Entries in Websites of Interest (5)
A Search Engine for Political Junkies
It all started when I was strolling around the 13th Floor of Governing.Com.
I ran into a blog by Josh Goodman discussing the problems of finding municipal web sites.
I just googled Louisville and was surprised by the result.
The first hit? Louisville.com an entertainment Web site.
Number two? The University of Louisville.
Third? The Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Up fourth? The city's Wikipedia page.
Finally, coming in fifth is the city's official homepage.
This is a trend I'm starting to notice. Government Web sites are slipping down in search engine results (Try googling New Orleans, for example).
Now...to get to the point. Under the comments to this post I found this from Marc...
The worst of local government websites
Municipal web sites. I find is amazing that so many local officials do not realize the importance of having a good municipal website. Chock full of useful information.
A chance to really show off the city!
Then we have this report from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Visit the city of Bayport's Web site and you will see colorful foliage and a couple strolling alongside a rustic fence.
Wait, isn't that the same couple and fence on Newport's Internet site? And Sauk Centre's?
In fact, that picturesque walk comes up on the Web sites of nearly half a dozen other Minnesota cities.
But the lookalike residents aren't that uncommon. Several cities throughout Minnesota share the same smiling faces, boat-on-the-water scenes and portraits of a boy sitting with his dog on their Web sites.
Chalk it up to templates.
Meant to help communities create a distinctive space on the Web, the pre formed design programs often mean one city looks much like the others.
Now granted, this blog uses a template. Templates are just fine for some applications.
But, not when the website is intended to not just disburse information but also is intended as a Business/Economic/Tourism development tool. Those cities want a website that SCREAMS...come spend your money here.
How much does a custom site cost instead of one of these cookie cutter templates?
St. Paul-based GovOffice, a division of Avenet Web Solutions, creates Web sites for 300 cities, county governments and other public agencies in Minnesota and has 1,200 accounts nationwide and in Canada, said marketing director Ross Heupel. Cities can choose a template, which is free, or have their sites custom designed. The going rate for customization is $400 and up.
Four hundred bucks and up to look different. But wait...
It's up to the city to change the look.
"With one click they can change that template within seconds," Heupel said.It appears that while many cities update their sites with meeting schedules and information on recycling and other programs, a few are not uploading the look of their town and residents.
So really, to change the pictures in the template doesn't cost anything. It doesn't even cost $400 to look different and many cities still don't take the time and effort.
Newport City Administrator Larry Bodahl didn't know that city's Web site matched those of several other communities until printouts were held up next to one another.
"It is like looking at picture frames at Target," he said.
Until a few years ago, Newport didn't even have a Web site, Bodahl said. Improvements will come with time.
"We're still in the neophyte stage," he said.
Unfortunately, far too many local governments are "still in the neophyte stage" of web development.
I believe every local election debate/questionnaire should include the question:
"What do you think about the city/county/whatever website...and do you believe anything could be done to improve it?"
In fact, we should make that a "template" question.
Local Government Websites
Communication.
The most important word in government and politics.
Website.
The most important way for local government to communicate with its citizens.
They are serious. They will be holding three public input meetings and reviewing the survey that was done regarding this redesign.
Many local governments are not very serious about their web sites. They are not very serious about communicating with their citizens.
Look at your local government sites. City, School, County. Look at all of them.
Do they list the calendar of upcoming meetings? With Agendas?
Is there a way for you to send an email to your local elected officials?
Those are the two main things I look for. It is amazing in 2008 that many local government web sites don't have those basic benefits in place for its citizens.
If they don't have those basic benefits for you on the website, it should tell you they don't really care about communicating with you.
When that is the case, it is not time to change the website ... it is time to change your elected officials.
Al Arnold
in Websites of Interest
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Local Government Websites
Every local government should have a website. Period. There is absolutely no excuse for any local government, no matter how small, not to have a website.
With that being said, there are good local government websites and very bad local government websites.
I came across some great tips for local government websites. It comes from Gerry McGovern.
Among Mr. McGovern's tips we read these gems...
If there is one sure sign of an awful government website it’s a picture of a politician on the homepage.
It’s hard for politicians and others not to see a website as some sort of traditional publicity tool. But if you want to impress citizens, don’t show them your face. Instead, show them how to quickly and easily do what they came to do.
A council website is about citizens doing things, not about the council saying: “Look at all the great things we’ve done.”
and finally...
The more you try to directly promote yourself on the Web, the more of a fool you look. But if you help your customer do what they need to do quickly and easily, then they’ll promote you.
While the best website is yet to be discovered by me, the worst local government website I am aware of belongs to my hometown. It takes four, let me repeat that FOUR steps to get to the Council Agenda.
On the Parks and Recreation page, the first sentence of the second paragraph is thirteen lines long. Thirteen lines of non-sense.
If you know of what you consider to be a Very Good to Excellent Local Government Website, please send the link my way.
If it has the picture of Mayor on the homepage, don't bother.
Local Government Blogs
After announcing that I believed that Mayor Bill Gentes of Round Lake, Illinois had the best local government blog I follow, I heard from Mayor Gentes.
Mayor Gentes pointed me in the direction of the website and blogs of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. On the City Administrator Blog different Department Heads blog on a variety of issues and concerns of the citizens. The Fire Chief has his own Blog.
I was not only impressed with the Blogs on this site but the entire website. This site could be used as a template for other cities who think they need a website, or wish to improve the website they presently have.
There is absolutely no excuse for a local government not to have a website. No excuse. It is the most convenient and least costly method of communication local government can have with its citizens.
Through the website local officials (both elected and appointed) can communicate without the filter of the media.
I thank Mayor Gentes for alerting me to the Eden Prairie website and once again request that if you are aware of a good local government blog (or website) to let me know.
Al Arnold
in Academy of Local Politics, Websites of Interest
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"Government Web sites are slipping down in search engine results"
This is exactly why I created a search engine dedicated solely to politics and public policy - www.polisphere.com. Working in the public policy arena myself, I kept finding that the information I was looking for was buried among pages of irrelevant results. For example, try searching for "pre-k" (a hot topic now) on google. Only one result on the first page has anything to do with public policy. Compare that to the amount of relevant policy information you get at www.polisphere.com. In addition, on Polisphere you can refine your results and search only state government websites, local government websites, federal government websites, policy organizations, or media outlets, depending on what you are looking for.
For those working in government or public policy, this can be a helpful resource, so I encourage you to check it out.
A Search Engine dedicated solely to politics and public policy?
WWW.Polisphere.Com
By all means...check it out.