Friday, July 13, 2007

Icebergs

As a free public information website, I was as equally fascinated by what was in this piece - Government urged to improve Web sites - as what was not.

First up, tell us what we don't know: they are too complex and are difficult to navigate. Well, D'uh.

The we get to the provision of information about the cost and usage of government Web sites.

I find it MIND-BOGGLING that the government spends £208 million a year (of whose money?) on its Web sites... but knows little about who access them or how they are used.

If ever there was a case to get them out of the public sector's dead hands this was it. They don't know what they're doing. They patently don't know why they're doing it. And they don't seem to care whether it works so long as it looks like they are doing something. And the heck with any ROI, which any sane business would apply to its comms efforts.

These are tools. Their only value is in being used. Not just for being there. I mentioned recently about a site that was all excited about 7,000 'hits', which a kennelcam of a dead dog rotting would exceed.

I'd also love to know what the breakdown of costs of design , build, operation and maintenance are for some, especially in the enviro-arena.

I'm betting several have 'departments' (which explains them looking like camels), all on salary with pension. Junkk.com has one bloke... so far... plus a few nice mates helping. And as and when it does need to grow, it will be funded by ads.

Which is better value?

ADDENDUM

That'll teach me. Now, when the heck will I find the time to read it?

Report
Exec summary
Another thing - 89 pages!!!!

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