New report: Congressional Web sites 'disappointing'

[Renew Deal]

Nonprofit group rates congressional leadership Web sites poorly for user friendliness

By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
February 26, 2007

Many of the Web sites for members of the U.S. Congress lack basic information such as information on office hours or where to go if the reader has problems with a federal agency, according to a report released Monday.

The overall state of congressional Web sites is "disappointing," said the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonprofit group advocating for a more effective Congress. The group gave only about 14 percent of the 615 lawmaker and congressional leadership Web sites it surveyed A grades for user friendliness. The top group of A-graded sites earn CMF's Gold Mouse award.

Thirteen percent of the congressional sites received F grades, and another 25 percent received D's.

"It's things that are missing, things that aren't updated," said Beverly Bell, CMF's executive director. In many cases, congressional offices seem to see Web sites as one-way communication mediums, she said.
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http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/02/26/HNcongressionalwebsites_1.html?source=NLC-TB&cgd=2007-02-26

[One Sweet World]

1. Figures

most don't even know what the internet is.

[JEQuidam]

2. It depends how you look at it...

Personally, I would give the congressional web sites an "Excellent" for:
- not providing essential information
- not providing transparency
- not improving communication between the citizenry and our "Representatives", and
- not facilitating our ability to hold them accountable.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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