We’re not saying our white papers make the best beach reading (for suggestions in that department, click here). However, if you’re looking for something with a bit of professional applicability, they’re worth printing up and keeping within easy reach.

Here’s an excerpt from one of our latest — Recruiting the Next Generation of Government Using Web 2.0.

As most Federal employees are aware, the prospect of massive numbers of people retiring from Federal Government in the coming years means agencies are facing critical workforce shortages and a potentially devastating loss of institutional knowledge. To meet its increasingly critical workforce needs, the Federal Government needs to rapidly attract and train next-generation talent. Of course! But how?

To maximize the effectiveness of its recruiting efforts, the Government must utilize Web 2.0  technologies and methods to reach viable candidates on their own “turf” with well-crafted messaging that conveys the benefits of Federal employment.

We’ll be featuring more excerpts from this and other white papers throughout the summer, but if you’re interested in learning more right away, you can download our complete series of papers here.

Enjoy, and don’t fall asleep in the sun.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Crescent City residents tapped the power of social networking (that increasingly influential blend of software tools and interpersonal communication) to bring their city back from the brink.

At the annual Burton Group conference, Alan Gutierrez, a programmer working for the nonprofit group Think New Orleans offered a presentation entitled “Innovating Your Way Out of Total System Failure” that . . .

highlight[ed] how residents in a handful of the hardest-hit neighborhoods used ingenuity, creativity, digital cameras, Flickr, WordPress, Google Maps and Yahoo Groups to bend rebuilding efforts to the will of the people and away from the wrecking balls swung by city government.