Fed websites get a few bad grades

A new study finds that federal government websites are missing some key components to make them user friendly and attractive, according to a new Brookings Institution study. The study, which compared federal, state and industry websites, found that federal ones were bringing up the rear.

Information was compared about the features and usability of the websites of 68 U.S. corporations, 1,476 state government and 61 federal government sites last year. One government site--the USA.gov portal--scored a 92, better than any other federal site.

Still, there was some good news. While many government sites lacked key features, they were more effective than corporate sites for providing information to people with disabilities.

Make no mistake about this: Federal websites need a lot of work, and every CIO must make it a priority instead of an afterthought. As websites become the voice of an agency, there's no way to leave them languishing in the wind. If you don't have money to step up your website, find it!

For more on federal websites:
- check out this Federal Computer Week article