Congressional Websites
While not specifically from the reading, this just came out and is too good not to blog about. In Pennsylvania, www.politicspa.com is the most popular website among political hacks. As a former hack in said state, I still check it out once in a while. They have just come out with a report card grading the websites of the PA congressional delegation
The websites are graded in 4 categories, Ease of use, Timelyness, Usefulness, and Aesthetics. Only 3 members of the Delegation received straight A's (Senators Specter and Santorum and Congressowman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13). Interestingly enough, the Repulbicans pretty much got A's and B's across the board. The Democrats ran the gamut from Schwartz's straight A's to Jack Murtha's D- average. My former boss Tim Holden received 3 C's amd an F. One thing I do know about those two districts is that they are not very caught up technologically (many dont' have internet in parts of Holden's district and most of those who do are still using dail up. However this is still not a good statement for about members of congress. When will the Democrats catch on? I know Tim Holden is a great congressman and he would be well served to communicate that more effectivly through the web.
The websites are graded in 4 categories, Ease of use, Timelyness, Usefulness, and Aesthetics. Only 3 members of the Delegation received straight A's (Senators Specter and Santorum and Congressowman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13). Interestingly enough, the Repulbicans pretty much got A's and B's across the board. The Democrats ran the gamut from Schwartz's straight A's to Jack Murtha's D- average. My former boss Tim Holden received 3 C's amd an F. One thing I do know about those two districts is that they are not very caught up technologically (many dont' have internet in parts of Holden's district and most of those who do are still using dail up. However this is still not a good statement for about members of congress. When will the Democrats catch on? I know Tim Holden is a great congressman and he would be well served to communicate that more effectivly through the web.
2 Comments:
In the House, there is a concerted and ongoing effort to educate Members on best practices for websites. The D's were the first to make a concerted effort to focus on improving the official sites of their membership, and even established a Democrats.House.Gov internet message headquarters. The R's quickly followed suit.
Part of the problem is one of inadequate attention, particularly if contituencies don't have broad access to the internet. With limited resources, some offices will stick their techie (who often lacks any PR experience) with the responsibility for updating content. Even among Members who have internet savvy constituencies, some still just don't get it.
Very interesting post, thanks.
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