Using Gov 2.0: Collaboration, Communication, and Credibility

Government agencies must maintain their credibility and account for their funding.  It is at least in part to address these needs that  government agencies traditionally act as the gatherer, developer, arranger, and distributor of information for all parties it contacts, acting as the supervisor in a top-down communications structure. However, in today’s increasingly participatory information ecosystem, such one-way, controlled, exclusive communication strategies are losing their impact. The commercial and private sectors have learned that organizational communication is more effective when it is an authentic, inclusive, transparent, user-driven dialogue. Government agencies can leverage these leading practices to engage their partners and the public while still maintaining credibility and accountability.
The Communities of Practice Program (CoPP) at CDC, located within the National Center for Public Health Informatics in the Division of Alliance Management and Consultation, has taken a lead in advancing collaboration between CDC and its partners through supporting the development of communities of practice. At the end of the first year of the program, the CoPP is deepening its collaborative network through the use of Web 2.0 philosophy and technology platform solutions into government applications – Gov 2.0. This collaborative network will provide value to individual community members, knowledge domains, participating organizations, PHIN, NHIN, and the larger public health community. These opportunities and advancements will provide CDC and the Public Health Partners that together form PHIN with synergies, knowledge sharing, and technical solutions within and across their organizations and jurisdictions.