Call for usability test participants
We’re now at a stage in the redevelopment of the Web Guide where a rough, prototype-quality, first cut of the new site is ready to be put before users. We’ll be putting the site structure, information architecture and usability of the prototype through its paces, and we’re hoping you could help us out (and help out your fellow Web Publishing Guide users at the same time). Read more
Social Media 101: A beginner’s guide for Finance employees
Firstly, an introduction: I’m the manager of the Online Services Branch of the Australian Government Information Management Office, which is part of the Department of Finance and Deregulation (Finance). My branch is responsible for redeveloping the Web Publishing Guide.
We know from our stats and from agency queries that some of the most popular pages on the existing Guide are those dealing with Web 2.0 issues. As part of the redevelopment of the Guide we’ll look to update this content to include new developments in this area.
In doing this we won’t just be providing agencies with proper advice – we’ll also be in line with the push in the last year or so for greater use of Web 2.0 tools in the Australian Public Service. Leading the way was the Government 2.0 Taskforce, which disbanded in late 2009 after making 13 recommendations about greater online engagement and release of public sector information to the Australian Government. The recently-released Ahead of the Game: Blueprint for the Reform of Australian Government Administration (the Moran Review) also made some recommendations in this space – see Reform 2: Creating more open government.
Focus Group Research Report – Drilling Down
Update: We’ve discovered some accessibility issues with the in-blog version of this document. To view it in this format, it’s available at http://www.slideshare.net/webpublishing/agimo-web-publishing-guide-review-research-report, other formats are below
Did We Hear You Correctly?
A couple of months ago we ran some focus groups on what people think about the Web Publishing Guide – what they like and don’t like about the Guide, and what we could do to the Guide to make their jobs easier. The results are sitting in our inbox now.
Many of you will already have an inkling of what the hot topics are likely to be, but seeing the results from across all participants so far may also be useful.
We’ve attempted to summarise this 34-page document into a single blog post — most of your feedback could be roughly categorized as follows: Read more
"Hello World"
“Hello world”. It’s a traditional exercise for programmers learning a new language, so it makes sense to use it here. It’s possible that the phrase “Hello, new world” may be more applicable – we’re not necessarily learning new programming languages, but we are modifying our use of web technologies in new and exciting ways. For example, given the inroads governments are making in the Web 2.0 space, it has come as no surprise to us that visitors to the Web Publishing Guide (the Guide) are looking for specific information on Web 2.0 and other emerging technologies.
Putting this together with the fact that the site needs a review of its content, information architecture (IA) and processes, we decided it was time to spring clean the Guide. This will include adding information on new topics and making information easier to find and use.
