1. Government Executive:  GovernmentExecutive.com is government’s business news daily and the premier Web site for federal managers and executives. Government Executive in its print incarnation is a biweekly business magazine serving senior executives and managers in the federal government’s departments and agencies. Our subscribers are high-ranking civilian and military officials who are responsible for defending the nation and carrying out the many laws that define the government’s role in our economy and society.  Government Executive’s essential editorial mission is to cover the business of the federal government and its huge departments and agencies – dozens of which dwarf the largest institutions in the private sector. We aspire to serve the people who manage these huge agencies and programs in much the way that Fortune, Forbes, and Business Week serve private-sector managers.
2. Washington Technology:  Washington Technology is the brand for government contractors, systems integrators, and solution providers. For more than a quarter century, government systems integrator and solution provider management has relied on Washington Technology’s coverage for the key issues facing contractors: government initiatives and their effect on spending priorities and RFPs, procurement regulatory changes, technology evaluation and analysis for proposal preparation, as well as merger & acquisition news, business trends, and arrivals and departures within the government integrator community.
3. Federal News Radio:  Federal News Radio covers both the Federal Government and those who do business with the government concentrating on management, procurement, technology, security, policy and pay & benefits. Federal News Radio features the talents of some of the best federal minds in the industry. Starting the day off it’s “The Federal Drive” weekday mornings with Tom Temin and Amy Morris. Then, tune in for “In-Depth with Francis Rose” middays Monday through Friday. Keeping you company on your afternoon commute is “The DorobekInsider” with Chris Dorobek. Add to that veteran reporters Jason Miller, Max Cacas and Mike Causey (the ONLY place to read and hear Mike Causey every day) and Federal News Radio is a one-stop, up-to-the-minute source of news and information. Federal News Radio’s mission is to untangle the complex world of the business of government and build a sense of federal community by looking at lessons learned, best practices and exploring and talking to the people themselves who make the government work. We interview policy makers and government contractors one-on-one to explain, in their own words, how their news affects federal agencies. FederalNewsRadio.com is your source for federal news…now.
4. Nextgov:  Nextgov.com provides news, interaction and research for government and contractor executives and managers in the information technology community. Our readers are high-ranking civilian and military officials who are responsible for providing IT support to those who defend the nation and carry out the many laws that define the government’s role in our economy and society. Nextgov.com’s essential editorial mission is to cover the IT and business processes that the federal government deploys to meet agency missions — dozens of which dwarf the largest institutions in the private sector. We aspire to serve the people who manage these huge agencies and programs in much the way that large consumer and business-to-business technology magazines serve private-sector managers.
5. Government Computer News (GCN):  GCN is the IT brand for federal and state and local government IT professionals who are directly involved with the acquisition and implementation of technology products, services and systems. A technology source for government, GCN focuses on how to buy, build and manage the technologies that run government. It covers how government agencies integrate, implement and manage technology; technology developments that impact IT programs, projects, purchasing and compliance issues; and the tools, products and solutions required to achieve agency missions. The popular GCN Labs put hardware, software and peripherals through the paces, providing expert analysis, laboratory tests, performance reviews and product briefs.
6. Federal Soup:  FederalSoup.com is a free online community of forums dedicated to serving the information needs of active and retired federal employees. FederalSoup.com provides users with a place to chat about news and current events. It also facilitates an environment for discussion and information exchange on the ins-and-outs of federal employee benefits, financial/retirement planning and career planning/development.
7. Government Video:  Our stories — and readers — reflect the diversity of the government video market, including state and local government, law enforcement, and federal agencies. Don’t worry, we’ve got the men and women in uniform, too. Only GV is dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of video professionals in the public service each and every month. GV magazine is part of the same company that produces the annual Government Video & Technology Expo in Washington, DC. We also publish the GVExpo Daily News.
8. GovLoop:  GovLoop is the “Facebook for Government” – the premier social network connecting over 30,000 government innovators from federal, state, and local government. The community is a great resource for all people in and around government, whether they are looking to connect with peers, collaborate on projects or discover career-building opportunities. GovLoop is the place to be for today’s government leaders.
9. Young Government Leaders (YGL):  YGL is a professional organization of men and women employed by or for the government who are “young” in their service and/or “fresh” in their perspective. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and transform the current and future leaders of government. Our membership consists of over 1800 (and counting) young feds at almost 30% of the approximately 435 U.S. departments and agencies. Our organization is committed to serving as a coordinated voice for the current and future generations of young government leaders by providing a community of leadership through professional development activities, networking opportunities, social events, seminars, fellowships, and scholarships.
10. Federal Daily:  Over the past half-century we have published and sold more than six million copies of the Federal Employees Almanac to America’s civil servants, helping them navigate an increasingly complex maze of federal protocols, regulations and opportunities. The volume’s success continues to demand consistent, reliable news reporting to help federal workers understand government regulations, recognize their rights and obligations, keep abreast of the major and minor changes affecting their jobs and get all the benefits due them. Lately, quick change has been the order of the day for our country, for our government and for our federal work force. The writers and publishers of Federal Employees News Digest, the Federal Employees Almanac and FederalDaily.com strive to keep you, our customers, up to date and fully informed on the events and actions that matter to you. We are grateful to you, our readers, for your continued patronage. We welcome your suggestions on how we can continue to serve you better, how we can remain the premier source of federal news for federal workers. We thank you for your business and will continue to do all we can to merit the trust the federal employee puts in us and in our products.

There’s a lot more out there but these publications, web sites and forums are a good place to start.  Good luck!

When we first embarked on this path, we did some research and also wrote an action plan (something we always do for our clients), which served as our playbook going forward.  I’m proud to say that we’ve instituted most of the suggestions in our own internal guide and some that are outside of it (for example, we’ll be painting the roof white, which not only reflects 98% of the sun that hits it but also has the added bonus of extending the natural life of the roof…resulting in less expense and less waste).

As I was reviewing the guide yet again, I thought it might be a good idea to share it with the world…so here it is…attached to this blog post.  Enjoy…and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

It’s Easy Being Green! Recommendations for the Greening of Mind & Media

By using music, graphics, and fast-paced cuts, MTV has been credited with shortening a generation’s attention span.  Do you agree with that assessment?

Lauren Lazin’s answer (and I’m paraphhrasing) is that this is a chicken-and-egg question.  In her opinion, the audience at the time was actually demanding faster-paced cuts because simply put, they had the capacity to absorb and process more information more quickly and furthermore, they actually desired that the information be presented that way (whether they knew it or not).  And I agree.  I believe that MTV and CNN were simply reacting to the zeitgeist of the moment.

With today’s growing list of new social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Friendster and Squidoo, plus hundreds of blogs and Ning sites popping up all over the place, plus smart phones and IM (and I could go on) it might seem as though an entire generation’s attention span has been shortened and segmented even further. But what does this mean?  The implication in the question above is that this is a bad thing but I don’t agree.  I simply think that this is the way that a whole new generation of people want to engage with media.  I simply believe that it’s the current zeitgeist.  What do you think?

I told them that there are many advantages to being part of Facebook. It gives you the opportunity to connect with people you may not have seen or spoken to in years: long lost high school buddies, college friends, business associates, folks you met in passing. It gives you the chance to share pictures, share your ideas, see what other people are up to with their careers, their families, and their projects. It also gives you the opportunity to become part of the new Web 2.0 dynamic, which is an extremely powerful way to connect with the world around you.

I also told them that it’s useful for those in business. It gives you the opportunity to be part of the new information-exchange dynamic . . . allows you to recruit in a meaningful way . . . allows you to connect to others who can answer questions or help in unexpected ways.

I explained also that users have the ability to control what people see and therefore protect privacy and to control how much time they spend (as little or as much as they’re personally comfortable with). Users also have the ability to control who is part of their network.

I told them how my father, a 67-year-old, super-conservative guy who traditionally has found the new media reasonably intimidating, is now using Facebook to communicate with his kids and share photos of his great grandchildren and his hunting and fishing trips. “Your father comes home from walks,” my mother told me recently, “and rushes upstairs to the computer to see what’s new.” I think she and Dad are as surprised about this as I am. As surprised as I am that I enjoy Facebook so much and find it so valuable.

As I explained all this, I discovered that I really couldn’t capture the essence of this Web 2.0 tool or why it’s so intriguing. I think it has to do with how easy it is to really share information and insights with those you care about in a way that was impossible or unheard of in the past. And I think people truly like to share who they are and learn about others that they care about. Until you try it, it’s difficult to realize what you’ve been missing, in an era when we can go for years without seeing or hearing from people who matter to us.

I’m not the only one who ever felt this way. My brother said to me the other day, “It seems like everyone I know is trying to connect when all I’m trying to do is disconnect.” And I’ve seen countless executives my age and older who seem to tune out, eyes growing dim and distant, when conversations come up about streaming media, Facebook, and Web 2.0.

As President of Mind and Media and partner to a major New Media Believer, I decided that I had to change in order to effectively represent what Mind and Media stands for. So during the last three months, I joined LinkedIn, joined Facebook, created my own blog, began commenting on other blogs, started sharing pictures on line, and self-published using sophisticated online services and tools readily available and easy to learn. And I must say, that while I complained heavily about it at the outset, I have discovered the great benefits involved in this new media, even for someone like me — a forty something who values her privacy, time, and solitude.

Far from being a time waster, this new media has reached a point in its transparency and ease of use that it enables my creativity, allows me to elevate my level of output, and ensures that I stay connected with various networks in ways that are meaningful.

To transform our agencies, communities, and companies, key leaders, many whom are Baby Boomers and Luddites like me, need to embrace the new collaborative tools now so readily available, and in the months ahead I’ll be sharing my insights and discoveries as a way to hopefully inspire others to explore the new media as I have done.

The nominees for the 2007 Webbys (like the Oscars but for websites) have been announced and posted online. Check ‘em out and let me know who you think should win and why….

Visiting my parents not long ago, I dug up the old 8-track player I had as a kid. As luck would have it, I also found a couple

favorite tapes: Billy Joel’s 52nd Street and KISS’ Double Platinum. There was no question that I had to bring the player to work.

Back at the office, I plugged in that player for the first time in almost 26 years, and it lit up like the past quarter-century hadn’t even happened. I decided to roll the dice and put in the Billy Joel album. On came “Big Shot” and there I was, tapping my foot and singing the lyrics.

That’s when it hit me again: It’s the message, not the medium! It didn’t matter if it was on an iPod or an 8-track. Of course, it was pretty awesome that my beloved player was still rocking.

If you want to know more about the 8-track medium, check out 8-Track Heaven.