II. Internet Information Dissemination Strategies
(A) To Build Homepages on Clear Objectives and a Client-centric Design
5. A clear objective is vital for a well-structured website. With clear objectives, bureaux/departments can be more effective in identifying target groups of users and in designing content and presentation of their homepages. The objectives of the website should be closely related to the missions and visions of bureaux/departments.
6. The structure of websites should develop on the information needs of target users : a client-centric design. A thorough analysis will be needed to define clear objectives and understand the requirements of the target users in order to create client-centric websites. In addition to an initial analysis of requirements, on-going traffic monitoring will ensure that websites continually meet the expectations of the target users (see also para. 18 below).
7. The main topics in a client-centric homepage should be categorised in such a way that Internet users can generally locate the required information with ease. In most situations, such client-centric homepages should be topic based. Homepages which categorise information simply according to the structure of bureaux/departments will turn Internet users away as it may take a lot of efforts to locate the information wanted. Indeed, the structure of bureaux/departments should best be shown in the organisation charts.
(B) To Make Use of Government Homepages as an Efficient Means of Disseminating Information
8. With an exponential increase in global Internet population, a homepage is an efficient and powerful tool in disseminating information. Government information, in brief or in detail, can be brought before a wide spectrum of local or overseas users in the shortest possible time at minimal efforts.
9. Bureaux/departments should make full use of their homepages to disseminate information. Indeed, the general public expects to find in Government homepages information that is available in other media. Information dissemination on the Internet and in other media should generally be simultaneous. Bureaux and departments may upload a Portable Document Format (¡§PDF¡¨) version of the publication. Apart from improving services, bureaux/departments maintaining homepages can also expect a reduction in printing costs and staff costs for manning enquiry lines.
10. The following should in particular be observed in disseminating information on Government homepages -
- uploading as much printed materials as possible on homepages. Information in printed materials such as reports, publicity leaflets, and consultation papers, is part of the useful information the general public is looking for in the cyber space. It should always be borne in mind during the preparatory stage of the materials that an Internet version is a required format. This helps to avoid problems in conversion of file formats at the later stage; and
- providing press releases on important issues in the homepages of bureaux/departments. Press releases are an important information source carrying the most updated Government news. Via a computer system, all government press releases are automatically uploaded onto the Internet at http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/ minutes after their dissemination to the media. It is a convenient way for the public to look for specific press releases in the homepages of bureaux/departments. This can be done simply by providing a press release web page in departmental homepages and creating links to the press releases concerned.
(C) To Strengthen Interactive Elements in Homepages
11. Stepping into the 21st century, providing interactive online service will be a major trend in the delivery of public services. Bureaux/departments should strengthen the interactive elements in their homepages.
12. Apart from electronic services, such as filing of forms, renewal of licences and payment of bills, Government homepages can also be interactive in information dissemination. In general, an interactive homepage is a client-centric site allowing users to find out easily the particular piece of information they ask for, instead of reading through the static information provided (see also para. 43 below). There are various degrees and means a homepage can be made interactive, especially with the aid of new computer programmes. Some common application examples for information dissemination include database application which can interact with users (e.g. providing relevant information after Internet users have input criteria/options); applications which present information according to users¡¦ preference (e.g. selecting the preferred sections only in a web page); and applications which can notify users (say via email) of new information they are interested in.
(D) To Promote Electronic Services to the Public
13. To promote electronic services to the public, information about such services should prominently feature in the homepages. A complete list of electronic services with description of such services should be provided. The pre-requisites for using the electronic services, e.g. e-Cert, PIN, browser version, should also be explicitly stated. Policy bureaux should also list electronic services provided by the departments under their purview.
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