if Congress worked the way I wanted it to work...

After reading Dennis Johnson's chapter on Congressional Websites in Congress Online, I decided that in my ideal world there would be a congressional committee that set up requirements that every member must have on their website, how frequently it should be updated, and how much money should be allocated to pay a staff member to oversee the site. When I read that only five members had their schedules posted, I was not surprised. But if every member was required to post it, then it should not be a tool for his opponent to use against him. Unless of course, he truly was slacking off on the job.

As we've learned in class, the ability to interact and provide feedback are important aspects of a website that can help a constituent feel involved. Since we aren't talking about campaigns here, volunteer and fundraising forms are unnecessary. Instead, Congressional sites typically utilize forms to e-mail issue concerns. In addition, a message board option, moderated by a rotating group of staffers, and maybe for a special hour a week, the Senator or Congressperson himself could take questions. This feature could actually cut back on constituent mail by providing immediate feedback.

I know most of my ideas will never happen, but it's fun to be idealistic every once in awhile.