Web Manager's Toolbox

Federal webmasters tackle many of the same issues that webmasters in the private sector face, but there are additional issues government managers should take into account when they work on the Web. Here's a hyperlinked reference guide for cyber-civil servants.

Policy

Designing and running Web sites

• One of the best ways to generate ideas for stellar Web sites is to study the sites that are already out there. Look through GovExec.com's Best Feds on the Web. If you have a few hours to surf, work your way through Villanova's Federal Web Locator, a massive collection of links to government Internet sites.
• On-line, the rules of project management don't change. Without good project management, your Web site will flub. To review the basics of sound project management, see NASA's Project Management Coach, who can teach leaders outside the space agency a thing or two as well. For Web-centric project management, David Segal's "Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web" includes instructive case studies and an in-depth review of smart ideas for ushering through Web sites that work.

Training Opportunities

• One of the best ways to generate ideas for stellar Web sites is to study the sites that are already out there. Look through GovExec.com's Best Feds on the Web. If you have a few hours to surf, work your way through Villanova's Federal Web Locator, a massive collection of links to government Internet sites.
• On-line, the rules of project management don't change. Without good project management, your Web site will flub. To review the basics of sound project management, see NASA's Project Management Coach, who can teach leaders outside the space agency a thing or two as well. For Web-centric project management, David Segal's "Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web" includes instructive case studies and an in-depth review of smart ideas for ushering through Web sites that work.
• The Digital Government Institute holds a couple seminars each season on topics including electronic records management, electronic commerce, protecting privacy, and aligning Web sites with agency missions. Participants can register for the seminars online.
• Nitty-gritty training on topics like "Front Page WWW Authoring," "Document Preparation for WWW Publishing," and "Introduction to Adobe Acrobat--A Portable Document Format (PDF)," is offered by the Government Printing Office's Institute for Federal Printing and Electronic Publishing.
• The Federal WebManagement Institute, sponsored by the General Services Administration's Office of Governmentwide Policy, holds a "Leadership Course Series" that teaches managers the basic tools of Web site design, content and management, along with an overview of important legislation and agency guidelines.

Important Legislation

• One of the best ways to generate ideas for stellar Web sites is to study the sites that are already out there. Look through GovExec.com's Best Feds on the Web. If you have a few hours to surf, work your way through Villanova's Federal Web Locator, a massive collection of links to government Internet sites.
• On-line, the rules of project management don't change. Without good project management, your Web site will flub. To review the basics of sound project management, see NASA's Project Management Coach, who can teach leaders outside the space agency a thing or two as well. For Web-centric project management, David Segal's "Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web" includes instructive case studies and an in-depth review of smart ideas for ushering through Web sites that work.
• The Electronic Freedom of Information Act. The Electronic Privacy Information Center has posted the legislation online. Government Executive also addressed E-FOIA in the August 1997 article, Virtual Records.
• According to the Privacy Act of 1974, information collected for one purpose may not be used for another purpose without notice to or the consent of the subject of the record. This and other provisions make the act an important one with which webmasters should be familiar. Get acquainted with the law on the Bureau of Reclamation's Web site. Many agencies have posted privacy notices on their Web sites, including GSA, Social Security Administration, and the Air Force. For a case study on privacy issues, see the Center for Democracy and Technology's coverage of the Social Security Administration's PEBES experiment.
• The Paperwork Reduction Act puts limits on how agencies collect information from the public. OMB Circular A-130 provides governmentwide guidance on the act.
• The Committee Management Secretariat has a comprehensive Web site explaining the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which has implications for Web conferencing.
• Government Information Locator Service is a standard way for agencies to organize information online, required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. Washington-based watchdog group OMB Watch publishes annual reports on agencies' compliance with the GILS requirement.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to federal Web sites just as it does to other public accomodations. For example, federal Web sites should offer text-only versions of their sites so that blind users can use text-to-voice translators. For more information, see the World Wide Web Consortium's accessibility initiative, a sample accessibility statement at OPM's Web site, and the General Services Administration's Center for Information Technology Accomodation.

Security

• One of the best ways to generate ideas for stellar Web sites is to study the sites that are already out there. Look through GovExec.com's Best Feds on the Web. If you have a few hours to surf, work your way through Villanova's Federal Web Locator, a massive collection of links to government Internet sites.
• On-line, the rules of project management don't change. Without good project management, your Web site will flub. To review the basics of sound project management, see NASA's Project Management Coach, who can teach leaders outside the space agency a thing or two as well. For Web-centric project management, David Segal's "Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web" includes instructive case studies and an in-depth review of smart ideas for ushering through Web sites that work.
• Hackers threaten federal Web sites, as described in Government Executive's August 1997 article, Hack Attacks. Learn more about security threats in a University of Missouri-St. Louis study.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology maintains a Computer Security Resource Clearinghouse chock-full of security information and training documents.

Electronic Records Management

• One of the best ways to generate ideas for stellar Web sites is to study the sites that are already out there. Look through GovExec.com's Best Feds on the Web. If you have a few hours to surf, work your way through Villanova's Federal Web Locator, a massive collection of links to government Internet sites.
• On-line, the rules of project management don't change. Without good project management, your Web site will flub. To review the basics of sound project management, see NASA's Project Management Coach, who can teach leaders outside the space agency a thing or two as well. For Web-centric project management, David Segal's "Secrets of Successful Web Sites: Project Management on the World Wide Web" includes instructive case studies and an in-depth review of smart ideas for ushering through Web sites that work.
• Syracuse University Professor Charles McClure, who teaches a course on federal information policy, has published a report entitled "Analysis and Development of Model Quality Guidelines for Electronic Records Management on State and Federal Web sites."
• Meanwhile, the National Archives and Records Administration is trying to work out a policy on electronic records management. Follow their efforts on the Electronic Records Work Group web page.