Building Trust & Effectiveness in Congress
Home > Publications > Congressional Intern Handbook

standards

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.

Read more »  
 

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).

Read more »  
 

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."

Read more »  
 

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.

Read more »  
 

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.

Read more »  
 

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."

Read more »  
 

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.

Read more »  
 

Purchasing CMF Publications

Most of CMF's reports and management guides are available for free download in PDF on our website. If you wish to order hardcopies, please contact us at CMF@CongressFoundation.org or 202-546-0100. 

Congressional offices receive complimentary copies of all CMF publications. Non-congressional offices must pay in advance before publications will be shipped. After receiving your order, a CMF staff member will calculate shipping & handling and contact you with the total charges.