Not long ago, Google Buzz and the video site ChatRoulette did not exist. Today, they have thrown the social media world into a bit of minor chaos. From criticisms over privacy to excitement over discovery, many people are trying to figure out if they should use them, and if so, how to leverage them to achieve their goals better.

 

Gary Vaynerchuk has a new video about flexibility in business that applies equally well to government adapting to new technologies. His comments about coming up with 3-, 6-, and 12-month plans about social media usage are germane to Government 2.0 / Open Government / Government Transparency because a good deal of time is spent planning and strategizing and road mapping… and not freely networking with thought leaders, openly experimenting with the intent of failing safely, and learning by doing within a community rather than on a white board in a conference room.

 

In a post last week, I commented that developing long-term plans is predicated on the assumption of a predictable, measurable process. I hope that the federal senior-level Open Government Working Group keeps the incredibly rapid evolution of the operating system known as The Web in mind when asking agencies to plan for the future. Sometimes, you just might not be able to very well. When the road suddenly forks, the map you drew last month might lead you down the wrong path.