Government Web 2.0: Overcoming Your Roadblocks

1. Government Web 2.0: Overcoming Your Roadblocks

2. Number One Reason someone will tell you NO: • They don’t understand Web 2.0 or what you’re trying to do. • Where are the roadblocks? • IT • Legal • Privacy • Public Affairs • Records Management • Upper Management Roadblocks for Web 2.0

3. 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 bureaucracy’s 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 At the same time, the new staff chafed at strict online security rules and struggled with outdated computers and software.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/wmspage.cfm?docID=weeklyreport-000003052467 Everyone’s Feeling the Pain

4. Leadership Support Persistence Education Regular Communications No Fear Thick Skin Little Victories Along the Way So How Did TSA Do It?

5. IdeaFactory – launched in April 2007 to empower TSA’s 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. TSA’s Internal Web 2.0 - IdeaFactory

6. IdeaFactory

7. “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 ideason improving TSA; it is not an open-forum for complaints.” Stated Purpose of the IdeaFactory

8. 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 Another’s Ideas • Submissions Become TSA Property • No Unsolicited Proposals • No Endorsements – Comments that appear to constitute endorsements of commercial products or services will be • removed.  IdeaFactory Terms of Use

9. 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. • 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 employee’s 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 employee’s access to the IdeaFactory site will be suspended for two months.  IdeaFactory Terms of Use, cont’d.

10. Building and Rating Ideas

11. 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. IdeaFactory Maintenance Challenges

12. 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 External Web 2.0: TSA Blog

13. External Web 2.0 – TSA Blog

14. 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 Blog Requirements

15. “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.” Blog Comment Policy

16. Infrequent flyer said... • Wow, reading this blog actually makes me think that TSA might know what they're doing. • February 11, 2008 9:43 PM Blogging Benefits

17. 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 Another Way to Blog: Stakeholders

18. 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 doesn’t 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. Blog Approach

19. You have the President on your side. Educate and bring your roadblocks along to your point of view. Be friendly, not confrontational. But don’t 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). Web 2.0 Next Steps