Building Trust & Effectiveness in Congress
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Social Media Requires New Metrics for Measuring Success

I'll admit it, I was a bit slow to "get" social media. Intellectually, I understood the viral and interconnected nature of the media. But I was schooled in mainstream media. When I started in radio we still spun records and spliced tape with a razor blade. I read the articles and heard the mantra: it's not simply the number of your followers that count on Twitter, but who is following you, and how much influence they have. This lesson hit home for me during a recent trip to San Francisco.

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Op-Ed: Lawmakers may fail when it comes to ethics, but they try

I winced upon reading the results of The Hill's poll that found "(m)ore than two-thirds of voters think the ethical standards of politicians have declined over the past generation" and that a majority think they are "unethical" ("HILL POLL: Politicians, Congress unethical — and getting worse," June 13).

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Op-Ed: Congress’s tragedy of the commons

"As I step down from the chairmanship of the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation, I'd like to make a plea to the members of Congress whom the foundation exists to serve: that they recapture the trust of the American people."

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Inside the Hill: Who Handles Online Communications

In the seventh installment of 'Inside the Hill', congressional staff and Congressman Honda discuss how they use and manage online communications.

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Winning a Gold Mouse Is Like Moving a Grand Piano

You might be able to do it alone, but it's easier with some help! In fact, it's close to impossible for a single staffer to create an award-winning website by himself. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire office to maintain an excellent website.

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Op-Ed: The Law-Abiding Congressional Majority

"There was something slightly hypocritical in Ruth Marcus's column on the ethics cases pending before Congress ["House of entitlement," op-ed, Aug. 4]. She acknowledged the public "misperception" that "most lawmakers" are "heedless of ethics rules." Yet The Post and others in the media perpetuate that myth."

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It’s the Wild, Wild West... and There is No Law or Order

Since the release of our Recommendations for Improving the Democratic Dialogue in 2008, we've been working to bring about a dramatic change in the way communications are transmitted to and from congressional offices.

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WE'VE MOVED!

NOTE: CMF is moving the week of June 17, which may result in email delays and telecommunications downtime. If you need immediate assistance, please call 202-716-7036 or 202-657-4839. Our new address is: 710 E Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.

ABOUT CMF

Inside of Capitol Dome

CMF is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to helping Congress and its Members meet the evolving needs and expectations of an engaged and informed 21st century citizenry.

Our work focuses on improving congressional operations and enhancing citizen engagement through research, publications, training, and management services.

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PROJECTS

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Communicating with Congress The Internet forever changed how citizens and Congress interacts. The goal of this project is to facilitate a more meaningful democratic dialogue.

 

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Gold Mouse Project
Congress should effectively communicate with and serve citizens online. CMF assesses congressional websites to identify best and innovative practices that can be more widely adopted by the House and Senate.

 

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Inside the Hill
Produced by Founding Partner Fleishman-Hillard, this video series allows you to hear directly from Members and staff on how technology is changing the way Congress works.

 

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Life in Congress
This novel research project by CMF and the Society for Human Resource Management has two goals: identify the factors that motivate congressional staff and shed some light on Congress as a workplace.

 

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21st Century Town Hall Meetings CMF seeks to continue our innovative work in this area by conducting comparative research on in-person town halls, online town halls, and telephone town halls.