Word Patterns

I came across a site that will analyze text you enter and show the resulting patterns. Called Wordle, it is quite easy to use. And free.

So I made a word picture of my speech on The Future of Everything, previously presented in North America and South Africa, and planned for Croatia. The results are quite interesting - and quite accurate.

Goverati

Mark Drapeau publishes a blog called ReadWriteWeb. He recently posted an article called Government 2.0: The Rise of the Goverati.

But one striking trend has largely flown under the national radar: the rise of the goverati.

What is the goverati? It is made up of people with first-hand knowledge of how the government operates, who understand how to use social software to accomplish a variety of government missions, and who want to use that knowledge for the benefit of all.

The goverati includes not only government employees, but also people from think tanks, trade publications, and non-profits. And it includes high-profile thinkers outside of the government who have an interest in a more open, transparent, and efficient government; people such as Joe Trippi, Craig Newmark, and Tim O'Reilly. Using formal and informal social networks, the goverati is networking, sharing information, and changing how parts of the government interact with each other and with citizens.

The article is worth reading. I believe these issues of how to make governments open, transparent, and efficient/accountable also apply to school districts, religious institutions, and professional organizations, such as ASQ. We are experiencing social change today in ways unthinkable even a decade ago.