Government Web Managers Collaborate on e-Government

More than 400 government Web managers from across the country are meeting this week at the fifth annual Government Web Managers Conference, co-sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Federal Web Managers Council. This year's conference focuses on new collaborative technologies that allow agencies to work together to create and deliver better Web content for citizens. The Web Managers Best Practice Awards were presented as part of the conference on May 5, recognizing six exemplary federal Web sites.

"As more government content is made available online, it is becoming more challenging for citizens to complete their most critical government tasks online," said Martha Dorris, GSA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Citizen Services. "Collaborative and social media tools can help us engage the public and improve how we work across agencies. By collaborating, we can reduce duplication, save taxpayers' money and improve how we deliver services to citizens."

This year's Web Managers Best Practice Awards were presented to six "task-focused" federal Web sites that focus on citizens' top online tasks: CDC.gov, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) MidSouth Healthcare Network, Regulations.gov, Business.gov, Merit Systems Protection Board's e-Appeals process, and GSA's Per Diem Rates. CDC.gov and VA MidSouth Healthcare Network were chosen as the overall winners by the 1,300-member Government Web Managers Forum.

The conference and awards program are the centerpiece of the spring 2008 semester of Web Manager University, a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary training program for government Web professionals. Over the past three years, more than 5,000 attendees have participated in the training program, which offers low-cost instruction from some of the nation's top Web experts.