U'S' Department of Commerce Webmaster Advisory Group

1
U.S. Department of CommerceWebmaster Advisory
Group
NOAA WebShop 2004 July 27 Philadelphia, PA
2
Department of CommerceWebmaster Advisory Group

• The Webmasters Advisory Group (WAG) provides
  advice to the Department of Commerce CIO and CIO
  Council on matters that address use of the World
  Wide Web.
• Because use of the Web is central to Commerces
  e-government activities, careful use and
  management of Commerces Web sites is critical to
  the success of our e-government strategy.

3
DOC Policies

• The CIO Council has approved a series of policies
  addressing Web issues such as privacy,
  accessibility, domain names, identification of
  Web site owners, endorsement disclaimers, and
  content management.
• These are published on the WAG Web site.
• http//www.osec.doc.gov/webresources/

4
Current DOC Policies

• Privacy of Visitors to DOC Web Sites
• New E-Gov Act Privacy Policy Requirements for DOC
  Web Sites
• Endorsement Disclaimer Policy
• Offsite Notification Policy
• Lobbying Prohibited
• Annual Web Site Certification

• Content Management Policy
• Links to DOC Home Page
• Links to Organizational Home Pages
• Identification of Web Site Owner
• Web Site Contact Information
• Domain Names
• Web Site Accessibility for Persons with
  Disabilities

5
Membership In The WAG

• All major components of Department of Commerce
  are entitled to have voting members in the WAG.
• NOAA has four representatives
• Carla Steinborn (NOAA)
• Andy Allegra (NESDIS)
• Kevin Holland (NOAA Fisheries)
• Ron Jones (NOAA Weather Service)

6
Best Practices

• Identification of Content Source
• Process in Support of the Annual Web Site
  Certification
• Testing Web Site Accessibility for Persons with
  Disabilities
• Making Public Pages Easy to Find
• Making Web Pages XHTML Compliant
• Universal Web Pages

7
Best Practices

• Best Practices are RECOMMENDED NOT REQUIRED
• Based on what works

• Identification of Content Source
• Process in Support of the Annual Web Site
  Certification
• Testing Web Site Accessibility

• Making Public Pages Easy to Find
• Making Web Pages XHTML Compliant
• Universal Web Pages

8
Web Advisory Working Group

• Working group drafts policies, Best Practices,
  and incorporates Federal requirements into DOC
  policies for approval by the Web Advisory Group
  (WAG). The WAG recommendations are then passed on
  to DOC CIO Council
• Participation is open to all
• Meetings are open to all

9
Keeping Up To Date

• Another way to be kept informed of policy changes
  and Best Practices is joining DOC WAG ListServ
• Instructions are posted at
• www.osec.doc.gov/webresources/ListServInstructions
  .htm

10
How To Get More Info

• Web
• www.osec.doc.gov/webresources
• Sign up for the ListServ
• Poster Session
• A review of applicable laws and policies related
  to Web presentations
• Contact any of the NOAA Representatives by
  phone/email