Report - Government Executive
Report - Government Executive
Report - Government Executive
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• Credible, timely, and original in its content;<br />
• Responsive to the user;<br />
• Easy to read and understand;<br />
• Interactive;<br />
• Well organized;<br />
• Filling a necessary niche. 119<br />
The website fills an important niche for the intelligence components. However, it does not<br />
contain timely information that is interactive and responsive to the user. The home page offers a<br />
message from the USD(I) that has been updated only four times since its creation in 2007, most<br />
recently in January 2010. Further, the message lacks many key aspects of leadership<br />
engagement described earlier (sense of urgency, case for change, and the like) but instead<br />
discusses NDAA’s effects. The remaining information on the site is generally one-dimensional,<br />
allowing for information to flow outward rather than in a manner that facilitates two-way<br />
communication.<br />
The website was intended to be an information-sharing tool. As such, the information should be<br />
message based, technical, relevant, and timely. Websites currently use Web 2.0 tools to facilitate<br />
openness and engage and inform their audience. An example would be a prominently displayed<br />
blog that provides updates, answers questions, and interacts with users. Allowing the blog to<br />
receive comments would create a dialogue between users and administrators, stimulating open<br />
communication. Additionally, a video message from the USD(I) might be effective. These<br />
changes would support a more engaging, relevant, and multi-dimensional communication<br />
channel.<br />
Comments from the Academy focus groups included multiple concerns with the website. Some<br />
users noted OUSD(I)’s overreliance on the site as its primary (and sometimes sole)<br />
communication channel. DCIPS employees are strongly encouraged to visit the site to address<br />
their questions or seek information, but usage data suggest that the website does not meet these<br />
information needs.<br />
Visits to the website peaked during 2008. Since then, most visitors view only the home page;<br />
few click through to other pages. 2010 tracking figures to date indicate that the home page was<br />
visited more than 400,000 times, but that other pages typically had only 1,000 to 4,000 hits. This<br />
rate suggests that visitors open the home page, see little that has changed, and then leave the site.<br />
Thus, new but less prominently placed content might be missed.<br />
119 King, Andrew B. “What Makes a Great Web Site” Web Development and Design Tutorials, Tips and Reviews -<br />
WebReference.com. Internet.com, Aug. 1999. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. http://www.webreference.com/greatsite.html.<br />
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