Building Better Government Websites: Tactics and Methods for Better Content, Compliance, and Strategy

Information on government websites must be "findable", relevant and compliant with federal mandates. These converging requirements require reanalyzing of both process and strategy to manage and govern website content as well as improving strategy around the website content.

This symposium will help CXOs and their staff, Web managers, Communications, IT, program managers and Inspector Generals responsible for supervising, developing, maintaining or reviewing Web sites or content understand how to manage the expanding roles of websites in government and at the same time create  more effective agency websites.

Our keynote speaker Michael Edson, Web and New Media Director at the Smithsonian, has been heralded as a visionary for the future of government websites. He will talk about the Smithsonian's radically transparent strategy process and how they used social media tools consider new ways of thinking about audience, authority, and mission. Michael is then combining the President's goal of improving collaboration and participation with the public while creating a improved website strategy for the Smithsonian.

Vanessa Fox is a leading search expert, currently looking at ways the Federal government can make data more easily accessible to the American people through search engines.  She will discuss how search has changed audience behavior and top ways to evaluate your site and improve its findability in search engines. In particular, she'll focus on how search data can help you understand your visitors and ensure your website provides for their needs.   Vanessa, is known for creating Google Webmaster central and was instrumental in the sitemaps.org alliance of Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft Live Search.  

Major Topics

·         Creating Web Development and Information Strategy

·         Creating Relevant Web Content for your audience

·         Doing a ROT analysis (Redundant, Outdated, Trivial content) to improve your site

·         Understanding the impact of search on your sites usability and findability (from Vanessa Fox, the creator of Google Webmaster Tools)

·         Ensuring your site is compliant with federal mandates

·         Managing and creating collaborative teams to creative effective websites and content quickly.

·         Managing and evaluating content creation

·         What makes for an award winning government website. (From the team winning WMA's Best Government Website Award)