Proudly Serving: Writing a Book in the Open
Rebecca Woodbury and Luke Fretwell discuss their collaborative process in writing 'Proudly Serving,' a book aimed at making civic tech and government more accessible, responsive, and effective. They share insights on open source principles, the importance of plain language, and fostering a culture of transparency and public service.
The Book: https://proudlyservingbook.com
Key Topics
The Book: https://proudlyservingbook.com
Key Topics
- The origin story of civic tech and government responsiveness
- The collaborative process of writing 'Proudly Serving' with over thirty contributors
- The importance of working in the open and transparency in government projects
- The role of plain language in improving government communication
- The concept of everyone being a public servant and fostering collective responsibility
- The challenges and lessons learned in remote, asynchronous collaboration
- The significance of guiding principles and shared values in public organizations
- Strategies for balancing innovation with accountability in civic tech
Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction to Civic Tech and Public Service
- 00:22 Rebecca's Origin Story in Civic Tech
- 04:04 Luke's Path to Civic Tech and Digital Government
- 07:06 Personal Why: Making Government Better
- 08:03 The Inspiration Behind 'Proudly Serving'
- 12:29 Target Audience for the Book
- 16:05 Writing the Book Like an Open Source Project
- 19:23 Collaborative Process and Contributor Engagement
- 23:40 Design and Accessibility in the Book
- 26:45 Working Remotely and Asynchronously
- 33:57 Chapter Review and Quality Gates
- 40:12 Reflections on Personal Challenges and Growth
- 42:14 Plain Language and Clear Communication
- 47:31 Everyone as a Public Servant
- 55:36 Living Up to the 'Why' in Civic Tech
- 01:00:37 Key Message: Default to Open and Say Yes
- 01:02:51 How to Access the Book and Final Thoughts