from each other.

These principles were enhanced with the following basic goals:

  • Become a recognized, powerful and dynamic resource for governments implementing and innovating via Web 2.0
  • Establish a strong set of virtual-world resources for government agencies
  • Coalesce into a large, active, and innovative user community
  • Seek innovation and opportunity in difficult economic times
  • Have a little fun along the way

The group continued to attract interest because Web 2.0 in government could no longer be ignored.  The Web site expanded as more and more participants shared their best practices, policies, ideas and suggestions.  The list serve started rolling with dynamic questions and answers from all areas of government.  Both of us, along with several other members of the group, began to participate in discussions, presentations and projects in work rooms, college lecture halls, and larger conferences around the globe. Using Web 2.0 tools, we were able to participate not only in-person but often virtually. Our foothold in Second Life expanded as we added free virtual offices for all member governments to use.

One Wednesday last winter, someone came up with a great idea:  why not hold a conference in Second Life? This would allow us to move past the general “wouldn’t-it-be-cool-if” discussions into providing tangible, valuable (and free!) resources to our members. There was a unanimous group decision to go for it and MuniGovCon09 was born! For several months we devoted our Wednesdays, and many more days, to pulling together a conference in Second Life. The theme of the conference was introducing Web2.0 to the government community.  Munigov members met in Second Life to plan the conference and held one-on-one planning discussions via Skype.  A collaboration site was used to share information and allow for conference registrations. Twitter, blogs, and social networks were used to help get the word out.

By the time the conference time rolled around, we had nearly 170 registrations.  And although we don’t have an exact number, we estimate that the number of attendees was actually at least double this.  Many organizations filled a real-life conference room and watched the conference on the big screen via the virtual eyes of a designated avatar.  As you’ll note from the session videos, we certainly had a fair share of technical hiccups throughout.  We knew this was inevitable, given the heavily concentrated noob herd that the conference attracted.  However, the MuniGov2.0 hosts and conference speakers showed tenacity, resourcefulness, and perseverance in working through the problems and putting on a good show.

The speakers at the event included  people from local, state, and federal government offices, as well as higher education, all of whom spoke on intriguing ideas and engaging topics relevant to Government 2.0.  We even had an interactive Q&A session that engaged the audience with a panel of government 2.0 enthusiasts focused on several social-media related topics. The speakers and their topics were well received, based on the very positive evaluations we collected.  Perhaps most importantly in these economic times, we were able to save attendees thousands of dollars in registration and travel fees to attend the enlightening sessions.  All they had to do was log-in from a computer. And there was no lost baggage, missed flights, or expensive hotel rooms associated with this conference!

Eighteen months later, MuniGov has grown to nearly 600 members from around the world, and we are happy to report significant progress towards all of our goals. We have a diverse and dedicated membership that literally spans the globe and incorporates nearly all of the functions in each level of government.  From police officers to public information officers, technology directors to elected officials, the MuniGov group and its resources have become a powerful asset to use as a resource for 2.0 research and implementations. The group has established a prolific Web presence (www.munigov.org) and meets via avatar every other Wednesday night in the virtual world of Second Life to talk shop about the policies, tools, trials, and tribulations of Government 2.0 or just government in general. We’ve accomplished all this solely thanks to the efforts of a talented and dedicated volunteer group – no budget required!

Thanks to the generosity of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, we’ve got a bigger, better home in Second Life as we also begin to explore other virtual world opportunities.  And we’ve got big plans with regards to government education and collaboration.  There is no end in sight for the future potential of government 2.0 and we hope to continue to be a valuable part of it!

Want to know more?  Give us a shout or sign-up today on the Web site, and join in the conversation and the collaboration!

About Pam

Pam is the city engineer/assistant director of public works for the city of Geneva, Ill. She has been working in the public works field and local government for 28 years. In addition to co-founding MuniGov2.0, Broviak co-hosts the Gov101radio show and manages the Public Works Group, an online resource for public works professionals. She is also serving on the Program Advisory Board for the 2nd Open Government & Innovations (OGI) Conference.

Full profile available at http://www.linkedin.com/in/pbroviak

Contact Info:

About Bill

Bill Greeves is the Director of Communications & Information Technology for the County of Roanoke, Virginia.  He has been working at the local level in Virginia government for over ten years. In addition to co-founding MuniGov2.0, Greeves blogs about his web 2.0 travels for Government Technology magazine. He was also recently named as one of Government Technology’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers for 2010.

Full profile available at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bgreeves

Contact Info:

May 28 2009

MuniGovCon’09 – A Belated Recap of a Virtually Historic Event

Well, it occurred to me this week that it has been nearly six weeks since the MuniGov2.0 group pulled off our very first organized project – MuniGovCon’09. I’d be remiss (and perhaps flogged) if I didn’t do a post on the conference and what it meant to us and the growing 2.0 movement in government. It turns out that I had to miss the conference due to a last minute family emergency, but I was there in spirit, my peeps were representin’ and we got it all on film for eternal posterity. You can view all of the speaker sessions on the MuniGov2.0 Blip.tv channel.

This was a virtual government conference held entirely in the virtual world of Second Life. The theme of the conference was introducing Web2.0 to the government realm. Based on our estimates, this conference would have cost us $165,00 (USD) to pull off in the real world. By offering it virtually, we estimate that we saved each attendee at least $1300 to attend a similar real life conference of this caliber (and we gave out the souvenir t-shirts to prove it!)

By the time the conference time rolled around, we had nearly 170 registrations. And although we don’t have an exact number, we estimate that the number of attendees was actually at least double this. Many organizations filled a real-life conference room and watched the conference on the big screen via the virtual eyes of a designated avatar. As you’ll note from the session videos, we certainly had a fair share of technical hiccups throughout. We knew this was inevitable, given the heavily concentrated noob herd that the conference attracted. However, your friendly and courteous MuniGov2.0 hosts and our speakers showed tenacity, resourcefulness and perseverance in working through the problems and still putting on a good show. And if you were in that audience – thank you for showing patience with us and thank you for being willing to help us try out this new avenue for collaboration and discussion!

Our speakers at the event were certainly well-received by the crowd. We had all levels of government and higher-education covered with intriguing ideas and engaging topics that seemed to be very popular with the audience. We even had an interactive Q&A session that engaged the audience with a panel of government 2.0 enthusiasts focused on several social media related topics. (Again – you can see all the sessions at our blip.tv site).

If you want more detail on the conference itself, I’d encourage you to take a look at Pam Broviak’s blog post about it (hers was much more timely than mine). If you are in Second Life, you can also visit the MuniGov2.0 Center to view some excellent billboards that highlight the dynamic demographics of the conference attendees. And while you’re at the center, you can take a stroll through the Technology Showcase – a virtual mini-exposition highlighting the wares and services of some of the vendor members of MuniGov including CDW-G, ActiveGovernment, Microsoft and Earth911.

During our post conference wrap-up, we gathered tremendously valuable feedback from the attendees in the form of a survey, and we documented a lengthy list of lessons learned from the MuniGov members who pulled the conference together. All of this feedback will guide us in the development of future events and gatherings to make them even more valuable for the participants. For example, we are working now on a regular schedule of Second Life Orientation sessions exclusively for government participants.

And finally, this post would not be complete without a special shout-out to the MuniGov peeps who stepped up to really make this thing happen. This conference was a culmination of the efforts of many members of the MuniGov group, without whom this would have not been possible. I would like to personally recognize my fellow ringleaders in this endeavor:

  • Barry Condrey, CIO for Chesterfield County, VA (who also stepped in to be my stunt double for the keynote when I had to unexpectedly bail at the last minute)
  • Leslie Fuentes, IT Director for Hampton, VA
  • Robert Menter, Human Resources Analyst Virginia Beach, VA
  • Lisa Nelson, Program Manager with the Intergovernmental Solutions Group of the General Services Administration
  • Jeff Jacob, Junior Applications Analyst from Nanaimo, British Columbia
  • Joe Mangano, Bus Dev Mgr, Vertical Solutions, CDW-G
  • Beck Sullivan, Manager of Interactive Communication Services, Municipal Association of South Carolina
  • Sonya Shoreman, Public Information Officer, San Diego County
  • Wayne Chronowire, Detective Sergeant, Wells, ME Lynette Shaull, Web Content Coordinator, City of Winston-Salem, NC
  • Michelle Gardner, Coordinator of Administrative Services for the John Scott Dailey Florida Institute of Government at the University of Central Florida
  • Paulette Robinson and Jim Rich and the rest of the folks from the Information Resources Management College of the National Defense University, who were gracious enough to lend us their experience and this excellent venue for the event.
  • And of course my founding partner in all this, Pam Broviak, a Public Works Director and City Engineer in IL

If you are not a member of the MuniGov group, I would encourage you to register today. Pam Broviak and I started MuniGov2.0 back in Sept of 2008 with the purpose of bringing together like-minded government people who were interested in exploring the possibilities that the tools and concepts of 2.0 could bring to us here in the public sector. I am happy to report that as of today we are over 430 members strong with a diverse membership from all levels of government in several different countries and from a dozen different disciplines! We have a very dynamic Web site, an active list serve and some very productive meetings in SL each Wed evening at 7PM EST/4PM PST. In addition to the group meetings, access to the list serv, etc. we also offer every member organization free use of the Munigov facilities, including your own customizable govpod – a virtual office that you can use as a home base while exploring SecondLife. If you are interested in membership, you can sign-up on our Web site.

Feb 12 2009

MuniGovCon’09 – The First Virtual Conference for Govt, by Govt

munigovconlogo1MuniGov2.0 Announces Virtual conference on Web2.0 Technology

MuniGov2.0 , a group of government employees who are working to promote the use of Web 2.0 technology in the work place will hold its first online conference to discuss and share ideas about the uses and applications of this new and vital tool. 

 

MuniGovCon’09 – a virtual conference will be held April 10, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PST.  MuniGovCon’09 will focus on 2.0 technology uses by government for government, and will feature speakers who will share their experiences and expertise, and discussions focusing on idea sharing.  “As far as we know, this is the very first conference of its kind,” says MuniGov co-founder Bill Greeves.  “We are very excited by both the interest in our new and growing organization, and in the many ways people are finding to put technology to productive use.”

 

Who Should Attend?

Anyone whose government organization is interested in learning more about how the tools and business methods of Web 2.0 are being used to improve governmental organizations should attend this free conference.

 

Agenda & Speakers
The half day conference will include the following speakers and topics.

 

  • “Let’s Get Together: Using 2.0 for Internal Collaboration” Jack D. Pond (SL jdpond Turbo), Chief Information Officer, Montgomery County, PA
  • “Shifting the Gears of Local Governance: Introducing Cities to Web 2.0″ Mark Faul (SL KC Titanium), Business Analyst, City of Ottawa
  • “Training Comes to You – Courtesy of Web2.0″ Bill Shields (SL Zeppo Romano), Hydrogeologist & Lecturer in Geology, Department of Geography-Geology, Illinois State University
  • “This Ain’t Rocket Science: How NASA is Using 2.0 to Become More Accessible” – Erika Vick (SL Universa Vanalten), NASA Strategic Communications Specialist
  • “There’s an Elephant in the Room: The Impact of Web2.0 at the Local Government Level” (Panel Discussion) – Presenters TBD

Venue & Participation Requirements
MuniGovCon09 will be held in Second Life™. You MUST have a Second Life account or plan to attend the meeting with someone who does. (Many localities are planning to reserve a conference room and elect one person to control the avatar interaction and serve as the eyes and ears for a larger group). Information on obtaining a Second Life account and can be found at www.secondlife.com. If you are brand new to Second Life, we also recommend you visit our Second Life Orientation section, which includes video tutorials to help you familiarize yourself with your avatar before the conference. Once we have a final headcount of attendees, we will be providing those registered with additional details on the specific location and venue within Second Life.

 

Registration
Registration for the conference is free for attendees, but our capacity is limited, so attendees are urged to register early. To register for the conference please complete our online registration form. Once registered, you will receive conference notifications including schedules for orientation sessions for new users, agenda updates, final venue details, etc. Online registration will close at Midnight on April 1, 2009.

 

Vendor Information
If there is enough interest from the vendor community, MuniGovCon’09 will host an exhibition hall in the 2.0 space where vendors may advertise their products and services.  Vendors interested in having a virtual booth should contact Pam Broviak (SL Pam Renoir) – pwg@publicworksgroup.com.
 
Questions & Information
We will be posting additional details frequently on our Web site.  Check back often for the latest updates and follow us on Twitter. For questions or assistance, please contact Leslie Fuentes (SL leslie7 Sweetwater) – lfuentes@hampton.gov.