The index's e-government report, scheduled for release today, covers 53 federal Web sites that have volunteered to be scored based on their content, appearance, search engines and other functions. The State Department's student site (www.future.state.gov) and the Federal Aviation Administration's site (www.faa.gov) improved most over a nine-month period measured by the index. Other sites that improved their rankings included the Office of Personnel Management's recruitment site (www.usajobs.opm.gov), the State Department's job site (www.careers.state.gov) and the National Library of Medicine site (www.nlm.nih.gov).
Overall, the index shows "mixed results in terms of how successful agencies are," said Larry Freed, chief executive of ForeSee Results Inc., which helps produce the e-gov satisfaction report.
But "channel loyalty" emerged as a common finding in the latest quarterly index, an indication that some federal Web sites are becoming a preferred way for many Americans to get information, Freed said.
Anne Kelly, chief executive at the Federal Consulting Group, a Treasury Department office that helps agencies participate in the index, said the latest findings show federal Web sites "are getting in touch really good with their customers" as they make improvements based on user feedback.
On average, the federal Web sites scored 70.3 on the 100-point index. The more effective sites, such as those operated by OPM and the U.S. Mint, posted scores in the high 70s that put them near or on par with the private sector.
Autor: Stephen Barr
Quelle: CBS News, 21.06.2004
