Data Density: The amount of data the agency makes available
through its Web site (total points available 21)
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1. Ownership (total available 3+)
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Explanation
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a. agency involvements with the site
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Tests if agency helped in making of website and how different it is from websites of other agencies in same government.
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b. provides different webmaster within the agency from main
page (check 2 deparments: .5 for each)
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Tests if agency, or sub-agency, has some measure of control
or direct contact in regard to their website. For example, does the Clerk's office have
a difference webmaster than the local government's overal web site?
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c. provides obvious tailoring indicating agency itself
has ownership of site content
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Tests how much agency is involved with content of its website.
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d. domain name
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Tests the domain name and whether it is representative of the site. For example,
http://www.twp.ypsilanti.mi.us/
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2. Contacts (total available=4)
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Explanation
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a. provides central agency non-email address
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Tests if agency can be contacted by regular, non-electronic mail.
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b. provides email address to webmaster and/or person responsible for content for site
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Tests if agency provides e-mail address for webmaster or content provider for the Web site.
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c. provides email address to someone inside the agency in addition to webmaster within the agency (e.g., employee or manager)
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Tests if agency provides e-mail address for another person (other than the webmaster).
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d. provides some kind of address for employees within the agency beyond the top level
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Tests if agency provides phone numbers and/or addresses for employees within agency, excluding their managers or any other top level officials.
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3. Issue/organizational information (total available=7)
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Explanation
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a. provides details on senior official's experiences or vision of the future for the organization
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Tests if agency provides any information about/by/for head official of agency.
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b. provides mission statement and various activities of the agency
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Tests if agency provides any data as to what function it serves, what it's goals and values are, and how it accomplishes these goals.
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c. provides other issue-related addresses for other government agencies
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Tests if agency provides addresses (URL or regular mail) of other government agencies (or within agency itself) whose function is related to this agency.
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d. provides non-issue related addresses for other government agencies
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Tests if agency provides addresses (URL or regular mail addresses) of any other government agencies (or within agency itself) that are not related to agency at all.
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e. provides issue related addresses for other NON-governmental information sources
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Tests for same as 3c, but address must be for a non-government source.
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f. provides organizational structure in graphic form
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Tests if agency provides an organizational graphic (such as a flow chart).
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g. provides reports, research, laws and regulations in easily readable format
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Tests if agency has taken time to provides an easily readable, organized, format for reports, research, laws and regulations.
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4. Citizen consequences/responses (total available=4)
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Explanation
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a. provides text of regulations/laws/agency research or in depth explanations (all 1 pt, some .5) of requirements imposed on citizens resulting from agency activities
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Tests if agency provides any data on regulations, laws, or research which agency carries out or is related to agency.
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b. provides instructions on how to complete these actions
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An extension of previous attribute, tests if agency provides citizens with instructions, help, tips on how meet requirements, regulations or laws imposed by agency such as providing instructions on how to file a tax form.
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c. provides downloadable forms
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Tests if user can easily download any forms needed/required by agency for compliance with certain laws/regulations.
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d. provides appeal process for decisions or address of an ombudsman
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Tests if agency provides -- online -- instructions and/or a way for citizens to appeal agency decisions.
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5. Freshness/timeliness of data (total available=2)
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Explanation
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a. notes the latest published "last updated" date on the main page, or a key subordinate page
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Tests the extent to which website is actively attended to by organization staff.
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b. has been updated within the last six months
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Tests the currency of the website. Does not include
regular updates to top officialís speeches as press releases.
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Accessibility or Interactivity: Measures how easy it is
for visitors to use the information (total points available 24)
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6. Ownership (total available 3)
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Explanation
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a. provides clickable email link to webmaster or content manager within the agency on main page
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Tests if e-mail link to webmaster is posted on the maine page is (a mailto link).
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b. provides clickable email link to senior agency official
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Tests if the e-mail link to any senior officials is
clickable.
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c. provides dialog box or online form for communication to the webmaster within the agency
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Tests if a dialogue box or online form is available to make contact with the webmaster (typically used when the direct e-mail to webmaster is not used).
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7. Reachability/Contacts (total available=3)
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Explanation
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a. provides clickable email link to someone inside the agency in addition to webmaster within the agency
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Tests if the e-mail link to another person within agency is
clickable.
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b. provides clickable email link to a number of agency employees
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Tests if agency provides e-mail links to a large portion of its employees (check for 2/3).
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c. provides an online issue related forum for outsider participation such as chat lines and distributed email lists
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Tests if agency provides a chat line or listserve for citizens, agency employees and other interested individuals to discuss topics related to agency.
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8. Issues/Operational information (total available=7)
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Explanation
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a. provides clickable, easy to download mission statement and various activities or services of agency
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Tests if appeals process provided is and easy to use.
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b. provides clickable link to other issue-related government addresses
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Tests if addresses provided are clickable.
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c. provides clickable link to outside NON-issue-related government addresses
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Tests if addresses provided are clickable.
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d. provides clickable link to issue-related NON-governmental information sources
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Tests if addresses provided are clickable.
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e. provides an agency newsletter with subscription information
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Tests if agency has a newsletter, either hard copy or email, which user can subscribe to which provides up to date information about agency and its activities.
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f. provides an index for the site
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Tests if the Website offers a site map to support navigation.
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g. provides a search engine for the site
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Tests if the Website offers a functional search engine (for the contents on that site, not for the external Internet).
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9. Citizen Consequences/Response Convenience (total available=7)
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Explanation
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a. provides clickable link to listed subdivisions within the agency from the main page
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Tests if subdivisions within agency have a link made to them from main page.
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b. provides clickable link to sublevels noted in the agency's organization
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Tests if sublevels within agency have a link made to them from main page.
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c. provides clickable link to download text of regulations / laws / agency research or in-depth explanations of requirements imposed on citizens resulting from agency activities
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Tests if agency provides clickable link to any data on regulations, laws, or research which agency carries out or is related to agency.
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d. provides an automatic response limit for response to online submissions (how long it will take to get a response from the agency)
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This attribute notes if agency tells user how long it will take until he/she receives a response from agency (good pract is 48-72 hour response).
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e. provides clickable link to appeal process for decisions and / or ombudsman
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Tests if appeals process provided is and easy to use.
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f. provides text only version
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Tests if site provides a text only version to support accessibility to content for users who do not want the delay of graphics or for users who read the Web site's content with a text reader machine for the visually impaired.
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g. provides ADA compliant access to site (Sec. 508
compatable)
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Tests extent to which site is accessible to disabled users, using Bobby:
http://bobby.watchfire.com/.
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10. Ambitiousness/Design (total available=4)
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Explanation
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a. how early the website emerged
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Tests if Web site existed on or before 1999 (CyberMichigan's first WAES assessment period).
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b. presence of strategic plan
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Tests if the site provides a strategic plan for the local government and/or its web presence.
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c. presence of technology plan
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Tests if the site provides a technology plan for the local government and/or its web presence.
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d. design (0.2 each)
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1. Background does not interfere with readability
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Tests to ensure the background is clear and nondisruptive of text; should avoid heavy graphic patterns and dark colored background (dark background requires light colored text; when printing light colored text reduces its readability).
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2. Graphics don't slow down loading time
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Tests to ensure the Website and its respective pages load in a timely fashion (20 - 30 seconds).
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3. Font size and style are readable
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Tests to ensure the font size and style is readable (using standard 10-12 point font size and common styles such as Arial or Times New Roman).
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4. Link color choices are readable
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Tests the link colors to make sure they are not too light in color or too disruptive in color, while also being intuitively a "link."
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5. Title is indicative of page content
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Tests the home page and at least 2 other pages on the site to match content with the title of the page and the title that appears in the Web browser.
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