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- Usability Basics
Provides a basic overview of and general information aboutusability.
- Internet Archive (Learn)
The Internet Archive created the Wayback Machine which makes it possible to surf more than 10 billion pages stored in the Internet Archive's web archive.
- The Memory Hole (Learn)
This site "exists to preserve and spread material that is in danger of being lost, is hard to find, or is not widely known" -- including government information. "The emphasis is on material that exposes things that we're not supposed to know (or that we're supposed to forget)."
- Best of the Web Contest (Learn)
Claims to be "the nation's most prestigious and popular government award."
- Digital Government Awards (Learn)
The Accenture and MIT Digital Government Awards are open to all federal, state and local government organizations, public corporations and higher education institutions in the United States.
- Stockholm Challenge Award (Learn)
The Stockholm Challenge is a unique awards programme for pioneering IT projects world wide. It is a way of building networks between entrepreneurs who will benefit from contacts across borders, cultures and economies.
- Taking a Content Inventory (Maintain)
The basic task of re-architecture is answering the question "What goes where?" The content inventory answers the "what" part of the question, so that you can get to work arranging the "where" using other architectural techniques.
- The Price of Ignorance (Plan)
The cost of developing websites varies considerably depending upon the complexity of the site, ecommerce features, and vendor. Rates are not the only factor to pay attention to when deciding on a web developer.
- .us domain registry (Implement)
Manages the .us domain space including government domains.
- 000Domains.com (Implement)
Registration $13.50 per year for com, org, and net domains
- Delegated Subdomains (Implement)
Although the .US domain space is being expanded, governments, schools, and libraries should use this list to find the contact for their local .us registrar.
- Government-Wide Registration Service (Implement)
The registry for the .GOV top-level domain
- NameCheap.com (Implement)
One of the cheapest domain services at $8.88 per year. Eliminates the need to initially specify the domain name servers to "park" the name. Also offers both free email and URL forwarding.
- US Domain Registration Procedures (Implement)
See directions for "Registering in a Locality-based Zone"
- ARIN: Whois (Implement)
Tool for identifying numeric domains found in weblogs.
- BetterWhois (Implement)
The WHOIS domain search that works with all registrars.
- DOT.GOV Whois (Implement)
Search the .gov domain registry -- mostly federal domains
- Whois.net (Implement)
- www.whois.us (Implement)
Look up US domains. Doesn't search government specific domains like ci,co,k12, lib, or state.
- My Rules of Information (Learn)
Marylaine Block shares her rules for finding and accessing information. Savvy Internet users can learn a lot from these rules. Searcher (January 2002)
- ACME License Maker (Implement)
For the easily entertained: create, preview, and save a vanity license plate image.
- AT&T Labs Interactive TTS Demo (Implement)
A research version of Next-Generation Text-To-Speech (TTS) from AT&T Labs.
- dMarie Time Capsule (Implement)
Generates time capsule info. Maybe something like this would add interest to your website.
- Governing Magazine Online (eGov)
A very readable news source for state and local government--don't miss it.
- E-Gov Digest (eGov)
Covers eGovernment at the federal, state, and local level
- InternetNews.com: Developer News (Design)
- Techdirt. (Learn)
Easiest way to keep up-to-date on the latest trends in technology and Net business.
- The Scout Report (Learn)
Published every Friday both on the web and by email, it provides a fast, convenient way to stay informed of valuable resources on the Internet. A team of professional librarians and subject matter experts select, research, and annotate each resource.
- Outsourcing Web Design: Yes/No? (Plan)
Jakob Nielsen: "No, Web design is a core competency for the network economy, so you need to build up your own organizational knowledge in the area."
- Privatization.Org (Plan)
Interesting database of local privatization/outsourcing efforts. Some real surprises listed.
- The Devil and the RFP (Plan)
A tongue-in-cheek view of RFP writing
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (Learn)
View PDF format documents
- Online Conversion Tools for Adobe PDF Documents (Design)
Provides online tools to help visually disabled users whose screen reader software is not compatible with the Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0. These online tools convert PDF documents into either HTML or ASCII text, which can then be read by a number of common screen reader programs.
- PDF Online (Design)
Provides quick and free document conversion into PDF and HTML formats.
- Planet PDF (Design)
Useful resource for anyone creating PDF files
- eCitizen (eGov)
eCitizen is Singapore's one-stop integrated portal for government services designed with the citizens' needs in mind.
- MyFloridaCounty.com (eGov)
This egovernment initiative is the first of its kind in the nation to connect Official Records information from the entire state.
- Electronic Privacy Information Center (eGov)
- Identity Theft (Design)
U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft -- maintained by the Federal Trade Commission.
- Identity Theft Resource Center (Implement)
A nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and implementing a comprehensive program against identity theft
- NormThompson's Privacy (Implement)
A good example of how to explain privacy to visitors and build trust
- OECD Privacy Statement Generator (Implement)
The best online privacy statement generator
- OnGuard Online (Design)
Practical tips on how to protect your privacy and guard against spyware, phishing, and Internet scams.
- Privacilla.org (Design)
Privacilla is a unique Web-based project that seeks to capture "privacy" as a public policy issue. On the pages of this site, you will find privacy information and links that are designed for policy-makers, their staffs, the press, and the interested public.
- Privacy Analysis of Your Internet Connection (Design)
Demonstrates the information that is collected about you when you visit a website.
- Privacy Resource Guide (Design)
Includes guide and model privacy statement
- Privacy.org (Design)
Privacy.org is a joint project of The Electronic Privacy Information Center and Privacy International. Good resources for current information and links.
- Public Records vs. Personal Privacy (Design)
Problems related to lack of privacy policies on local government websites.
- The End of "Practical Obscurity" (Design)
The conversion of public records into electronic formats may end the "practical obscurity" involved in finding and locating personal information in "open" government records.
- Truste: Model Privacy Policy Disclosures (Implement)
Useful template for creating a privacy statement. A little stiff and corporate. (DOC format)
- All My FAQs Wiki (Plan)
Good example of an easy to use collaboration tool--Wiki.
- Business.gov (Learn)
Business.gov guides you through the maze of government rules and regulations . and provides access to services and resources to help you start, grow, and succeed in business.
- BuzzWhack: The Buzzword Compliant Dictionary (Learn)
Baffled by the latest Internet or computer jargon, check here.
- Craigslist (Learn)
Free online classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events
- Cyber Cemetery (Learn)
Provides permanent public access to the electronic Web sites and publications of defunct U.S. government agencies and commissions
- FindTutorials.com: The Tutorials Search Engine (Learn)
Over 450 free tutorials
- Grants.gov (eGov)
Find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from over 900 Federal grant programs
- Secretsites.com (Design)
A companion site to David Siegel's book titled Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web.
- Smart Computing (Learn)
A computing magazine written in plain English. It features computer articles, tutorials, hardware and software comparisons, along with reviews, tips, and troubleshooting advice.
- State and Local Government on the Net (eGov)
A frequently updated directory of state and local government websites
- TechSoup.org - The Technology Place for Nonprofits (eGov)
Easy to understand advice for non-techies
- The Digital Divide Network (eGov)
The Internet's largest community for activists, policymakers and concerned citizens working to bridge the digital divide
- USA.gov (Learn)
The main portal to federal resources online
- Webmaster Resource Center (Plan)
accessKansas created the Webmaster Resource Center to help state agencies create, maintain and improve Web sites.
- Wikipedia (Learn)
A free online encyclopedia
- A9.com (Learn)
A powerful search engine, using web search and image search results enhanced by Google, Amazon, GuruNet, and other reference sources
- All the Web (Learn)
- Bing Search (Learn)
- Clusty Government (Learn)
Powerful meta-search engine for US government and politics
- Google (Learn)
- Google Press Center: Zeitgeist (Learn)
On a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis, the Google Zeitgeist page is updated to reflect lists, graphs, and other tidbits of information related to Google user search behavior.
- Google US Government Search (Learn)
- iTools (Learn)
Quick access to the best Internet tools
- MetaCrawler (Learn)
- Pretrieve (Learn)
Free Public Record Search Engine
- Science.gov (Learn)
Science.gov is a gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results.
- Search Systems (Learn)
Largest free public records database collection
- Yahoo! Netrospective (Learn)
10 years, 100 moments of the Web
- Symantec Security Response (Implement)
The Symantec Security Response searchable online database contains information on over 50,000 Internet security-related threats.
- US-CERT (Maintain)
The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the public and private sectors.
- Zone-H.org Digital Attacks Archive (Maintain)
Maintains mirror images of hacked sites
- Meetup (Learn)
Helps groups of people with shared interests tomeet in local cafes (and other places) around the world.
- 15 Seconds (Implement)
Home of ASP, VBScript, XML, SOAP, .NET, ASP.NET, IIS, SQL, VB, COM, active server pages, database, ADSI, ISAPI information.
- Arachnophilia (Plan)
Free HTML editor
- Browser Archive (Implement)
Archives copies of all web browsers beginning with Mosaic 1.0. A handy place to find browsers for checking web designs or powering ancient computers.
- CSE HTML Validator (Implement)
Easy to use tool to check webpages. Lite version is free and includes a spell checker.
- FrontPage (Plan)
Microsoft's popular HTML editor
- Google Desktop Search (Learn)
Free desktop software that searches your email, files, media, web history and chats instantly
- HTML-Kit (Plan)
Free HTML editor with built-in validation features
- Internet Filter Review (Learn)
Compares popular software for filtering Internet pornography
- OSDir (eGov)
Stable, open source apps
- Windows Search (Learn)
Free desktop software that searches your email, files, media, and web history
- Xenu's Link Sleuth (Implement)
Free link checker. Use regularly!
- 2002 Census of Governments (Learn)
A Census of Governments is taken at 5-year intervals as required by law under Title 13, United States Code, Section 161. The census covers three major subject fields - government organization, public employment, and government finance.
- A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet (Learn)
This report is based on the September 2001 U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey - a survey of approximately 57,000 households and more than 137,000 individuals across the United States.
- Census 2000 Demographic Profiles (Learn)
Local and state socio-economic statistics in PDF format
- ClickZ Stats (Learn)
Internet Statistics and Market Research for Web Marketers
- Counting on the Internet (eGov)
Most expect to find key information online, most find the information they seek, many now turn to the Internet first. From the Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Getting Serious Online (Learn)
Pew Internet Project study finds that "As Americans Gain Experience, They Use the Web More at Work, Write Emails with More Significant Content, Perform More Online Transactions, and Pursue More Serious Activities"
- Harris Poll (Learn)
Occasional surveys of Internet use
- Home Broadband Adoption 2009 (Learn)
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Internet Geography Project (Learn)
Focuses on the analysis of the geographic distribution of Internet use and its relationship to local economies.
- Internet Use by Region in the United States (Learn)
Regional comparison of Internet use. From the Pew Internet & American Life Project
- National Technology Readiness Survey (eGov)
The primary purpose of the NTRS is to provide an in-depth view of consumer beliefs about new technologies. Includes data on use of Internet for eGovernment and Ecommerce.
- Online Video (Learn)
From Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Pew Internet & American Life Project (Learn)
Ongoing surveys and topical studies
- State and Federal E-Government in the United States (Maintain)
Brown University comparative study of federal and state government websites features
- The Rise of the E-Citizen (Learn)
How people use government agencies' websites - a Pew Internet Project report
- U.S. State and Federal E-Government (Maintain)
Brown University study of federal and state government websites features
- UCLA Center for Digital Future: Internet Project (Learn)
A longitudinal study of the Internet use of 2000 Americans
- Urban E-Government: An Assessment of City Government Websites (Maintain)
Brown University study evaluating city government websites for the presence of 28 features dealing with information availability, service delivery, and public access.
- US Census (Learn)
Ecommerce studies, 2002 Census of Government, population studies, occasional reports
- Use of the Internet at Major Life Moments (Learn)
Web information is an important resource for Americans making important choices related to education and job training, investments and big-ticket purchases, and health care for themselves or for loved ones. From the Pew Internet & American Life Project study.
- Keep it simple, stupid! (Design)
Suggests that simplicity is the key to good web design. "A functioning formula for simplicity (where A equals simplicity) could be A = x + y + z. x is good research and prototyping, y is play and z is the reduction of unnecessary elements."
- Local E-Government (eGov)
This report from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor identifies best practices for Minnesota local governments, including cities, counties, and school districts, that deliver e-government services to citizens via the Internet."
- Managing Local Government Computer Systems (eGov)
This report from the Minnesota Legislative Auditor's Office discusses best practices for managing computer systems for local governments, including reliance on vendors, intergovernmental collaborations, and/or in-house staff.
- Site Testing: Preventing the Breakdown (Maintain)
Like any built environment, websites require maintenance. This article examines a few tools and bits of preventative maintenance can keep your existing website in good shape.
- The Other Home Page: Special-Purpose Entry Points for Library Web Sites (Implement)
This article deals with the design of alternative homepages for special situations, such as in-library public access stations and intranets.
- The Web Content Style Guide (Design)
The essential guide for online writers, editors and managers (book)
- Dangerous words (Design)
Hypertext clichés to avoid!
- NYPL: Style Guide (Design)
The Style Guide for the Branch Libraries of the New York Public Library explains the markup and design requirements for all Branch Libraries web projects, along with various standards and best practices. A work in progress.
- Style Guidance (Design)
How to create a website style guide.
- Style Guide for Online Hypertext (Design)
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, began writing this style guide in 1992.It explains basic Web concepts that are still important today. It should be required reading for anyone involved in creating websites!
- Web Style Manual (Design)
Online version of the book
- Interactive/On-line SQL Tutorial (Design)
Simple Query Language is the key to using databases on the web. Good introductory SQL tutorial. Like most worthwhile things SQL is both simpler and more complicated that you might think at first.
- Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) (Learn)
An online tutorial intended to improve information literacy skills related to selecting, searching and evaluating resources. Note: Material may be reproduced, distributed, or incorporated under the TILT Open Publication License. (The latest version is available at http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/yourtilt/agreement.html
- W3Schools Online Web Tutorials (Design)
Inside W3Schools you will find a large number of free Web building tutorials, from basic HTML and XHTML tutorials, to advanced XML, XSL and WAP tutorials.
- 10 Best Intranet Designs of 2006 (Design)
The best intranets of 2006 emphasize iterative design and standardized navigation, and feature collaboration tools and content management systems.
- A flying menu attack can wound your navigation (Design)
Hidden menus are like hidden road signs: they force you to stop when you'd rather keep going. We examine the weaknesses of pop-up, pull-down and cascading menus.
- Alertbox: Jakob Nielsen's Column on Web Usability (Design)
A bi-weekly column on website usability.
- Content as Navigation Tool (Design)
Websites need what is termed "guide copy," allowing for access and understanding of what is contained within the site and leading users deeper into the site experience.
- Designing for Usability on a Shoestring (Design)
The challenge, as designers, is to come up with an interface that primarily suits the needs of the user, while still satisfying the needs of the client, and yourself.
- Focus Groups to Study Work Practice (Design)
Focus groups are a good complement to other usability methods because they provide information that would be very difficult or more costly to study directly.
- Read the Instructions (Design)
Instructions (also referred as procedures) should be easy to use, easy to understand, reflect best practice, and be written according to the context of use.
- Sample chapter from Don't Make Me Think (Design)
You should buy Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability but if you don't, read this sample chapter.
- Top-10 Guidelines for Homepage Usability (Implement)
Jacob Nielsen suggests easy to implement ways to improve homepage usability.
- Usability Problems to Fix Today (Design)
List of common usability problems that are easy to fix on most well-organized small and mid-sized websites.
- Writing for the Web (Design)
Users scan webpages, they don't read them. This article shows how to write (and re-write) for the web.
- iTeamWork (Plan)
iTeamwork is a free Web-based project-management tool for anyone who needs to manage multiple projects or teams.
- PicoSearch (Plan)
Powerful free basic search engine -- additional features available at low cost
- Quick Topic Document Review (Plan)
Provides free private space for gathering comments on any HTML document or Microsoft Word document.
- Quick Topic free bulletin board (Plan)
Quick Topic is a free, single-topic web bulletin board that's also fully email-enabled.
- Skype (Learn)
Free software to make free calls anywhere in the world via broadband
- Sparklit - Solutions for the web (Implement)
WebApps: Poll, survey, counter, guest book, ad rotator applications. Free version available.
- Submit Express (Maintain)
Submit your site for free.
- SurveyMonkey.com (Implement)
WebApp: Create online surveys quickly and easily. Free version available.
- Copyright Clearance Center (Design)
Supplies permissions but not the copyrighted content itself.
- EzGov (Plan)
Provides payment services for government agencies.
- MyLocalGov.com (Plan)
Providing local government with software packages that support day-to-day operations, like collecting local sales taxes or issuing business licenses.
- Official Payments Corp. (Plan)
Provides payment services to federal, state, and local governments
- VitalChek (Plan)
Provides ordering service for birth certificates and other vital records.
- Western Union Speedpay Service (Plan)
An electronic bill payment system used by financial services companies, retailers, utilities and other creditor organizations.
- A Standard for Robot Exclusion (Implement)
How to keep the pesky critters out of your private directories...
- BrainJar.com: Experiments in Web Programming (Implement)
BrainJar.com features technical articles, tutorials and examples of programming for the web.
- Browser News: Statistics (Design)
Learn about trends in browsers, color-depths, and resolutions.
- Extreme HTML Optimization (Design)
Optimized webpages load quickly. Most users are unwilling to wait more than 10 seconds for a page to display. Most homepages should be limited to about 50K including graphics.
- HTML Validation: Choosing a DOCTYPE (Implement)
According to HTML standards, each HTML document requires a document type declaration. The "DOCTYPE" begins the HTML document and tells a validator which version of HTML to use in checking the document's syntax. Many websites do not use the proper doctype.
- Structure Directories For Easy Maintenance (Maintain)
Web sites organized in a logical, coherent directory structure are much easier to update and maintain.
- Ten Top Sites Compared (Design)
Compares the design features of the ten most popular websites: AOL Time Warner, Yahoo!, MSN, Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, Lycos, About-Primedia, Google, and Walt Disney Internet Group.
- What are Meta-Tags Useful For? (Implement)
How one webmaster uses meta-tags
- Open Source Web Design (Design)
Free website templates sortable by date submitted, rank, number of downloads, or author.
- City Hall Online (Plan)
City Hall Online has been characterized as "city hall in a box." It has been developed specifically to facilitate the creation of interactive city government web sites.
- CivicPlus (Plan)
Offers template-based content management system for municipalities and counties.
- GovHost (Plan)
GovHost.com, a division of VC3, provides a full range of software and hardware solutions to local governments.
- GovOffice.com (Plan)
Offers GovOffice WebCreator--a template based solution--for creating basic local government websites quickly and inexpensively. In partnership with the International City/County Management Association, State Municipal Leagues and Microsoft.
- Municipal Web Services (Plan)
Specializes in developing municipal websites. Appears to focus on developing FrontPage sites and training staff to update and maintain them.
- Google Mobile (Maintain)
Google offers wireless access to search and Gmail. Useful for cell phones and handheld computers.
- Search Engines and PDF (Acrobat) Files (Maintain)
All about the problems with indexing, searching, and viewing PDF files online. Includes useful tips on how to make PDF files more accessible.
- The XML FAQ (Design)
XML is the Extensible Markup Language. It is designed to improve the functionality of the Web by providing more flexible and adaptable information identification. Some expect it to revolutionize not only the Internet but also business processes because it makes exchanging data relatively easy.
- XML.Gov (Design)
Facilitates the efficient and effective use of XML through cooperative efforts among government agencies, including partnerships with commercial and industrial organizations.
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