Today's announcement that GovDelivery purchased GovLoop,  merging government-to-citizen communication with government-to-government communication, is an addition where possibly 2 + 2 = much more than 4. Established in May 2008 by Steve Ressler, GovLoop has over 18,000 government, and government supporting contractors as on-line members. Ressler established this "Facebook for Feds" as a way for government employees to connect, work, and share ideas, all for the betterment of government. According to an article in the Washington Post,  Federal Eye - GovLoop Sold and its Founder Will Leave Gov't by Ed O'Keefe, Ressler will leave his "9 to 5" government job and focus full time on what has been his "5 to 9" job, leading GovLoop, now an operating division within GovDelivery.

Founded in 1999, with the idea of helping U.S. employers stay compliant with government labor laws by using an Internet-based application to deliver required documents in electronic format via email, GovDelivery launched an email subscription management application in 2000 that is now a Software as a Service engine providing fully automated, on demand communication from government to the public. With a GovDelivery solution, government can proactively deliver information through email or wireless alerts and/or RSS feeds on topics ranging from H1N1 to updates of food and drug recalls, withdrawals, and alerts.

At a time when many government agencies are focused on attracting and retaining young talent with a passion to serve, the federal government may be losing more than just a talented leader,  they are loosing a Young Government Leader (YGL) co-founder. YGL, a professional organization of over 2,000 government employees at the federal, state and local level, started out in 2003 as a happy hour group of  young folks interested in meeting like minded other young government employees. Today, with Ressler's and other young government leadership, YGL's members connect over issues, provide advice, and network to enhance their government work experience.

Perhaps this government loss will also be a government gain, as Ressler will be able to devote both his day and night time jobs to connect government employees to each other to improve government. And the communication multiplier leverage of this merger? According to an interview with Steve Radick, An Awesome Interview with the Founder of GovLoop, Steve Ressler | Social Media Strategery, of the over 10 million people who have used GovDelivery solutions to sign up to receive government alerts from agencies such as HHS, CDC, and EPA, Ressler states that some 15% to 30% are government employees. So the theory is, pushed communications from GovDelivery can mesh with the GovLoop community, and provide a real time collaborative space for government employees to work on similar areas of interest and concern, and develop like minded communities across agencies and geographic boundaries. With Ressler stepping up full time to support this informal social network, government employees will not only have a shared interest collaborative network, but citizens should ultimately benefit form an increased velocity in knowledge sharing, and presumably, government problem solving. Perhaps having a young industry leader supporting so many "govies" may be just the leverage factor government needs to increase a participative, collaborative, and citizen centric focus.