{
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    "title" : "Progress with Open Opportunities: Notes from the Field |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Progress with Open Opportunities: Notes from the Field",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2015/05/01/progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Progress with Open Opportunities: Notes from the Field","summary" : "As a task creator with an ambitious agenda and limited resources, I’ve got a great deal of incentive to make the most use that I can of Open Opportunities. And indeed, Open Opportunities participants have made a concrete and positive difference in the operations of our office, the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, part of","date" : "2015-05-01T11:10:51-04:00","date_modified" : "2024-04-02T09:45:13-04:00","authors" : {"dannielle-blumenthal" : "Dannielle Blumenthal"},"topics" : {
        
            "professional-development" : "Professional Development"
            },"branch" : "cm-topics-button-component",
      "filename" :"2015-05-01-progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/05/2015-05-01-progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2015/05/2015-05-01-progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2015/05/2015-05-01-progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field.md","slug" : "progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2015/05/01/progress-with-open-opportunities-notes-from-the-field/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/04/600-x-450-Motivation-by-gensyn-Flickr-CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0.jpg\"\n    alt=\"A motivational note reads, Let\u0026#39;s be Awesome! Signed, The voice in your head\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a task creator with an ambitious agenda and limited resources, I’ve got a great deal of incentive to make the most use that I can of \u003ca href=\"https://midas.18f.us/\"\u003eOpen Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e. And indeed, Open Opportunities participants have made a concrete and positive difference in the operations of our office, the \u003ca href=\"http://manufacturing.gov/welcome.html\"\u003eAdvanced Manufacturing National Program Office\u003c/a\u003e, part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the Department of Commerce.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpen Opportunities participants have, among other things:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten blog content for a national outlet\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated infographics that have boosted traffic on our Twitter account, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AdvMfgNPO\"\u003e@AdvMfgNPO\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRedesigned our organizational charts and stakeholder maps\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated graphics used in executive briefings and external speeches\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTeamed up to launch our Facebook account (forthcoming)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten “tough questions” for use in FAQs\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eResearched practical applications of the complex technologies our institutes develop\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis isn’t to say that it’s a piece of cake to convince folks to try it: Open Opportunities involves unfamiliar tasks, new virtual colleagues, and requirements that can seem daunting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlus, there’s always the issue of getting buy-in. I’ve heard the concern expressed: “will my boss think of this as ‘moonlighting?’”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStill, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VeWAtdfOio\u0026amp;index=1\u0026amp;list=PLd9b-GuOJ3nHS1TFaULnHi6KIt6l83pnb\"\u003esupervisors on the whole are supportive\u003c/a\u003e, and the existence of this interagency skills exchange is a gigantic leap forward for those who want to learn new skills without leaving their duty station for a significant amount of time. And there has been a noticeable trend upward in employee interest in the program since I started posting tasks a few months ago.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen they hear how it works in practice, the program sounds so good that people sometimes ask me, “can this be for real?” I’ve even had non-participants contact me, wanting to learn \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/resources/open-opportunities-task-creator-toolkit/\"\u003ehow to create tasks\u003c/a\u003e, create community around them, and generally what my experience with the program has been.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndeed, this program has proven to be a lifesaver. Not only is it useful for getting specific tasks done, but it also:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenerates objective third-party feedback about the program’s existing communication efforts\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHelps to identify additional communication gaps in the program\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides a means for motivated professionals to network with one another and support each other’s professional development\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are many \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2014/12/08/from-taste-testers-to-explorers-developing-personas-for-open-opportunities/\"\u003ereasons people participate in Open Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e. Some want to advance their careers by learning new skills and others want to make a difference. As such, they’re exactly the kinds of people you want to work with—collaborative yet independent, constructive critical thinkers, and skilled at using time productively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat are your thoughts about Open Opportunities, as a participant, potential participant, or as someone engaged in posting tasks? Your comments will help me, and DigitalGov, improve the program.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd if you’re interested in taking on any of our tasks, please \u003ca href=\"https://midas.18f.us/tasks\"\u003echeck out the listings on Open Opportunities\u003c/a\u003e—or \u003ca href=\"mailto:dannielle.blumenthal@nist.gov\"\u003edrop me a line\u003c/a\u003e and suggest one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDannielle Blumenthal, Ph.D. is the Associate Director for Communications at the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, NIST, Department of Commerce. For more information on the program, visit the \u003ca href=\"https://www.manufacturing.gov\"\u003eAdvanced Manufacturing website\u003c/a\u003e, follow the program on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/AdvMfgNPO\"\u003e@AdvMfgNPO\u003c/a\u003e, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Advanced-Manufacturing-National-Program-Office-6947787?home\"\u003ejoin the LinkedIn Group\u003c/a\u003e. Feel free to \u003ca href=\"mailto:dannielle.blumenthal@nist.gov\"\u003econtact Dannielle directly\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}