Hey, we have people in the government working hard to Fix Washington, and they're actually listening to citizens.

For example, the folks at USA.gov are trying to figure out how better to serve you, and need feedback. Check out Your Voice Matters:

Earlier this week, I spent a coupla afternoons listening to proposals from VA rank-and-file employees. They were all very dedicated to much better supporting...

Hey, I feel Wikipedia is a really big deal, something for the ages, and I'd like you to help out.

Check out what I say on the...

Here's how I'll be spending the next two days, helping people start to move dramatically toward better serving veterans, particularly those wounded fighting for us.

Check out the Veterans Benefits Administration Innovation Initiative

I'm in Washington, ready to make my own microscopic contribution, via an innovation contest sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The deal is that rank and file workers know what's going, and know how to fix things. Social networking can be used for people to work on those ideas...

Citizens work with people in government to hold our government accountable, like to show where the money goes.

Part of this is the Sunlight Foundation Hackathon, where people...

Around 20 ago, I was an IBM systems engineer, focusing on tech like imaging systems for health claims processing.

Visited a big facility, talked to customer service reps.

Feedback regarding the mouse? "Thanks, but no thanks!"

If you're doing heads-down customer service, you don't want to remove your hands from the keyboard.

This...

Hey, you might recall The Great Schlep from last year, with Sarah Silverman getting the vote out.

Its co-founder (Ari Wallach) is rapidly building something similar for health insurance reform....

Hey, check out an article in Business Week about how things are changing in Washington, and the blog which fills in the rest.

Wikipedia really is the "first draft of history" and more than that, maybe a vital part of how our species is working together for the common good.

Tomorrow, I...

Hey, Jeff Jarvis has something big here at Buzzmachine.

I want to suggest abandoning the article for the constantly updated topic page (a la Wave). The problem with an article online is that it has a short half life and gathers...

People are using wiki technology in lots of ways to help each other out.

Starting in San Francisco, in early 2007, social workers and lawyers got together and built a wiki to host homeless resources -- SFHomeless.net lists all the known service providers plus using wiki categories, including Food, Shelter,...

Hey, a country can only get real about being competitive if we have lots of engineers, scientists, and people teaching in those areas.

It's a long term deal, but Obama's launched a program to that end: the Educate to Innovate campaign.

Speaking to key leaders of the STEM...

Hey, it's good to have an Administration which genuinely supports the troops. Here's a few areas where things are getting better, with a focus on veterans and jobs.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) has a veterans youtube channel, leading right now with a video on green jobs.
...

Hey, Beth Noveck is working at the White House getting really serious about giving all Americans a serious voice in running our Federal government.

She talks about how this is happening at city and state levels in Open Government Laboratories of Democracy:

1. Customer service done in good faith is public service.
2. Customer service anchors you to reality.

You've heard how government rank and file workers are working together, throughout the US and with citizens, to provide increasingly better public service.  Their dedication has been consistently impressive, particularly during some bad years.

I've been chatting recently mostly with Federal workers, though the following is true of all large...

A year ago today, the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, with the Ad Council, launched a big campaign to welcome new veterans home and help 'em...

I've already praised Consumer Reports for standing up for Americans, taking on some really powerful and ruthless politicians.

Now, the AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons,...

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Hey, I love nature, if it makes itself convenient for me. These were all shot from my home office, where I do customer service for craigslist.

I've identified around thirty species, often with the help of social media.

You can share the excitement at...