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    "title" : "Celebrating Digital.gov Communities: 2021 in Review |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Celebrating Digital.gov Communities: 2021 in Review",
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    {"title" :"Celebrating Digital.gov Communities: 2021 in Review","deck" : "Happenings, milestones, and data points from the past year.","summary" : "Happenings, milestones, and data points from the past year.","date" : "2022-01-11T17:50:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"toni-bonitto" : "Toni Bonitto","ammie-farraj-feijoo" : "Ammie Farraj Feijoo"},"topics" : {
        
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      "filename" :"2022-01-11-celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2022/01/2022-01-11-celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2022/01/2022-01-11-celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2022/01/2022-01-11-celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review.md","slug" : "celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2022/01/11/celebrating-digital-gov-communities-2021-in-review/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003cp\u003e2021, what a year!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the real challenges we as a nation faced in 2021, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/\"\u003eDigital.gov’s communities\u003c/a\u003e held strong.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to thank our community leads and members for partnering with us throughout the year to provide engaging events, content, and discussion forums to those interested in digital transformation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"box \"\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFind your niche.\u003c/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/\"\u003eBrowse our communities and become a member\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStay informed.\u003c/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/about/subscribe/\"\u003eSubscribe to our twice-monthly newsletter\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDigital.gov’s mission is to transform how the federal government learns, builds, delivers, and measures digital services to the public. We have been organizing communities for more than 20 years, starting with the first in-person meeting of the Web Managers community on October 31, 2000. Fast forward to 2021, and all Digital.gov community events were held virtually for the first year ever.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe hosted \u003cstrong\u003e65 events\u003c/strong\u003e with a total of \u003cstrong\u003e16,157 attendees\u003c/strong\u003e. We held events and published articles in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and International Plain Language Day. Digital.gov events averaged \u003cstrong\u003e249 attendees\u003c/strong\u003e per event with satisfaction scores averaging 4.5 out of 5. We also held dozens of other community meetings, like huddles — where we engaged with smaller groups on topics like organizational change and communication techniques.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pandemic showed us how important communities are for people to be able to connect with like-minded peers in a virtual environment when the office space and in-person gatherings as we know it were stripped away. So, we quickly learned how to best collaborate through a computer monitor, bringing together experts, newbies, and those in between, to learn more about digital transformation. We blogged, tweeted, and posted our ideas, best practices, and success stories. We used our networks to crowdsource solutions to digital challenges.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe helped each other, and we made it through another year together. Here are some of the highlights from 2021.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-blank-calendar.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a blank calendar icon in medium blue. It has six dots coming down from the cloud to indicate snowflakes.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJanuary\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe Plain Language Community kicked off the year with an event detailing the results of the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/01/13/2020-federal-report-card-briefing/\"\u003e2020 Federal Plain Language Report Card\u003c/a\u003e. The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) Community hosted their monthly meeting on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/01/21/uswds-monthly-call-journey-mapping-service-blueprints-jan-2021/\"\u003ejourney mapping and service blueprints\u003c/a\u003e. Did you know, the design system is a toolkit of principles, guidance, and code to help government teams design and build accessible, mobile-friendly websites backed by user research and modern best practices?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-heart.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a heart icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFebruary\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDigital.gov communities showed their love for a few favorite topics in February, with events on how to \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/02/10/virtual-teaching-plain-language/\"\u003eteach in a virtual setting\u003c/a\u003e, a preview of the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/02/23/how-can-chatbots-improve-customer-experience/\"\u003eUSWDS 2021 roadmap\u003c/a\u003e, using \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/02/23/how-can-chatbots-improve-customer-experience/\"\u003echatbots to improve the customer experience\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/02/24/tag-managers-part-1-the-data-layer/\"\u003etag manager\u003c/a\u003e features you should know.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-wind.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a wind icon in medium blue has three lines of varying length that go from left to right, ending with curls. The first two lines curl up, the third curls down.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarch\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo spring fever here! Digital.gov published a resource on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/how-to-present-like-a-pro/\"\u003ehow to present like a pro\u003c/a\u003e and an article on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/03/02/security-is-everyones-job-delivering-secure-usable-login-for-government/\"\u003edelivering secure, usable login\u003c/a\u003e for government security. The Accessibility and Plain Language Communities co-hosted an event on what digital managers can do to \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/03/10/plain-language-and-section-508/\"\u003ehelp people get and understand information\u003c/a\u003e. The USWDS Community shared what to expect with \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/03/18/uswds-monthly-call-march-2021/\"\u003eUSWDS 2.11.0\u003c/a\u003e, Digital Analytics Program (DAP) experts presented a second session on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/03/24/tag-managers-part-2-configuration-framework/\"\u003etag managers\u003c/a\u003e, and the Artificial Intelligence Community brought in experts from the Department of Homeland Security to talk about their \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/03/31/artificial-intelligence-for-homeland-security-the-development-of-the-dhs-ai-strategy/\"\u003eartificial intelligence strategy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-cloud-rain.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a cloud icon in medium blue. It has three lines coming down from the cloud to indicate rain.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApril\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApril showers brought a two-day session from the Social Media Community focused on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/04/28/social-media-spring-session-2021/\"\u003esocial media advertising and best practices\u003c/a\u003e. Other events featured plain language \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/04/14/how-testing-your-documents-can-improve-plain-language-compliance/\"\u003ecompliance testing\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/04/15/uswds-monthly-call-april-2021/\"\u003ewhy use the USWDS\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/04/21/challenge-and-prize-spotlight-chat-with-national-institute-of-standards-and-technology-nist/\"\u003ehow NIST built a legal framework for challenges and prize competitions\u003c/a\u003e. The \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/news/\"\u003eDigital.gov news\u003c/a\u003e page featured the article, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/04/16/the-federal-web-in-the-year-of-covid-19/\"\u003eThe Federal Web in the Year of COVID-19\u003c/a\u003e, and the Web Managers Community published a recap of February’s event on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/04/07/using-chatbots-to-improve-customer-experience/\"\u003eusing chatbots to improve customer experience\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-plant-full-grown-c.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a potted plant icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMay\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe learned about \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/05/04/federal-developmental-opportunities-workshop/\"\u003edevelopmental opportunities\u003c/a\u003e available for federal government employees, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/06/08/deep-fakes-and-social-media-a-qa-with-alex-cohen/\"\u003ehow to prepare your agency\u003c/a\u003e if you are targeted by \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/05/18/deep-fakes-and-social-media/\"\u003edeep fakes\u003c/a\u003e, and how to \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/05/19/positioning-yourself-as-a-plain-language-editor/\"\u003eposition yourself as a plain language editor\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor Global Accessibility Awareness Day, communities co-hosted events on creating more \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/05/20/uswds-accessibility-creating-more-inclusive-federal-websites/\"\u003einclusive websites\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/05/26/accessible-digital-content-tips-and-tricks/\"\u003eaccessible digital content\u003c/a\u003e. One of our expert community leads published \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/05/21/8-ways-community-of-practice-cop-managers-can-improve-member-engagement-on-listservs/\"\u003e8 Ways Community of Practice Managers Can Improve Member Engagement on Listservs\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-sun.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a sun icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJune\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Challenge and Prize Community kicked off the summer season chatting \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/06/08/challenge-and-prize-community-spotlight-chat-with-the-small-business-administration/\"\u003ewith innovation leaders at the Small Business Administration\u003c/a\u003e (SBA), the Plain Language Community hosted \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/06/09/plain-language-webinar-using-words-to-build-better-digital-experiences/\"\u003eUsing Words to Build Better Digital Experiences\u003c/a\u003e, and the design system team unpacked their \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/06/17/uswds-monthly-call-june-2021/\"\u003enew pagination component\u003c/a\u003e. The User Experience (UX) Community also hosted a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/06/22/2021-user-experience-summit/\"\u003ethree-day UX Summit\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd, last but not least, the Social Media Community hosted a \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/06/29/digital-strategy-at-1600-pennsylvania-avenue-qa-with-rob-flaherty-white-house-director-of-digital-strategy/\"\u003econversation with White House Director of Digital Strategy\u003c/a\u003e, Robert Flaherty. Read the event recap to get an \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/08/18/key-insights-from-the-white-house-director-of-digital-strategy-robert-flaherty/\"\u003einside look at how the White House is thinking about digital strategy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-sun.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a sun icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJuly\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDigital.gov hosted lively discussions on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/07/14/using-plain-language-to-tell-our-stories/\"\u003etelling our stories\u003c/a\u003e using plain language, how to \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/07/15/digital-meets-culture-getting-your-culture-in-line-with-your-digital-strategy/\"\u003ealign culture and digital strategy\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/07/28/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-1-assessing-analytics-strategy/\"\u003eassessing your analytics program\u003c/a\u003e. The Multilingual Community published a resource on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/07/27/6-ways-translation-glossaries-help-agencies-succeed-in-sharing-information/\"\u003e6 ways translation glossaries help agencies succeed in sharing information\u003c/a\u003e, and a new community of practice was launched. Welcome, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/07/08/gsa-launches-new-innovation-adoption-community-of-practice/\"\u003eInnovation Adoption Community\u003c/a\u003e!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-sun.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a sun icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAugust\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Social Media Community hosted a 2-day summer blockbuster on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/07/28/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-1-assessing-analytics-strategy/\"\u003eintellectual property and social media rules of conduct\u003c/a\u003e, and the Robotic Process Automation Community published \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/08/16/5-tips-for-implementing-citizen-development-in-your-rpa-program/\"\u003e5 Tips for Implementing Citizen Development\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-book-open.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of an open book icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSeptember\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnding out the fiscal year, we discussed \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/09/01/fedramp-dap-case-study-part-2-reporting-and-decision-making/\"\u003eanalytics objectives and key performance indicators\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/09/16/uswds-monthly-call-september-2021/\"\u003efuture of the U.S. Web Design System\u003c/a\u003e. The Plain Language Community hosted their \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/09/21/2021-federal-plain-language-summit/\"\u003eannual summit\u003c/a\u003e, bringing in eight experts across government to highlight success stories.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWant to plan a federal prize competition? Check out this event \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/09/02/spotlight-chat-planning-a-federal-prize-competition/\"\u003erecap\u003c/a\u003e of the Challenge and Prize Community’s spotlight chat with leaders of the Lab-to-Market Inclusive Innovation Ecosystem Prize Competition.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-moon.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a waning crescent moon icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOctober\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Digital.gov’s Multilingual and Social Media Communities co-hosted an event on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/10/14/how-to-best-connect-with-your-spanish-speaking-audience-during-an-emergency/\"\u003ehow to best connect with your Spanish-speaking audience during an emergency\u003c/a\u003e. The design system team highlighted the importance of \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/10/21/uswds-monthly-call-october-2021/\"\u003ecommunity, connection, and contribution\u003c/a\u003e; read the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/2021/11/15/webinar-recap-u-s-web-design-system-october-2021-monthly-call/\"\u003erecap\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-users.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of an icon in medium blue has two figures overlapping each other.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNovember\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Federal Leadership and Professional Development Community hosted an engaging event on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/11/03/successful-strategies-for-telework-and-hybrid-work-environments/\"\u003ehybrid and telework strategies\u003c/a\u003e with more than 1,000 people attending.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/icon-medium-gift.png\" alt=\"A line drawing of a gift box with a bow icon in medium blue.\" width=\"50\" style=\"vertical-align:top; margin:0px 5px 0px 0px; border:0px solid black; float: left;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDecember\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecember brought a lively discussion on the \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/12/08/results-of-the-2021-federal-report-card/\"\u003e2021 Federal Plain Language Report Card\u003c/a\u003e, and a live demo on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/12/16/uswds-monthly-call-december-2021/\"\u003eUSWDS template creation and rapid prototyping\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to joining our \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/\"\u003ecommunities of practice\u003c/a\u003e and signing up for our twice-monthly \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/about/subscribe/\"\u003enewsletter\u003c/a\u003e, stay informed by following us on \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/digital_gov\"\u003eTwitter\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/digitalgov\"\u003eFacebook\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalGov\"\u003eYouTube\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe look forward to connecting with you!\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}