A new study on teenager use of social media suggests they’re not too concerned about who sees what they’re posting. In this report, the Pew Research Center notes that most teenagers feel comfortable adjusting privacy settings, but many of them still have completely public Facebook pages.

I wasn’t surprised that 91 percent of American teenagers post a photo of themselves on social networks, but a whopping 53 percent of them post their email address. Most concerning – 20 percent of teenagers post their cell phone number on their most frequent social network! That’s something I don’t even do. 

These are important privacy issues for parents – but also for teachers and law enforcement agencies. What are your kids doing online?

News footage and other videos that have been songified are virally popular online. The technique is also called auto-tune, where voice pitch is adjusted to make a metallic-like sound that seems complements fun beats. 

Just how hard is it to do? Can we do more of this in government to get our videos watched? The Gregory Brothers' version of President Obama's state of the union address was a hit. 

I downloaded two iOS apps, Songify and I Am T-Pain to see what it's all about. Turns out that songifying audio is harder than it looks! Delve into combining video in addition to audio is surely even more complex. Do you know of anyone who has done this well in government? Do you think we can get away with it and not look like we're just wasting time? Let me know in the comments!

Transparency in government is a very hot topic right now. Mark Parker, President of GovGirl sponsor, SansWrite, met up with me in a Google Hangout to tell me about the #1 thing governments simply must get right. 

Spoiler alert! We're talking about systems that accurately collect information and publish it to the internet in a timely manner. This "smart form" concept replaces paper forms with uber-smart forms that are like fillable forms, but also include interactive elements that help the user comprehend and complete the form. Transparency in government starts with accurate data collection, and smart form technology can help. 

Watch as my office gets a makeover, and Mark does his best not to dance for us! Learn more about Sanswrite at Sanswrite.com.

This week, I spoke  to state and local government employees at the Oregon Digital Government Summit about “cool government." 

My talk proposed that government could benefit from the larger and more engaged audience that comes along with being considered “cool." (See the photo below? It's from that day -- of me with with Jack Mortimer from Government Technology magazine ... who I’m trying to talk into being actor Ben Kingsley for Halloween.)

I started producing GovGirl videos because I wanted to show the cool side of government. The fun, geeky, techie and amazingly passionate side of government that I saw and loved during the 10 years I served as a govie is something that needs to be shared.

You see, I think there is a sizable disconnect between the material that the public sees (brochures, Web content, at the counter) and the passion and energy that government staff has in what they do. Ask a program coordinator to tell you what they’re working on, and they’re engaging and excited. Read the brochure that explains the program, and you’re bored to tears.   

So, I make videos that are partly goofy, mostly informative, but always from the heart. 

I capture moments like dancing at NASCIO and talking to my family about Texas.gov to keep people watching and interested. But I also get to be a part of some of the big issues going on in government technology, like mobility, social media, responsive design and open data -- and that makes me happy.

If you want to hear me talk about “cool government” in person, register for one of the digital government events near you. Make sure to stop by and let me know how your agency is keeping citizens watching and interested!

My trend of reviving tired dance moves got a boost this week at NASCIO's mid-year conference. High profile technology leaders in state government got together to discuss hot topics like collaboration and cybersecurity. 

I asked Cathilea Robinett, EVP of Government Technology's parent company, e.Republic., to co-host a segment with me called Random Questions. Our goal was to get these tech leaders out of their comfort zone with some off-the-wall questions. But their answers surprised us!