Poor Jack, he could never get hold of me on the phone. Little surprise. We both work in construction and spend most of our day lining up work and crews, securing materials, overseeing projects out in the field, and dealing with the general problems that arise each day on a construction site. With all that,…
Government as the Surrogate Parent
Recently I read a blog about the need for the federal government to rebrand their Uncle Sam image. Well, after watching the way government at all levels is accepting more and more responsibility for fixing everyday problems faced by Americans, I think I have a suggestion. Instead of Uncle how about Dad or Mom? Why…
MuniGov 2.0 is Launched
A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Greever Wemyss (Second Life name) by a mutual friend who realized we both have an interest in local government and its use of Web 2.0 and virtual worlds. After a few discussions, we decided that we would create a Second Life group that is specifically focused on…
The Building Industry Meets Web 2.0 at Be2Camp
How can the building industry use Web 2.0 tools to enhance delivery of services and better integrate new concepts like sustainability? These are some of the questions and issues that will be discussed at the upcoming barcamp, Be2Camp, to be held at The Building Centre on Store Street in London on Oct. 10, 2008. This…
Why Do Social Networks Hate My Avatar?
Ok, I am really starting to get a complex about my avatar. For the second time this year, I have tried to join a social/business network and been told by the administrator that they don’t let people stay in their network unless a “real” photo is used in the profile. In other words, “No Avatars…
Web 2.0 and Public Works Presentation
Today, I am giving a presentation at the 2008 APWA Congress; my topic – virtual public works. My portion of the presentation will focus on the use of Web 2.0 tools in the public works and government sectors. Representatives from TEEX and World2Worlds are also participating. You can check out my presentation at this link….
First Day of APWA
Yesterday my husband and I attended the opening day of the 2008 annual APWA Congress, held this year in New Orleans. APWA always schedules outstanding speakers for their general sessions, and yesterday was no exception. Benjamin S. Carson, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon, gave an inspiring talk about taking risk and how it affects our lives….
Barcamp, social media, and pizza
Ok, the pizza in the title probably caught your attention, but the real focus of this blog will be “barcamp” since I am beginning to become more involved with this concept and thought others might be interested in hearing more about it. Not really sure how familiar the average person is with that term, but…
Institute for Geospatial Analysis & Mapping in SL
The Institute for Geospatial Analysis & Mapping (GEOMAP) showed up in Second Life late last month on Geo Island – a sim set up by Zeppo Romano for the Geography-Geology Department at Illinois State University. The Institute supports research, education, and training, and community outreach activities. This build has also been interesting to me for…
Workshop Orientation
On Wed., Aug. 20, 2008, members of the Public Works Group will be giving a presentation at the American Public Works Association (APWA) Annual Congress & Exposition in New Orleans. The presentation is a workshop to introduce other public works professionals to virtual worlds and other online Web 2.0 tools. In preparation for the workshop,…