Social Networking Site Debuts For Federal IT ProsSocial Networking Site Debuts For Federal IT Pros

Federal technology professionals have an online community where government employees, private consultants, and outside observers can discuss improving their agencies.

Dubbed NextGov, the site is geared toward federal IT officials, program managers, private experts, and outside observers. Government Executive Media Group, a division of Atlantic Media, launched the site this week as a one-stop community site for news, research, and discussion.

The research section contains pages specific to federal IT topics, and the site provides benchmarking tools to measure agency and program performance.

"NextGov.com utilizes the latest Web capabilities to break the traditional one-way mold of journalism and deliver a fully interactive platform for our audience," Allan Holmes, executive editor of the Government Executive Media Group, said in a prepared statement. "Using NextGov.com, visitors can reach out to colleagues in federal agencies and the contractor community to ask questions, hear from experts, share best practices, and benefit from the collective wisdom of the federal IT community."

The site also features Tech Insider, a group blog on federal technology, with contributions from a panel of expert bloggers, including former CIOs and other senior agency leaders.

"NextGov represents the first fully integrated online community for all federal managers involved in IT decisions as well as contractors and other industry participants," Tim Hartman, director of digital publishing at Government Executive Media Group, said in a prepared statement. "Converging this community allows not only federal managers to talk to each other but also allows federal contractors to participate alongside their counterparts in a highly interactive, focused manner."