Government Web 2'0: Overcoming Your Roadblocks

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Government Web 2.0 Overcoming Your Roadblocks
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Roadblocks for Web 2.0

• Number One Reason someone will tell you NO
• They dont understand Web 2.0 or what youre
  trying to do.
• Where are the roadblocks?
• IT
• Legal
• Privacy
• Public Affairs
• Records Management
• Upper Management

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Everyones Feeling the Pain
Futurist Information Underload By Mark
Stencel CQ Weekly, February 14, 2009 Some
roadblocks are substantial The terms of
service on commercial sites that ordinary users
might click right past are often at odds with
what federal agencies can legally accept.
Procurement laws possibly limit how the
government may use free online tools, while other
rules constrain how officials may collect
feedback and track online behavior. Technological
and managerial concerns include fears that
giving federal workers less fettered Web access
will create security vulnerabilities and sap the
bureaucracys limited network bandwidth. And
perception problems abound, from posting
government information on sites that display
advertising to worries that employees will waste
time friending college roommates and old
flames. on Jan. 20, the White House Web site
rebooted with a prominent blog. At the same time,
the new staff chafed at strict online security
rules and struggled with outdated computers and
software. It is kind of like going from an Xbox
to an Atari, spokesman Bill Burton told The
Washington Post. http//www.cqpolitics.com/wmspa
ge.cfm?docIDweeklyreport-000003052467
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So How Did TSA Do It?
Leadership Support Persistence Education Regula
r Communications No Fear Thick Skin Little
Victories Along the Way
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TSAs Internal Web 2.0 - IdeaFactory

• IdeaFactory launched in April 2007 to empower
  TSAs workforce to improve security and business
  operations.
• More than 20 new programs, initiatives
  or changes in Standard Operating
  Procedures implemented to date.
• Created online community that
  enabled employees nationwide to talk to each
  other and opened lines of communication between
  field and HQ.

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IdeaFactory
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Stated Purpose of the IdeaFactory
The IdeaFactory is a Web-based tool designed to
enable innovation and organizational
collaboration within the agency. This should be
accomplished through user submission of ideas
that can result in the creation of national
programs or initiatives, changes in the Standard
Operation Procedures, or local practices. The
IdeaFactory is a special forum for the submission
of ideas on improving TSA it is not an
open-forum for complaints.
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IdeaFactory Terms of Use

• TSA IdeaFactory Terms of Use - Highlights
• No posting of unprofessional, false, misleading,
  profane, or defamatory material. Posts that
  include
• threatening, harassing or confrontational
  content a suspected or actual breach of
  transportation security or other
• serious matters will be reported to appropriate
  authorities for action.
• Employees are accountable for the statements they
  make and the views they express.
• Use of the IdeaFactory is limited to TSA
  employees and contractors who are logging on to
  the TSA intranet
• through networked TSA computers or personal
  computers using the TSA Virtual Private Network
  (VPN). 
• TSA employees must safeguard and handle
  appropriately all SSI and other sensitive but
  unclassified information.
• No Classified, Privacy Act-protected, and
  proprietary or procurement sensitive information
  can be posted. 
• No Taking Credit for Anothers Ideas
• Submissions Become TSA Property

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IdeaFactory Terms of Use, contd.

• No Use for Submission of Claims - The IdeaFactory
  may not be used for the submission of any claim,
  demand,
• informal or formal complaint, or any other form
  of legal and/or administrative notice or process,
  or for the
• exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative
  remedy. 
• No Limitations on Use by TSA - TSA does not
  guarantee that material submitted to the
  IdeaFactory will be used
• for the purposes intended by the submitter. 
  Matter submitted to this website becomes the
  property of TSA upon
• submission and TSA may use it for any lawful
  purpose. 
• No Guarantee of Reply - The IdeaFactory is not a
  way to enter into a dialogue with TSA officials
  it is intended as
• a mechanism for employees to exchange ideas and
  propose solutions.
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• No TSA Liability for Comments of Others - TSA
  does not guarantee or warrant that any
  information posted by its
• employees on the IdeaFactory information is
  correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss
  or damage resulting
• from reliance on any such information. 
• Terms of Use Violation - If an employees
  submission violates the Terms of Use, his or her
  posting will be
• removed from the site by the IdeaFactory
  moderator.  The moderator will also send a
  notification email to the
• employee indicating why the posting was removed.
  After two violations, the employee will receive
  an e-mail notice warning him/her that a third
  violation will result in a two month suspension
  of access to the site.  After three violations,
  the employees access to the IdeaFactory site
  will be suspended for two months. 

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Building and Rating Ideas
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IdeaFactory Maintenance Challenges

• Demonstrate to employees that management is
  participating on the tool and using information.
• Solution Senior management comments
• Demonstrate results and that action is taken.
• Solution recognize winners and ideas
• Build buy-in and maintain interest from
  offices in TSA and have them participate on
  review panel to push ideas from posting to
  implementation.

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External Web 2.0 TSA Blog

• www.tsa.gov/blog - linked on www.tsa.gov
• Engage the public, debunk myths, explain the
  why of security, humanize workforce
• Launched in January 2008
• More than 2,000 comments in first three days
  most posts get 50-100 comments each
• In Technorati top 7,000

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External Web 2.0 TSA Blog
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Blog Requirements

• Convince the skeptics and cover your bases
  (legal, IT security, etc.)
• Recruit appropriate staffing
• Develop a strategy
• Be responsive
• Be authentic and transparent
• Write to the blog reader, not the blog commenter

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Blog Comment Policy
This is a moderated blog, and TSA retains the
discretion to determine which comments it will
post and which it will not. We expect all
contributors to be respectful. We will not post
comments that contain personal attacks of any
kind refer to Federal Civil Service employees by
name contain offensive terms that target
specific ethnic or racial groups, or vulgar
language. We will not post comments that are
spam, are clearly off topic or that promote
services or products.TSA does not endorse,
support or otherwise promote any private or
commercial entity or the information, products or
services contained on those Web sites that may be
reached through links on our Web site.
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Blogging Benefits
Infrequent flyer said... Wow, reading this blog
actually makes me think that TSA might know what
they're doing. February 11, 2008 943 PM
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Another Way to Blog Stakeholders

• In September 2008, TSA launched another blog to
  enhance communications with and among federal,
  state and local transportation and security
  agencies who use federal grant money to secure
  U.S. surface transportation systems (mass
  transit, rail, ports, etc.)
• Promotes transparency in grants process
• Shares best practices and answers questions
• Blog is housed on secure web board, which
  allows stakeholders to speak candidly about
  risk and strategy

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Blog Approach
IT - find the right IT people who understand Web
2.0. They worked IT security issues and built
the tool. Legal - asked them to write the
comment policy, ask them to review posts as
needed, and then ask them to blog. Privacy use
tool that doesnt require people to register on
our site Public Affairs show value of blogging
(kill media stories, correct myths will all the
facts.) Records Management met to explain the
blog and craft a policy that reflects how
blogging works.
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Web 2.0 Next Steps
You have the President on your side. Educate and
bring your roadblocks along to your point of
view. Be friendly, not confrontational. But
dont give up. Find bloggers around you and show
that your employees, stakeholders and the public
are already blogging and your agency is not
currently part of the conversation. (work at
TSA on Google).