Government Technology - September 2007 - (Page 12)

the last mile Group Publisher: DON PEARSON dpearson@govtech.com EDITORIAL BY C HA D VA NDER VEEN TECHNOLOGY AND POLITICS EDITOR Editor: Associate Editor: Assistant Editor: Chief Copy Editor: Managing Editor: Justice Editor: Technology and Politics Editor: Staff Writers: Contributing Writers: Editorial Assistant: DESIGN STEVE TOWNS stowns@govtech.com SHANE PETERSON speterson@govtech.com JESSICA JONES jjones@govtech.com MIRIAM JONES mjones@govtech.com KAREN STEWARTSON kstewartson@govtech.com JIM MCKAY jmckay@govtech.com CHAD VANDER VEEN cvanderveen@govtech.com ANDY OPSAHL, TAMARA WARTA MERRILL DOUGLAS, CHANDLER HARRIS, PATRICK MICHELS, CORINE STOFLE CORTNEY TOWNS ctowns@govtech.com The Net Generation Creative Director: Graphic Designers: Illustrator: Production Director: Production Manager: Internet Director: PUBLISHING KELLY MARTINELLI kmartinelli@govtech.com CRYSTAL HOPSON chopson@govtech.com MICHELLE HAMM mhamm@govtech.com JOE COLOMBO jcolombo@govtech.com TOM MCKEITH tmckeith@govtech.com STEPHAN WIDMAIER swidm@govtech.com JOEI HEART jheart@govtech.com JUDE HANSEN jhansen@govtech.com G overnment technology is in dire straits. No, not the magazine. It’s the technology situation government finds itself in right now. The problem is that there are tens of millions of kids, teens and young adults who are, or soon will be, entering the work force — private sector and public. These are people who were born into technology. To them the Internet isn’t a novelty; it’s as elemental to their lives as oxygen. Therefore it’s critical that government understand what these people want and how they think. As a person still on the good side of 30, I will try to help you do just that. for students to reach out to one another and share news with other “Farkers.” Or take Paris Hilton. Within minutes of the media’s descent on her home as she returned to jail, these community sites were furiously churning out witty, cruel, inane and intelligent comments on the state of our justice system. When we talk and write about government technology, we often blather on about service delivery, citizen-facing services, etc. And while countless agencies have rolled out useful and functional applications for citizens, the type of services Fark and other sites offer are what the next generation finds valuable. VP Strategic Accounts: VP Bus. Development: Sr. Director of Sales: JON FYFFE jfyffe@govtech.com TIM KARNEY tkarney@govtech.com EAST PAM FYFFE pfyffe@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL EAST SHELLEY BALLARD sballard@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL Regional Sales Directors: LESLIE HUNTER lhunter@govtech.com Account Managers: KRISTA O’SULLIVAN kosullivan@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL MELISSA CANO mcano@govtech.com EAST ERIN HUX ehux@govtech.com WEST, CENTRAL ANDREA KLEINBARDT akleinbardt@govtech.com SHANNON DURHAM sdurham@govtech.com NANCY GLASS nglass@govtech.com SABRINA SHEWMAKE sshewmake@govtech.com WHITNEY SWEET wsweet@govtech.com Director of Marketing: National Sales Administrator: Regional Sales Administrators: Dir. of Custom Events: Custom Events Coordinator: Custom Publications Associate Editor: “Gen X, Y Z, Millennials — whatever , you choose to call them — find their sense of community online.” To begin, answer this question: Have you ever visited, or even heard of, these Web sites: Flickr, Digg, IMDB, del.icio.us, Fark, Slashdot, Something Awful, YTMND, I-Mockery or Fazed? If not, you’re neglecting the epicenter of the Internet-as-a-community phenomenon. These are the sites where tens of thousands of people get their news and share their experiences. Here, the mainstream media isn’t a source of information — it’s the subject of ridicule. For example, in the hours following the Virginia Tech shootings — with the school’s Web site overtaxed and cable media scrambling to report anything — many netizens turned to Fark.com. Mostly Fark is a site where people post amusing news and give each story their own outlandish headline, on which other members may comment. But on April 16, user comments went from silly to serious, and the Web site acted as a tool You’ve no doubt heard of YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. But have you ever been to those sites? While I am a staunch anti-MySpace-ite (I can’t stand the visually crippling site design or the meaningless banter), I recognize the value users derive from the site — the value of community. Gone are the days of traditional community. Gen X, Y, Z, Millennials — whatever you choose to call them — find their sense of community online. It’s at these virtual meeting places that tomorrow’s elected officials will share feelings, express opinions and exchange information. Just as they don’t care about old media — routinely lambasting CNN, Fox News and Katie Couric — they don’t feel connected to old government. Government exists to serve the community. So it’s important that government not only understand this new online community, but also find a way to integrate into it. Custom Events Manager: LANA HERRERA lherrera@govtech.com KARIN PRADO kprado@govtech.com Dir. of Custom Publications: STACEY TOLES stoles@govtech.com EMILY MONTANDON emontandon@govtech.com GLENN SWENSON gswenson@govtech.com SARAH LIX slix@govtech.com Business Development Director: Publisher’s Executive Coordinator: Director of Web Products and Services: VIKKI PALAZZARI vpalazzari@govtech.com Web Services Manager: PETER SIMEK psimek@govtech.com Proj. Coordinator, Web Products and Services: Creative Web Administrator: Subscription Coordinator: CORPORATE MICHELLE MROTEK mmrotek@govtech.com JULIE DEDEAUX jdedeaux@govtech.com GOSIA USTASZEWSKA subscriptions@govtech.com CEO: Executive VP: Executive VP: CAO: CFO: VP of Events: DENNIS MCKENNA dmckenna@govtech.com DON PEARSON dpearson@govtech.com CATHILEA ROBINETT crobinet@centerdigitalgov.com LISA BERNARD lbernard@govtech.com PAUL HARNEY pharney@govtech.com ALAN COX acox@govtech.com Government Technology is published by e.Republic Inc. Copyright 2007 by e.Republic Inc. All rights reserved. Government Technology is a registered trademark of e.Republic Inc. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. Article submissions should be sent to the attention of the Managing Editor. Reprints of all articles in this issue and past issues are available (500 minimum). Please direct inquiries to Reprint Management Services (RMS): Attn. Angie Van Gorder at (800) 360-5549 ext.176 or . Subscription Information: Requests for subscriptions may be directed to Circulation Director by phone or fax to the numbers below. You can also subscribe online at . 100 Blue Ravine Rd. Folsom, CA 95630 Phone: (916) 932-1300 Fax: (916) 932-1470 SEPT_07 12 PRINTED IN THE USA http://Fark.com http://www.govtech.com http://www.govtech.com http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - September 2007

Contents Point of View Big Picture ESRI Insert The Last Mile GT Spectrum Profile Nuclear Revival Way Back Machine Intel Insert Tale of TIERS Joining Forces Saving Seniors Site Seeing Quarter Miles Two Cents Products Signal: Noise Digital Communities Contents Our Road Ahead Course of Action Shared Interests Special Report: Foundation for the Future Using Wireless to Save Lives Smart Grids for Energy Conservation Community Governing and Wizards

Government Technology - September 2007

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