Feds' personal tweets give insight to #ShutdownLife

FCW posted its top seven feds to follow on Twitter on Day One of the government shutdown. At first glance that might seem counterintuitive -- many agencies tweeted that they would be unable to update their accounts during the shutdown. But some feds are keeping the Twitterverse illuminated with their shutdown stories and opinions via their personal accounts.

Justin Herman, social media guru for the General Services Administration, is providing updates on his #shutdownbeard. A day before the shutdown, Herman tweeted "I've taken 3 oaths of office in 10 years: military officer; Congressional aide; Fed executive. Public service demands an Iron Price sometimes".

Beth Beck, open innovation program manager at NASA, signed off with a flourish. "Shutting down my NASA iPhone + iPad during furlough = forced digital detox. Let the cleanse begin," she tweeted.

Some feds tend toward comedy, others toward opinion. Dan Munz, deputy assistant director for consumer engagement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tweeted, "Basically, there's now a strong incentive to fill legislation with minor symbolic things you can bargain away later to protect the core."

Munz's agency is fairly new, so he can perhaps be forgiven for ignoring the fact that using legislative leverage to get what you want has been a staple of congressional affairs since the days of Hamilton and Jefferson trading the states' debt for a capital on the Potomac.

Others eschewed politics for simple good manners. After tweeting about data.gov not being accessible during the shutdown, Jeanne Holm of NASA tweeted, "I've never wanted to say 'I'm sorry' to so many people in one day. Thanks for your patience and understanding."