Entry bubble Where to find us on the social Web

By: Jess | March 05, 2009 | Category: Fun

Man on computer

Back in October Joanne wrote about how the government was making inroads using social media tools to reach larger audiences. In four short months, USA.gov, GobiernoUSA.gov and Pueblo.gsa.gov, as well as many other government agencies, have made a lot of progress on the social media front.

If Twitter is your scene you can follow all three. GovGab also has a Twitter feed if you prefer getting updates on our recent posts that way. Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter as well. If you post a question to the Pueblo feed, I'm the person who will Tweet the information back to you. We also use our Twitter feeds to share all kinds of interesting government information like recall alerts or the latest on what President Obama is up to.

We also offer e-mail alerts, RSS feeds and widgets if you want to centralize all the information we provide in one place on your computer. I encourage you to check us out on which ever social media platform you prefer. If you're not currently using any form of social media, why not pick one and give it a try? It's a great chance to learn valuable information in a new a way.

If you have questions on how to get started with social media or where to find us, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll try my best to help you out.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: facebook   government   government_2.0   jess   pueblo.gsa.gov   rss_feeds   social_media   twitter   usa.gov   web_2.0  

 

Entry bubble There's Something About Mary

By: Nancy | December 18, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

As Carole King was hitting the charts in 1971 singing "You're so far away...doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?" Mary Levy, decked out in a proper pair of white gloves and eager to change the world, began her life of public service.



Nothing wrong with starting at the top. So Mary did just that, investing the first two years of her career at the White House's Office of Consumer Affairs. And as she answered consumer complaint letters from all over the country, Mary discovered her calling: to help people get the government consumer information they need to make their lives better.

In 1973, that calling led Mary to the brand new Consumer Information Center (now the Federal Citizen Information Center, home of Gov Gab and part of the General Service Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communications). Mary quickly rose in leadership at FCIC and for the last 36 years, she's proven that a lot can be accomplished by staying in one place.

Mary oversees relationships between FCIC and dozens of federal agencies to create government consumer publications. Under her developmental leadership, FCIC has distributed hundreds of millions of copies of print consumer publications, as well as online information, on topics like avoiding scams, saving and investing money, finding good health care, and getting a higher education. And through the public service advertising program that Mary oversees, media outlets have donated hundreds of millions of dollars in free ad space to let people know about pueblo.gsa.gov, USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov.

Mary's penchant for perfection is legendary (you know those English majors). Every edition of the Consumer Action Handbook and the Consumer Information Catalog, every news release and every Gov Gab entry has passed under her red pen. Everything...except today's blog entry, and everything that will come after it.

Tomorrow, Mary retires.

It's a blessing to be able to step into the next phase of your life in good health and with lots to look forward to. And with travel plans, involvement with church and family, and a garden in the DC suburbs begging for her attention, Mary has an awful lot to look forward to. Mary LevyBut you know, you can't stop a consumer education pioneer from pursuing her passion any more than you can stop a shopaholic from charging. So I don't think it'll be long until Mary finds a new venue for sharing her wisdom.

Staying in one place for so many years makes it hard to say goodbye, though. And as I've been watching Mary close out a career she cherishes in a place and with people she loves, I'm learning a lot about grace this week. And I'm feeling awfully grateful to work where we're not the stereotypical "faceless bureaucrats." I'm thankful for the relationships and for the mission to serve people that we all share here.

Congratulations, Mary. We'll miss you. And it's good to know that you won't be so far away...

| Post a Comment | View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: fcic   nancy   pueblo.gsa.gov   retirement  

 

Entry bubble Go West, Young Man!

By: Sam | December 12, 2007 | Category: Travel

Recently, I saw the movie “Into the Wild,” which is a screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s acclaimed bestseller. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from college, donates all his money to charity and heads on a journey out West.

When I read the book several years ago, I was not only struck by McCandless’ inner journey but also his outer one through the American West. It’s a part of the country that I haven’t really explored, but the spirit and scenery has always fascinated me. And seeing the breathtaking images of the Pacific Crest Trail and Denali National Park on the big screen only heightened my curiosity and sense of adventure.

If I truly wanted to “go west young man” (or lady in my case), where would I go and what would I want to see? At pueblo.gsa.gov, I found two helpful publications, National Park System Map and Guide and National Trails System Map and Guide. These full-color maps list activities at more than 300 parks, monuments, and historic sites, along with 17 national trails. They’re a great starting point for discovering all that our national parks and trails system have to offer.

Another great resource is USA.gov. Just typing “national parks” in the Search box gave me tons of quick links and images to help make my planning easier. You can find a national park by name, location, topic, or activity. This link is great for someone like me who likes to swim and hike but isn’t so into snow skiing. There’s also a link to National Register Travel Itineraries, which can take a lot of guesswork out of your planning.

Once you’re ready to explore, visit Recreation.gov to make reservations for campgrounds and tours and to buy an annual pass for national parks and federal recreational lands. If you aren’t able to take a trip sometime soon, don’t worry—you can still experience the wonder of our national parks with the National Park Service’s Soundscapes. Make sure to check out this sound clip of a bison in Yellowstone!

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: into   national   park   parks   pueblo.gsa.gov   recreation   service   the   travel   usa.gov   wild  

 

Entry bubble Commence Gabbing

By: Nancy | September 20, 2007 | Category: General

computer key labeled "blog"

I wish you could feel the energy around our office this week. It’s been a long time in the works and we’re so happy to be blogging!

Gov Gab comes to you from the U.S. General Services Administration, where the blog team’s “day jobs” all involve making it easier for people to find government-related information online through sites like USA.gov, Pueblo.gsa.gov and ConsumerAction.gov, and by phone via 1 (800) FED-INFO.

When we began thinking about creating this group blog, we didn’t realize how much would need to go into it, before writing a single word for you to read. Refining the blog’s focus, choosing software, layout and graphics, and even finding a name that worked for everybody took lots of teamwork and creativity. And it was really worth it.

So why are we entering the fray of millions and millions of blogs worldwide competing for your attention, and joining the growing list of federal agencies that are blogging? Well, we’re constantly surprised by the breadth of federal, state and local government resources that we come across in our jobs and end up using in our everyday lives. And by blogging, we can share those fantastic finds, tips and information with you on a more personal level, to help you make your own life a little easier.

I’ll see you back here every Thursday. And I know you’ll get a kick out of getting to know my blogger friends between now and then. Hope you’ll stop by every weekday to read, join in the conversation and enjoy the latest from Gov Gab.

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blogging   consumeraction.gov   gsa   nancy   pueblo.gsa.gov   usa.gov