More Than a #Gov20 Moment

On Memorial Day 2008, Steve Ressler, a 28 year-old US Department of Homeland Security employee launched GovLoop as the “Facebook for government.” His goal was simple: create a space for the millions of government employees to connect and collaborate. I joined as soon as I learned about it and was struck by the energy and eagerness of people in and around government to share ideas and information regarding their common challenges and success stories. Right around Memorial Day of this year, GovLoop crossed the 10,000 member mark and the site has nearly doubled again in just four months to more than 18,000 members.

Today, we celebrate another important milestone in the life of the GovLoop community as it announces a new relationship with GovDelivery, the world’s leading provider of government-to-citizen communication solutions. GovLoop and GovDelivery have been active, vital members of the Government 2.0 movement – a push to make government more open, transparent and participatory. Yet today is more than a magnificent #Gov20 moment.

To the outside observer, GovLoop may appear to be just a cool social network that connects young, tech-savvy public servants to one another. In fact, the typical member on GovLoop most likely had limited previous social media experience before joining and the average age is closer to 40 than 20. Yes, there are scores of groups, discussion forums and blog posts that address some facet of social media, but the site is also the staging ground for groups of people that want to give hundreds of dollars in micro-loans to Kiva entrepreneurs, improve government acquisition, and leave a legacy for the next generation of public servants as mentors.

GovLoop is an essential resource for all government employees who need just-in-time access to knowledge and information. For many public servants and the private counterparts that come alongside them, GovLoop has become the place where they can find ready responses to the questions that arise on the job. It’s the perpetual conference – the space where people can go between training and events to continue their face-to-face conversations – that accelerates the replication of best practices across government at every level.

As GovLoop and GovDelivery join forces, it’s a clear sign that the the Government 2.0 movement is maturing, but it’s also an important moment for the millions of people in and around government who have yet to discover a key resource that will help them to perform their vital public roles more efficiently and effectively. If you know someone who is not yet a member, please encourage them to join!