Report: Iridium to Help Twitter Make SMS Available on All Phones

Iridium is among the few satellite operators Twitter is partnering with in the U.S. to expand the social network’s short message service reach, ZDNet reports. 

Twitter plans to give subscribers access to SMS capabilities on any mobile device, according to ZDNet. The aim is to provide users pertinent information in cases of emergencies. 

Iridium will help Twitter act…

Report: US, Syrians Could Still Talk on Social Media

The U.S. has closed its embassy in Syria but could still use social media to communicate with Syrians, NextGov reports.

Experts told NextGov that State Department officials could still interact with Syrian activists and citizens on Facebook or Twitter.

The department has not confirmed plans…

DHS Keeping Watchful Eye on Social Media, Storing Information

The Department of Homeland Security announced last month it was looking into how it could use Twitter as an intelligence tool and how to monitor social media networks.

DHS is now creating accounts to monitor site activity and establish an archiving system for the information it gathers, ABC News reports.

“The…

Survey: Federal Agencies, Employees Embracing Social Media for Reasons Similar to Contractors

More federal agencies are embracing social media in 2011, a sharp contrast from the apprehension they showed in 2010, according to a recent survey of 352 federal government employees by research firm Market Connections. 

A Professional Service Council summary of the survey in Service Contractor magazine said 19 percent of agencies surveyed continue to restrict access to some…

Salesforce, Rypple Aim to Create a Social Enterprise to Promote Agency Goals

Last week, Salesforce.com announced a social networking acquisition that has been long in the making, according to John Wookey, executive vice president of advanced applications. 

The company said it will acquire Rypple, a cloud-based performance management services provider, and bring on all of Rypple’s staff and offerings. Wookey will run Rypple’s operations, which Salesforce will rename…

Mobility, Social Media Highlight IDC’s 2012 Government IT Forecast

Operational efficiency, mobility, smart government and economic stability will be the key themes of government investment in information technology for 2012, according to a forecast from IDC Government Insights.

As covered by InformationWeek, IDC predicts governments at all levels will spend nearly $82.4 billion on hardware, software and IT services in 2012.

IDC found…

Ask Cisco About Cloud Via Twitter

Cisco recently announced that it is making its chief technology officers available to chat about cloud on Twitter. Just #CiscoChat and ask anything about challenges, opportunities and trends around the cloud. 

Both Cloud CTO Lew Tucker (@LewTucker) and CTO Padmasree Warrior (@Padmasree ) will be available for direct questioning.

Come Dec. 6, the two will host a live chat, from 10:00 a.m….

MarkLogic Intos New Social Media Channels at Gov’t Summit

MarkLogic recently held its annual Government Summit, included more than 350 government and industry decision maker attendees who explored big data solutions.

Amidst panels and discussions was the official launch of the MarkLogic Public Sector Twitter handle, @MarkLogicPubSec and the MarkLogic Public Sector Facebook page.

“This year’s MarkLogic Government Summit gave public…

RedHatGov Symposium Highlights Roadmap to the 25 Point Plan, Open Source

About this time last week, FedScoop and Red Hat were wrapping up the 2011 Red Hat Government Symposium at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Red Hat provided continual updates during the event on its Twitter account, RedHatGov, highlighting key speakers and remarks. 

FedScoop, the event sponsor, reported some 300 government and industry leaders to be in attendance. The…

Agencies Hopping on Google Plus Bandwagon

NASA led the way in joining Google Plus, and now more federal agencies are quickly following.

The U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the National Nuclear Security Administration, among other agencies, have now joined Google’s social network, according to a report from Information Week.

Originally only made available to individual users, Google Plus was…