Virginia Government Communicators News

Save June 13 for the Video Captioning Webinar -Free & for Members Only

Brooke Scott — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:02:54 GMT

Closed Caption laws are constantly changing. Last month the FCC began requiring captioning for online video if it was shown on television. VITA requires State Agencies to caption online video to meet accessibility standards. Arm yourself with the tools you need to caption video for You Tube and other platforms.

Presenter's Bio:

Christine Maldonado taught herself to caption video at the Virginia Treasury when she couldn't find a user friendly, inexpensive online software. You Tube's voice recognition was in development and made too many mistakes.

June 13 @ 2:00-3:00

Details to follow

New opportunities in the Job Center - Quantico and Mclean

Brooke Scott — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:23:01 GMT

Log in to www.vagovcom.org to see the complete list. Share job opportunities with membership by posting them on the Job Center.

Missed the February Webinar? Members Can View Online!

Scott Ramsburg — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:52:22 GMT

Thanks to presenters from the City of Lynchburg and City of Hampton for helping put together today's webinar on Citizen Engagement! Members are welcome to log on to our website to download audio and powerpoint presentations of today's webinar. http://vagovcom.org/Webinar

Receive email notifications when jobs are posted to the Job Center

Brooke Scott — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:32:49 GMT

You asked for it, and we delivered. Members can log into the website and subscribe to receive email notifications when new jobs are posted! Check out the lastest jobs and add the ones you've found today.

How to Caption Videos for You Tube Guide Now Available

Brooke Scott — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:00:40 GMT

During the last VGC conference, you asked for a guide on how to caption videos for You Tube. Visit our resources page to view and download a guide written by VGC member Christine Maldonado of the Virginia Treasury.

Use Twitter to Find PR Jobs

Brooke Scott — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:22:33 GMT

People are talking about job openings on FB and Twitter. Follow #prjobs for career insight and advice. Share job openings with #vagovcom.
Subscribe to the member's only Job Center news feed to see the latest post.

New Conference Rate Available For Students & Interns

Scott Ramsburg — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:09:49 GMT

VGC is excited to introduce a new reduced rate for college students and interns in the communications field. Attend our Fall conference for just $15. Visit the event website for details.

HRPDC and Regional Representatives from 16 Cities and Counties Launch askHRgreen.org

Christine Maldonado — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:30:59 GMT

(Hampton Roads, Va., July 21, 2011) – Following a year of fact-finding, research, focus group studies and creative development, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), members of its HR Green executive committee and city and county representatives from throughout the region launched www.askHRgreen.org this week at a special kick-off meeting at the group’s Chesapeake headquarters. Site developers believe the new website, chocked full of fast searchable features, an interactive calendar, social media feeds and a wealth of information, is the go-to resource for all things green in Hampton Roads.

“Our name pretty much says it all,” said Julia B. Hillegass, public information and community affairs administrator for the HRPDC. “If you have questions about recycling, smart water use, sustainable landscaping practices or anything related to our Hampton Roads environment, you’ll find the answers at askHRgreen.org.”

Encouraging environmental stewardship among the 16 cities and counties in Southeastern Virginia is a key charge of the HRDPC. The idea for askHRgreen.org began a year ago when the commission decided to consolidate its HR CLEAN, HR FOG, HR STORM and HR WET outreach programs into one regional umbrella campaign called HR Green. Following a series of focus group and online studies conducted last fall among South Hampton Roads and Peninsula residents, the newly-formed HR Green executive committee focused its efforts on developing a content-rich website that would serve as the core of the regional awareness campaign.

“We discovered in our focus group studies that residents want to be good environmental stewards, but don’t know where to gather the information they need,” said Hillegass. “The site’s biggest virtue is that it allows visitors to search quickly for topics they desire, while learning about related information that may also be of interest.”

Other features include pages with easy-to-use “green” practices to implement in your home, yard, business, community and classroom; an interactive calendar with landing pages and Google locator map for regional events; and social media feeds including facebook, twitter and the HR Green blog written by a team of local experts who work in the region’s municipal utility and environmental divisions.

Soon, askHRgreen.org will post the results of a pilot service-learning program conducted earlier this year with an advanced composition class at Old Dominion University. Comprised predominantly of students preparing to be elementary school teachers, the class took on a variety of research and writing projects related to environmental education, including the development of “green” lesson plans that meet Virginia’s Standards of Learning requirements. The lesson plans will be available on the website later this summer.

Now that the website is launched, the HR Green executive committee will turn its attention to getting the word out about the site.

“There is information at askHRgreen.org that everyone can useundefinedindividuals, families, business owners and educators,” said Hillegass. “We hope the site will be helpful and hope that residents choose to make it their favorite. But perhaps, more important, we hope it will inspire them to start their own little green movement in their own backyards.”

VGC Announces New Website

Scott Ramsburg — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:02:10 GMT

We’re excited to announce several improvements to the Virginia Government Communicators website! If you are a member in good standing, we have already uploaded your name and contact information to give you complete site access. Please note this is a completely new site, so your old username and password will not work. Here is a brief list of some of the website’s new features.

Online Conference Registration – Click on the events tab to view and register for our seasonal conferences. Registration is now integrated into the site using VGC’s existing paypal account. Receipts will be automatically generated and sent to you when you register for the conference.
http://www.vagovcom.org/events

News – We encourage members to post interesting articles and information to this page. Only members are allowed to post, but the page is visible to all website viewers. Messages are automatically posted to the VGC facebook page from here.
http://www.vagovcom.org/news

Directory – Visible in the members-only section, this page allows you to see contact information for your fellow communicators. You can even upload a picture of yourself! To change your own information, click on “View Profile” at the top right of your screen on any page once you are logged in.
http://www.vagovcom.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1118835

Discussion Forum – Members-only can post topics and discussion threads in our forum. Please use this area of the site to exchange information, ask questions and get ideas! http://www.vagovcom.org/forum

Improved Member Services – The new website will also generate e-mails like our monthly newsletter, as well as membership renewal notices. (Based on your join-date anniversary) In coming months we may be switching from Constant Contact emails to the website’s internal service.

Hyperlocal News Publications ask public officials to do more than "deliver 'sound-bite' messages"

Brooke Scott — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:36:49 GMT

With the rising popularity of hyperlocal news, including Arlington's ARLnow, communities are becoming more engaged. The result is a 'civic renaissance', strengthening the community. Hyperlocals are asking public officials and public and non-public experts to participate in the conversation.

As communication staff, how will we be prepared?
http://streetfightmag.com/2011/08/25/why-hyperlocal-news-is-better-than-ever/