OSeptember 7th and 8th, some of the most engaged, creative and innovative minds will converge at the Grand Hyatt in Washington DC for the 2010 Gov 2.0 Summit. Last year was O’Reilly Media’s first Gov 2.0 Summit and this year the event will no doubt beat even the heightened expectations.
Speakers include government officials from the NSA, GAO, White House and more as well as a incredible lineup or private sector, higher education and non-profit innovators, tech start-up founders, and bloggers and analysts. See below for a preview of some of the workshops and talks that I’m most excited to cover for Governing People for the event.
I saw O’Reilly Media founder and CEO Tim O’Reilly speak on a panel with others like Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker and Arianna Huffington at the Personal Democracy Forum earlier this summer, and having the opportunity to cover for Governing People  his own idea of a Gov 2.0 event is an exciting prospect.
But before getting to the speakers, it may be useful to address what Gov 2.0 actually means. It’s a phrase that we have all seen tossed around fairly often in any conversation about modern governance. And although O’Reilly Media, whose founder Tim O’Reilly is attributed with coining the phrase “Web 2.0,” is for that reason the perfect group to host such an event, I don’t think I’ll be ruining any surprises here.
The same way Web 2.0 signified a shift from relatively static web pages and deployments to a much more dynamic, complex ecosystem, the same transitional theme applies to Gov 2.0 versus ‘pervious releases’ of government. And one certainly influences the other - The capabilities of the most cutting-edge web deployments is a serious contributor to the ability for governments to become more engaged and connected. And that may be one of the driving thesis questions behind this summit and events like it - How can/will/should technology influence government?
But just as important as the actual content that will be discussed in DC next week is the often under-valued importance of discussion. And this is the prime connection between Governing People and the Gov 2.0 Summit. In different ways and through different platforms, each of us is attempting to play the invaluable role of facilitator. 
Too often, especially in relation to evolving technology, new platforms and methods are adopted before a full discussion of the implications of such decisions are considered. One of the reasons for my commitment to Governing People and the commitment on behalf of Social Media Today, Governing People’s parent company, is the incredibly important and fundamental role the facilitator plays in contemporary discussion of governance or public policy. Today, issues seem to be more complex while coverage of these issues is often grossly over-simplified. And when complex governance issues have far-reaching global implications, long-term precedent-setting consequences and are steeped in a political and media culture that doesn’t seem to encourage earnest and thoughtful debate, the role of the facilitator is more important than ever, and I hope that Governing People will be able to play a crucial role in the facilitation of a nuanced discussion of these issues that are raised at the Gov 2.0 Summit next week.
So whether it  be through attending the event in person, checking up on the coverage on Governing People or elsewhere, or sharing your ideas through the comments, Twitter (Twitter hashtags and info below) or any other medium, join me in being an active part of this discussion and tremendous evolution.
We have a unique opportunity to engage with government and technology at a relatively early stage of its existence where every input into the system produces relatively large effects. The decisions, thoughts and recommendations made today will have enormous implications down the line for government, democracy and culture and the more open and involved the conservation is now, the more likely we are to work towards thoughtful and educated solutions and will provide the backbone for future developments of governance and democracy in this country and globally.
More Information:
Gov 2.0 Summit website: http://www.gov2summit.com/gov2010
Permalink to Governing People Coverage: 
Tim O’Reilly speaking about Gov 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evTtxTrzP8U&feature=player_embedded
Gov 2.0 Summit on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gov2events
Gov 2.0 Summit on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gov2events
 
Gov 2.0 Summit Official Hashtag: #g2s 
Governing People Twitter:www.twitter.com/governingpeople 

On September 7th and 8th, some of the most engaged, creative and innovative minds will converge at the Grand Hyatt in Washington DC for the 2010 Gov 2.0 Summit. Last year was O’Reilly Media’s first Gov 2.0 Summit and this year the event will no doubt beat even the heightened expectations.

Speakers include government officials from the NSA, GAO, White House and more as well as a incredible lineup or private sector, higher education and non-profit innovators, tech start-up founders, and bloggers and analysts. See below for a preview of some of the workshops and talks that I’m most excited to cover for Governing People for the event.

I saw O’Reilly Media founder and CEO Tim O’Reilly speak on a panel with others like Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker and Arianna Huffington at the Personal Democracy Forum earlier this summer, and having the opportunity to cover for Governing People  his own idea of a Gov 2.0 event is an exciting prospect.
But before getting to the speakers, it may be useful to address what Gov 2.0 actually means. It’s a phrase that we have all seen tossed around fairly often in any conversation about modern governance. And although O’Reilly Media, whose founder Tim O’Reilly is attributed with coining the phrase “Web 2.0,” is for that reason the perfect group to host such an event, I don’t think I’ll be ruining any surprises here.

The same way Web 2.0 signified a shift from relatively static web pages and deployments to a much more dynamic, complex ecosystem, the same transitional theme applies to Gov 2.0 versus ‘pervious releases’ of government. And one certainly influences the other - The capabilities of the most cutting-edge web deployments is a serious contributor to the ability for governments to become more engaged and connected. And that may be one of the driving thesis questions behind this summit and events like it - How can/will/should technology influence government?

But just as important as the actual content that will be discussed in DC next week is the often under-valued importance of discussion. And this is the prime connection between Governing People and the Gov 2.0 Summit. In different ways and through different platforms, each of us is attempting to play the invaluable role of facilitator. 

Too often, especially in relation to evolving technology, new platforms and methods are adopted before a full discussion of the implications of such decisions are considered. One of the reasons for my commitment to Governing People and the commitment on behalf of Social Media Today, Governing People’s parent company, is the incredibly important and fundamental role the facilitator plays in contemporary discussion of governance or public policy. Today, issues seem to be more complex while coverage of these issues is often grossly over-simplified. And when complex governance issues have far-reaching global implications, long-term precedent-setting consequences and are steeped in a political and media culture that doesn’t seem to encourage earnest and thoughtful debate, the role of the facilitator is more important than ever, and I hope that Governing People will be able to play a crucial role in the facilitation of a nuanced discussion of these issues that are raised at the Gov 2.0 Summit next week.

So whether it  be through attending the event in person, checking up on the coverage on Governing People or elsewhere, or sharing your ideas through the comments, Twitter (Twitter hashtags and info below) or any other medium, join me in being an active part of this discussion and tremendous evolution.

We have a unique opportunity to engage with government and technology at a relatively early stage of its existence where every input into the system produces relatively large effects. The decisions, thoughts and recommendations made today will have enormous implications down the line for government, democracy and culture and the more open and involved the conservation is now, the more likely we are to work towards thoughtful and educated solutions and will provide the backbone for future developments of governance and democracy in this country and globally.

Here are some panels I'm particularly interested in attending:

Why EMR's Will Transform Healthcare:  Jim Traficant (Healthcare Solutions, Government Communications Systems Division) 

This is a panel about electronic medical records (EMRs). Medical/Healthcare is one of the largest industries in the country, and it is only growing, rapidly. I'm particularly interested to see this panel because I work (well, volunteer) in EMS and the issue of medical records, quick and secure access to past medical history/conditions and the ability to easily transfer information over to hospital staff from an ambulance are large areas where new technology could transform patient care.

PayPal: What We Do with Private Data from 200 Million People:  Osama Bedier (PayPal) 

This panel will explore the ways that PayPal, the online payment processing company that started off largely being connected with eBay, does with the data it collects on customers. As the amount of personal information that is collected through even just commercial sources grows so rapidly it's important to pay attention to where that information is going, who is using it and for what purposes. 

Closing the Technology Gap:  Aneesh Chopra (Federal Office of Science and Technology Policy), Vivek Kundra (Office of Management and Budget) 

From Gov 2.0 Summit: President Obama elevated the importance of technology, data and innovation with the appointment of a national CTO and CIO. The two leaders will share their vision for technological innovation, public sector excellence, and the application of technology in national priorities like health IT, smart grid and education.

Do You Have What it Takes to Change Government?  Walton Smith (Booz Allen Hamilton), Grant McLaughlin (Booz Allen Hamilton) 

Along with Harvard's JFK School of Government, these speakers will talk about leadership and management and what some of the most successful ways are to manage and oversee a public organization. So much importance falls on the ability of the person in charge to truly be a leader, and this panel promises to provide some interesting case-studies to that effect. 


More Information:
Gov 2.0 Summit website: http://www.gov2summit.com/gov2010
Tim O’Reilly speaking about Gov 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evTtxTrzP8U&feature=player_embedded
Gov 2.0 Summit on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gov2events
Gov 2.0 Summit on Twitter: http://twitter.com/gov2events 
Gov 2.0 Summit Official Hashtag: #g2s 

Governing People Twitter: www.twitter.com/governingpeople