Influence - Forum One

Dear Think Tanks: No One is Reading Your PDF Report

Kurt Voelker — Wed, 21 May 2014 17:28:05 +0000

"What if someone had already figured out the answers to the world's most pressing policy problems, but those solutions were buried deep in a PDF, somewhere nobody will ever read them?"

Earlier this month, Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post's WonkBlog posed this troubling question while highlighting findings from a recent

"What if someone had already figured out the answers to the world's most pressing policy problems, but those solutions were buried deep in a PDF, somewhere nobody will ever read them?" The dearth of PDF downloads has been known (and fretted over) for years, but what can be done about it? Here we recommend three steps on how your organization can embrace the new and move beyond the PDF format.

Relaunching GlobalChange.gov

Michael Rader — Wed, 14 May 2014 19:42:01 +0000

Last Tuesday, 240 of the country’s top climate scientists and experts released the third National Climate Assessment (NCA). The report details the current and best understanding of how climate change is already impacting Americans’ health and livelihoods in every region of the country. The takeaway from the report is that if you live in the United States, you’re either already dealing with climate change, or it is coming soon to your neighborhood.

When Forum One began working with the U.S. Global Change Research Program (GCRP) last year on a new design for globalchange.gov we knew we had a big job, but we didn’t know we’d have such a big audience.

When Forum One began working with the U.S. Global Change Research Program (GCRP) last year on a new design for globalchange.gov, we knew we had a big job, but we didn’t know we’d have such a big audience.

Launching the Health Data Consortium – Two Years Later

Jim Cashel — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 19:12:10 +0000

In late 2011 I was approached by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with an audacious proposition: would Forum One help the Foundation, HHS, the White House, the California HealthCare Foundation and others establish an independent nonprofit organization focused on health data?

We reflect on two years of growth and opportunity for the Health Data Consortium (HDC) – along with our excitement at Forum One on being tapped for this important project – recognizing the things that worked well that contributed to its early success.

Health & Data: Working with the California Department of Health Care Services

Jim Cashel — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 16:29:06 +0000

A major driver of health reform is the more effective use of data.

A major driver of health reform is the more effective use of data. Through our work with the California Department of Health Care Services, our aims have been to achieve this while improving their web presence overall – including a new web governance plan, new site-wide style guidelines, and an improved analytics infrastructure.

Announcing CHeQPoint: A Snapshot of HIE Activity in California

Jim Cashel — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 19:08:20 +0000

One major focus of health reform efforts is on Health Information Technology (HIT), which is trying to pull health communications into the 21st century through Electronic Health Records (EHR), Telemedicine, and other technologies.

CheQPoint.org provide an overview of major Health Information Exchange efforts in California.

11 Digital Trends for Impact in 2014

Chris Wolz — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:44:30 +0000

What do organizations looking to be influential on policy issues need to do online in 2014?

Here you’ll find what some of our lead experts see as key tech issues for organizations in the nonprofit, foundation and government sectors. Our focus is what is relevant for organizations looking to increase the influence of their work – and we see interesting trends in partnership approaches, user experience and empathy, video conferencing, open data, feedback strategies, going “beyond mobile,” thinking digital - and more.

Do Only English Speakers Pay Taxes? Government Websites and Multilingual Capabilities

Jim Cashel — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 20:42:33 +0000

Here at Forum One we’ve worked on many multilingual sites (including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Kurdish, and Chinese). Multilingual sites can be complex in terms of technology and maintenance – but in a multicultural and multilingual world, they are also highly effective.

Our recent work with a number of states (California, New York, Minnesota) has brought us face to face with an uncomfortable fact: state websites are generally English-only.

Though representing a diverse and multilingual population, most U.S. state and government websites offer only a minimal level of support for multilingual content and translation. As state health exchanges are recognizing the need to reach out to more diverse segments of their citizens, it is apparent that greater effort needs to be made to ensure resources are more widely accessible.

Making Data Engaging: Designing The Nation's Report Card (Part 1)

Tim Shaw — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 19:53:37 +0000

In early November, you might have caught such headlines as this one from the Washington Post: “U.S.

In early November last year, media headlines were bursting with news about the 2013 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessments for mathematics and reading, and how for the first time ever this exciting data was available to all through a new set of engaging and interactive charts. Take a look behind the curtain on this exciting project to learn how NAEP worked with the Forum One team to reimagine this project and make The Nation's Report Card more accessible than ever.

Behind the Scenes with Obamacare

Jim Cashel — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 21:41:15 +0000

If you've been reading the press coverage lately, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that Obamacare mostly involves a faulty website launch and periodic consumer sticker shock. But through Forum One’s work with clients on the front lines of the Obamacare rollout – such as the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and The California Endowment – we are seeing a number of other important “behind the scenes” stories that aren’t getting much attention.

If you've been reading the press coverage lately, it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that Obamacare mostly involves a faulty website launch and periodic consumer sticker shock. But through Forum One’s work with clients on the front lines of the Obamacare rollout we are seeing a number of other important “behind the scenes” stories that aren’t getting much attention.

What I Learned About Life and Business by Biking Across the Country

Chris Wolz — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 15:15:02 +0000

Over eight weeks in the summer of 2013, my son and I cycled 3,700 miles across the country, from San Francisco back home to Alexandria, Virginia. The trip was something my son Alex had long been dreaming of and planning to do since graduating from high school. When other co-riders could not join Alex (18), Chris (that’s me, 52) decided to join – and thus launched the adventure, a two-month father-son road trip taking place just before Alex headed off to college.

Over eight weeks in the summer of 2013, Forum One CEO Chris Wolz and his son cycled 3,700 miles across the country, from San Francisco back home to Alexandria, Virginia. Here he reflects on and present a "top ten list" of lessons learned about business from the long bike trip – familiar ideas as well as new insights and surprises.