I have come across so many interesting blogs recently that I haven't been able to stop reading them long enough to write about them. I guess I'm in input mode.
One example is Nick Mudges Technology and Government Weblog. It's irresistable. Who is Nick Mudge? He says, “I am a news editor for Government Technology. I primarily find and edit GT news, which is the news that appears on the homepage of Govtech, and goes out in the Government Technology Executive Newsletter (GTEN).”
Nick is very up close and up front. Amongst other things, he tackles the role of government bloggers and communication strategy. He makes it clear that this is all still in its infancy. (Check out this rather thin registry of government-related blogs. The exception seems to be the City of Eden Prairie in Minnesota, where everyone blogs! Can anyone explain why?)
Nick's magazine, Government Technology, is now on my must-read list. I will relay a couple of articles to help get you hooked. Besides reporting on government technology initiatives, it gives us a fascinating look behind the scenes. The writing is great, and there is real investigative reporting by writers who, like Nick, are well informed about technology and its implications.
I like reading about the nitty gritty aspects of eGovernment – check out this Digital Communities section, which includes insider perspective on how people in government are looking at digital issues like municipal wi-fi.
Nick Mudge is clearly interested in identity issues. In one piece, where he is really talking about how bloggers affect perception, he says:
Personally, I started liking Microsoft a lot more after I found and started reading Robert Scoble's blog and Kim Cameron's blog. (Kim Cameron, Microsoft's identity architect.)
As long as Kim is in control of how identity systems are developed, deployed and managed, I'll be okay with what Microsoft wants to do with identity. I got that confidence through reading Kim's blog. If you don't trust Microsoft with identity, go read Kim's blog for awhile. Send me an email about what you think afterwards.
This is an amazing example of how blogging changes things. Because of my blog, Nick understands what I'm doing, what I'm thinking, and what motivates me. Having followed my blog for a while, he has connected with the network of ideas that guide my work. The trust that has developed is based on an ongoing intellectual relationship – even though we have never met or corresponded.
And guess what? I'm going to understand a lot more about eGovernment and digital governance by having discovered Nick's site.
[tags: Government Technology, Nick Mudge, Blogging, Digital Identity]
