View source for GovLoop

{{Short description|American technology company}}
'''GovLoop''' is an online [[Social network service|social network]] for people in and around [[government]]. The community, which is built on [[Ning (website)|Ning]] technology, was originally aimed at [[Federal government of the United States|federal]], [[State government|state]], and [[Local government|local]] government employees in the United States, but has since grown to include students, government contractors, employees of governments outside the United States, and individuals interested in government service. GovLoop hosts personal profile pages, discussion groups and forums, [[blog]]s, photographs, videos, slide presentations, a [[wiki]], and two weekly [[podcasts]].

[http://www.govloop.com GovLoop] was founded in May 2008 by [[Stephen A. Ressler]], then a 28-year-old information specialist with the United States Department of Homeland Security.<ref name = "WPA7">[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080606461_2.html Washington Post, August 7, 2010]</ref> By April 2009, it had 10,000 members.<ref>[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/facebook_for_feds_hits_10000_m.html?hpid=news-col-blog Washington Post, April 29, 2009]</ref>  In August 2010, membership exceeded 32,000.<ref name = "WPA7" />

In September 2009, the GovLoop community was acquired by GovDelivery, a government communications firm in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]],<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/business/62459137.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU Minneapolis Star-Tribune, September 28, 2009]</ref> whereupon Ressler left government employment; he is now the CEO of GovLoop.<ref>{{cite magazine
| author = J. Nicholas Hoover
| title = Social Network GovLoop Sold To GovDelivery
| quote = Popular government social networking Web site GovLoop has been acquired by government communication firm GovDelivery, the companies announced Monday.
| magazine = Information Week
| date = September 29, 2009
| url = http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220300082
| accessdate = May 22, 2010
}}</ref>
The community employs a community manager, Andrew Krzmarzick, and relies on volunteer community leaders to assist newcomers and monitor contributed content.<ref>{{Cite news
| author = DorobekInsider
| title = Another GovDelivery/GovLoop hiring coup: Andrew Krzmarzick — and passes 20K members
| quote = On Monday, GovDelivery’s GovLoop will announce another hiring coup: Andrew Krzmarzick will join GovLoop, the FederalNewsRadio.com’s DorobekInsider has learned.
| publisher = Federalnewsradio.com
| date = October 28, 2009
| pages =
| url = http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=110&sid=1788667
| accessdate = May 22, 2010
}}</ref>

As of May 2010, GovLoop hosted more than 700 discussion groups and more than 5,400 blog posts on topics ranging from federal acquisition policies to implementing new government transparency requirements to "Gov Gourmet," a group dedicated to cooking.  In July 2010, GovLoop will host its first conference with Young Government Leaders entitled [http://www.nextgengovt.com Next Generation of Government Summit], targeted to rising government leaders.

GovLoop has inspired similar sites to be created for public sector employees in Israel, Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, [[:es:NovaGob|Spain and other Spanish speaking countries]].

As of January 2013, GovLoop has over 65,000 members and has been featured as a case study of government innovation in books such as [https://www.amazon.com/Macrowikinomics-Rebooting-Business-Don-Tapscott/dp/1591843561 Macrowikinomics].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.govloop.com/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Govloop}}
[[Category:American social networking websites]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2008]]
[[Category:2008 establishments in Minnesota]]