[LINK] USDAFoodSafety is using Twitter.

[Marghanita da Cruz]

grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, Jan Whitaker wrote:
> 
>> At 09:24 AM 30/03/2009, Stilgherrian wrote:
>>> 'I do not consider myself old fashioned,
>>> but...'
>> Yeah, I can relate, Rachel. I'm also not a twit. Most days I think
<snip>
> Heh - likewise.
> 
> Yet, I find it critical to have a computer that is more powerful 
> than I will ever use all at one time, plus using cutting edge 
> OS (Solaris 10) and the toolkits that come with it.  And in 
> sysadmin world, I get to try all the latest high end stuff every month.
> 
> But the reality is somewhere a line has to be drawn where 
> you can only really get on top of some of the branches in
> technology, not all.
> 
> I guess what has happened is I've had to forgo the commodity 
> user experience as I take on the high end - I don't mean to 
> sound snobbish but that is the only way I can describe it. 
> It all eats just too many cycles...
> 
> The same is probably true of people like RickW and so on.
> 
> Twitter and social networking etc is just something I can't 
> put those extra cycles into, when I already have a full online 
> life and a real one too ;)
> 

As an aside, the Power Outage in Sydney, took me out of the loop of this discussion.
...this is the first item Google returned on the topic
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/418907/1/.html>

What I find amazing about Twitter, facebook, linkedin, bebo ....google maps,
google mail/aps... not to mention the myriad of electronic billing systems is
that they are so similar to the old closed corporate (organisational) systems. I
was the System Manager/Evangelist for DEC All-in-1/office automation (1988/9)
("old fart stuff brings back some memories" -GH). It seems single sign-on is still
the great challenge . Though our email addresses have now become our identity.
Also the whole discussion about social capital, communication networks etc are
not new either...

> "Sun Tzu notes,
> that superior commanders succeed
> in situations where ordinary people fail
> because they obtain more timely information
> and use it more quickly."
<http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/intro-as8015-1.shtml>

But getting back to the Government use perhaps we need to look at the new FOI
laws and the Transparency discussions in the US and Australia. The best way to
streamline FOI is to publish all info - that would be available under FOI.

> The Australian Government announced as part of its 2007 election policies that it would reform the Commonwealth Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) with the principal objects of promoting a pro-disclosure culture across the Government and building a stronger foundation for more openness in government.
<http://www.pmc.gov.au/consultation/foi_reform/index.cfm>

> In the spirit of transparency, Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, asked us to pass along this update on the President?s Executive Order on Ethics:
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/03/10/Ethics-Update/>

> The trial run of Open for Questions has wrapped up with the President answering several of the most popular questions during a special online town hall.
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/>

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance
Phone: (+61)0414 869202