It's census time! And most government agencies are busy encouraging their citizens to mail back those forms. You can see how well your community is participating compared to others across the country by visiting this site: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/. There is also code on the page you can use to embed your participation rate on your own agency's site. Here is an example of the widget:

Earth Hour is an hour long event held annually to support climate change understanding. This year, Earth Hour will be held on March 27, 2010, at 9:30 pm EST. Below is a widget showing the countdown until Earth Hour. Communities and organizations can visit the Earth Hour Web site to get additional promotional materials: https://www.myearthhour.org/home

 The week of March 15-21, 2010, is Fix A Leak Week. Join the EPA WaterSense program as a partner and help promote responsible water use: http://epa.gov/watersense/water_efficiency/fix_a_leak.html

National Flood Awareness Week begins March 15, 2010. The U.S. government offers several sites with information related to preparing for or dealing with the devastation of a flood. Communities can publish links to these sites in their newsletters or embed videos on their own Websites. Following are a few links offering more information.

http://www.floodsafety.noaa.gov/

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/info.shtm

http://www.floodsmart.gov

The Federal government has been using an online application called Ideascale to generate ideas for improving government. The benefit of using a tool like this is that anyone can sign up and launch the tool for free. There are commercial packages for a more robust use. But if your agency wants to launch a simple campaign to generate ideas, this might be your answer.

The site also allows you to embed a widget on your Web site to promote your campaign. Below is the one created for MuniGov to generate ideas for improving local government:

For all you GovLoop members, here's your chance to share GovLoop with everyone who visits your own Website. GovLoop has created an awesome widget. And if you aren't already a member, have a look at the widget, and click on over to GovLoop and join in the conversation!

GovFresh working with the city of Manor, Texas, has developed a free Wordpress theme for use by government agencies. You can get your free theme by visiting their Website: http://govfresh.com/pages/gov-2-0-tools/

Government agencies can easily share information with the public using a Slideshare account at no cost. New York City DOT has taken advantage of this site by creating an account and uploading presentations offering information about sidewalks and streets. Although a few other DOTs have been using Slideshare for some time, New York City has enhanced delivery of their content by including an audiocast.

Below is one of the agency's uploads providing street information: