Does your Web site measure up?
The Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 'is unequivocally the best practice in the government Internet space.'
By Susan M. MenkeGCN StaffThe Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 'is unequivocally the best practice in the government Internet space.'That's the conclusion of Jupiter Media Metrix, which recently studied 81 federal and state government sites.Preston Dodd, a senior analyst for the New York media research company, said analysts talked to site managers and senior executives and surveyed consumers to determine whether government sites are furthering 'e-bureaucracy or e-democracy.'He said government sites so far serve as an additional channel to disseminate official information, exhibiting 'a strong sense of decorum' and trying to unite internal agency efforts rather than focusing on outside users' needs.Lack of central integration and fragmentation of funding have kept government sites from adding many features popular on commercial sites, Dodd said. Lists of frequently asked questions are usually inadequate, he said, and the absence of languages other than English 'reinforces the digital divide.'The CDC site, at , was the only one Jupiter surveyed that offers the choice of Spanish language content.Eighty-eight percent of the sites, however, had employment and recruitment information, and about three-quarters of the sites had accessible forms and records as well as kids' sections.Because of the fragmented oversight and funding, Dodd said, 'the click-overs are confusing.' He criticized the relatively large numbers of clicks necessary to find desired information on government sites, saying the ideal number is just two clicks. After a few click-overs, he said, the page appearance often changes completely or the user may be routed to a different agency's site.Dodd reserved his harshest criticism for sites that had broken links'84 percent'and those that provided e-mail addresses but failed to answer queries within two weeks'52 percent.'The customer expectation is three hours or less' to receive a reply to an e-mailed query, he said.'State and federal sites are different animals,' Dodd said. A state site has checks and balances that force it to prioritize how it presents its executive, legislative and judicial functions. Many state sites provide help for things such as taxes and licenses.Even so, he said, 'There are a lot of static sites.' Only 6 percent have online contract bidding, and none so far allows online voter registration or voting.California's site, at , drew commendation from Jupiter Media Metrix for offering a choice of plain Hypertext Markup Language, text-only, Java or animated formats to serve the broadest possible range of users. And Georgia's was called the most innovative site because of its live audio coverage of state Legislature proceedings.'When you design by committee, you don't get good integration,' Dodd said. Government sites that compel users to download an external application such as Adobe Acrobat reader 'are underserving their constituencies.'The best practice that Jupiter Media Metrix found is to have an executive sponsor to shepherd the site and assure the use of interoperable hardware and software, Dodd said.'Outsourcing is the reality. The role of the information technology staff is different now,' he said. 'We recommend that the Web effort stay on the strategic side, not on the technical side.'The bottom line, Dodd said, is to keep asking, 'Is it a bolt-on site, or does it focus on the core mission?"
Agencies need to focus on citizens, analyst advises
www.cdc.gov
Room for improvement
www.state.ca.us
 | In a survey of 81 government Web sites, a media research company gave high praise to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its site's flexible services. The Salvador Dali painting, 'Hallucinogenic Matador,' appears on the site. |
www.cdc.gov
Room for improvement
 | California's Web site drew praise for offering information in a variety of formats. |
www.state.ca.us
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