Marking Up Bureaucracy

Needing to cope with its enormous needs for document and data exchange, the United States is looking more and more to XML. Paul Ford explains what happens when Washington meets markup.

Ford, Paul. XML.com (2003). Articles>Information Design>Workflow>Government

Monitoring Communication in Partnering Projects

This report is a summary of a two year research project carried out by the IT byg group at BYG. DTU for the Danish government agencies Erhvervsfremmestyrelsen and By- og Bolig-ministeriet. The objectives were to collect data on the use of IT by the PPB housing consortia, a development project to test out various innovations, to map communications between the partners, and compare IT usage with their original proposals. Data was collected on communications in housing projects in the period June 1999- Aug 2000. The original PPB proposals were made in 1994/5 but there have been breaks in the flow of projects, and information technology has gone through much change since then. Use of Email has taken over from post and fax, and Project Webs have been developed in most consortia. Consortium members' policies have dominated the choice of management and logistics software, restricted compatibility in the consortia, and limited willingness to share data. Greater involvement by the client, and more sharing of equity, would have encouraged adoption of common IT systems and created more trust for data sharing between partners. PPB projects have allowed consortium members to test out new technologies but, in general, the IT systems used have been similar to those which the larger firms use elsewhere. Vertical integration has been limited by lack of experience and technology in smaller firms. In future, access to Project Webs from mobile devices should help use by all partners from any location. In all the projects studied, and in spite of the introduction of Email and Project Webs, the ratio of non-IT communications to IT varied from 0.8 to 4.6. When problems need to be solved rapidly there appears to be a tendency to revert to traditional means of communication - meetings, telephone and fax.

Howard, Rob and Ernst Petersen. ITcon (2001). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building>Government

More Than Screen Deep: Toward Every-Citizen Interfaces to the Nation's Information Infrastructure

The spread of information systems and, in particular, information infrastructure throughout the economy and social fabric raises questions about the technology's ease of use by different people, from those with limited technical know-how to those with various disabilities to the so-called power users who push for higher performance on many dimensions.

National Academies Press (1997). Books>Web Design>Accessibility>Government

NAGC Jobs List

Following are job listings from government organizations seeking to fill communications positions.  Because of space, these listings are edited to provide an overview of each position.  Users are advised to contact the organization providing the listing to obtain a full set of requirements and procedures for submitting a complete application for each job.

NAGC. Careers>Job Listings>Communication>Government

The National Association of Government Communicators

The National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) is a national not-for-profit professional network of federal, state and local government employees who disseminate information within and outside government. Its members are editors, writers, graphic artists, video professionals, broadcasters, photographers, information specialists and agency spokespersons.

NAGC. Organizations>Communication>Government

Non-Rule Environmental Policy: A Case Study of a Foundry Sand Land Disposal NPD    

This historical case study of a non-rule policy document (NPD) adopted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management describes an emerging genre in environmental discourse. The NPD standardizes environmental public policy for land disposal of foundry sand, a solid waste. The collaborative writing process took six months with industry input, and the NPD was presented to two environmental boards. Two contrasts, in process and format, distinguish NPDs from rules. The NPD is an entirely new kind of writing which includes guidance for implementing statutes. The writing process in the case involves government writers and industry representatives, although it does not include other public input such as public hearings. Instead, the staff of the pollution control agency simply presents the NPD to the appropriate environmental policy boards and arranges for its publication. This article adds to the body of knowledge about technical writing in government, specifically environmental policy and non-academic genres.

Griggs, Karen. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2007). Articles>TC>Government>Policies and Procedures

Occupational Health and Safety Laws Today

The state and the government, as we understand, are responsible for the safety security of the citizens. The state and its organs understand this as a mandate and this also means realising the lofty goal of safety and health for all in every walk of life.

Honnecker, Matthias. tekom (2006). Articles>Documentation>Legal>Government

PDF in Government

Duff Johnson looks at how several federal government agencies use Acrobat and PDF to solve old problems and, in some cases, to create new opportunities.

Johnson, Duff. Adobe (2007). Articles>Information Design>Government>Adobe Acrobat

The Politics of User Experience

Governments hire thousands of employees and spend millions of dollars on contractors to design, build, and operate websites. Chances are good that you will have some exposure to government work, and therefore, some exposure to the politics of user experience.

Fleckenstein, Steve. Boxes and Arrows (2002). Design>Web Design>Collaboration>Government

Pollie Want a Portal: Communicating Specialist Information to the Australian Parliament

To keep abreast of current issues, Australia's federal parliamentarians need timely information, analysis and advice. This is used not only within the Parliament itself, but also by Members and Senators when undertaking their electorate duties. A large and vital part of this service is provided by the Parliamentary Library. The particular characteristics of clients and their diverse needs means the Library’s communication issues differ from those faced by other libraries. From a myriad of manual techniques the Library has increasingly moved into using electronic sources and dissemination methods, which are being enhanced and expanded regularly and will soon include a comprehensive intranet portal to Library services.

Mitchell, Margaret. TC-FORUM (2000). Design>Web Design>Intranets>Government

The Public Relations of the European Union: New Challenges in a More Integrated Europe  

Communication between citizens and public officers is a fundamental aspect of public institutions’ planning. It is through an open and clear dialogue that positive public opinion is shaped. Furthermore it is a tool for creating a good reputation and stronger support. Currently the European Union is facing a period of low reputation, scrawny image and poor trust, which have direct influences in EU’s decision making. Different scholars impute this problem to the poor EU communication planning, the so called communication deficit. This paper seeks to examine whether public relations can help to solve the communication deficit of the European Union or not and which challenges public relations profession can open within the European context. Specifically the European societal approach of public relations is considered the essential bond to the European institutions. This study draws on theories and discussion in the fields of European public relations; reflective and educational approaches; a critical analysis of EU information and communication policies; and interviews with EU officers. It is followed by a discussion of the link between public relations’ reflective approach and public organizations, and suggests new interpretations and considerations of this profession within the European institutions.

Valentini, Chiara. Chiara Valentini Communication Management (2006). Articles>Communication>Community Building>Government

Public Rhetoric and Public Safety at the Chicago Transit Authority: Three Approaches to Accident Analysis    

This article compares three rhetorical approaches to accident analysis: materialist, classical,and constructivist. The focal points for comparison are the two accident reportsissued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—reports that attempted(and failed) to persuade the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to change a problematicpolicy about rail communication alongside its technology for rail communication. Thecentral question the article asks is, How can rhetorical theory help explain the CTA'sinaction, which ultimately led to property damage, injury, and death? Classical andconstructivist approaches, emphasizing rational deliberation between equals, on onehand, and the social construction of technical knowledge between professionals, on theother, offer plausible explanations for what went wrong. But only the materialistapproach appears capable of discerning the ideological nature of the CTA's resistance tothe NTSB's recommendations.

Coogan, David. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Risk Communication>Policies and Procedures>Government

Results of Usability Testing Research on Plain Language Draft Sections of the Employment Insurance Act  

The Department of Justice Canada and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) are working jointly on a new 'plain language' version of the EI Act – a version with the potential to be more reader-friendly and usable. This is a profoundly important, precedent-setting initiative with implications for legislative drafters and users of legislation across the country. The usability testing was commissioned to help provide strategic insight into plain language legislative drafting so that drafting efforts can be as effective as possible and speak to the realities and unique needs of key legislative user groups. Simply put, the purpose of the testing is to provide a solid foundation for wise decision-making to guide plain language drafting. To this end, the testing gauged how efficiently users of different versions of the EI Act found needed information, understood it, and applied it to an intended purpose.

Schmolka, Vicki. HRDC (2000). Books>Usability>Government>Canada

Risk Communication and Government: Theory and Application for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Research has shown that public perceptions of risk are constantly changing and evolving as the dynamics of public opinion shift in response to the environment in which we all live.

Chartier, Jean and Sandra Gabler. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (2001). Books>Risk Communication>Government>Canada

Siting a Hazardous Waste Facility: The Tangled Web of Risk Communication

Risk communication is a relatively new field of study which has been concerned with the problems arising from the communication of scientific and technical assessments of risk to various sections of the public. These problems have largely been construed as technical ones: how to transfer difficult material from 'experts' to 'people' with the maximum effectiveness and the minimum loss of accuracy and content. Perhaps because technical or practical concerns have dominated, debates which have occurred in the literature of risk analysis have apparently had little impact on the field of risk communication.

Beder, Sharon and Michael Shortland. University of Wollongong (1992). Articles>Risk Communication>Government>Policies and Procedures

State Department Bans Courier New 12, Except for Treaties

Just when it seemed typography had no discernable impact on government policy the US State Department outlawed its standard typeface.

Shaw, Paul. AIGA (2004). Design>Typography>Legal>Government

Strategic Planning at a Government Laboratory: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Technical Information Department's Experience with Planning     

While acknowledging all the ways in which LLNL has failed to make optimal use of strategic planning tools, the authors believe that this planning process has helped their organization to disengage from the everyday 'work harder' perspective and to refocus on the 'work smarter' or 'putting the ladder against the right wall' goal, insofar as they have been able to do. The authors maintain that however imperfect one's strategic planning process is, it is nevertheless the best way to focus management attention. When a plan is flawed, its existence enables others (whether employees, upper management, or interested reviewers) to criticize and thereby improve it. Each year's plan further serves as the foundation for a better plan the next time around, defined in whatever way makes sense to the management team.

Peterson, Steve and Mara Niels. Technical Communication Online (1997). Articles>Management>Project Management>Government

Teaching Election Officials Usability Testing

The election calendar is very tight, with legally mandated deadlines and other constraints, all conducted in the public view. The UPA Voting and Usability Project wanted a way to fit usability testing into that schedule, and give election officials a way to do what they all want: run excellent elections.

Quesenbery, Whitney. Usability Professionals Association (2008). Articles>Usability>Government

Technocratic Discourse: A Primer    

This article describes the linguistic and semantic features of technocratic discourse using a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework. The article goes further to assert that the function of technocratic discourse in public policy is to advocate and promulgate a highly contentious political and economic agenda under the guise of scientific objectivity and political impartiality. We provide strong evidence to support the linguistic description, and the claims of political advocacy, by analyzing a 900-word document about globalization produced by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

McKenna, Bernard J. and Philip Graham. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2000). Articles>Language>Government>Scientific Communication

Ten Best Government Intranets

Redesigning an intranet for usability often more than doubled the use of these award-winning designs from ten public-sector organizations.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2004). Design>Web Design>Intranets>Government

Toward a Synthesis Model for Crisis Communication in the Public Sector: An Initial Investigation    

This article explores approaches to crisis communication and the application of those approaches by organizations responding to a disaster. The authors conducted a survey of 107 state government agencies to learn about government efforts in situations requiringcrisis communication. Generally, the survey results suggest that although state agenciesenjoy a positive relationship with the media, they have little proactive communicationwith the media, and less than half have a written crisis communication plan. Significantassociations were found between the variables under study, including size of the organization,roles in crisis situations, media relationships, and preparation of a crisis communicationplan. Case studies and additional evaluations of communication resources areneeded to help determine the ability of the public sector to respond effectively to crises.This article considers the needs of state agencies and proposes a conceptual approach thatsynthesizes a crisis communication process designed for the public sector.

Horsley, J. Suzanne and Randolph T. Barker. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Risk Communication>Government>Crisis Communication

Towards Multimodal Public Information Systems    

In the future e-Home, information from various sources, located both globally and locally, are at hand for a wide range of tasks. Many of these tasks involve finding out about public authorities' rules and regulations. The Public Tax authorities, for instance, provide hundreds of documents on their web site (forms, FAQ’s, tax rules, etc.). Currently, the user is restricted to navigating and searching these information sources by clicking hyperlinks or typing in keywords in a search box. Suppose a citizen needs to know what the local tax in his area is. By providing the keywords “kommunalskatt” (local tax) and “Linköping” to the search engine five documents are retrieved and the user can continue clicking on the provided links to see if the answer is provided in the documents found. On the other hand, supposing that the user had the ability to state the information problem in natural language.

Merkel, Magnus and Arne Jonsson. Linkopings Universitet (2002). Articles>Information Design>Government>Multimedia

Tracing W.E.B. Dubois' "Color Line" in Government Regulations    

In this article, I present findings from a discourse analysis of an often-overlooked genre of technical communication, regulatory writing. The study focuses on post-bellum regulations that disproportionately affected African Americans and the historical contexts in which the regulations were written. Historically, African Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds have maintained an implicit mistrust of government regulations and the government officials who write them. The justification for this mistrust is deeply rooted in the fact that for decades regulations were not written to protect the rights of African Americans nor was their input considered in regulatory writing. In Communicating Across Cultures, Stella Ting-Toomey argues, "if conflict parties do not trust each other, they tend to move away (cognitively, affectively and physically) from each other rather than struggle side by side in negotiation" [1, p. 222]. This study reveals rhetorical strategies used in historical regulatory writing that may still impact the ethos of regulatory writers.

Williams, Miriam F. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2006). Articles>TC>Government>Ethnicity