IV. Content of Homepages

1. Defining Web Content
2. Essential and Useful Information

(A) Defining Web Content

18. Developing client-centric content begins with ensuring that the content is aligned with the requirements of the target users and the site objectives. According to a consultancy study comparing local and overseas homepages of governments and related organisations, the following content categories are regarded as necessary for a “best practice” site -

1. providing a clear indication of the target users and the site objectives to allow a user to quickly determine if the site should be explored;
2. providing a site map to outline the content of a homepage;
3. providing report summaries, press releases and other “core” information with embedded links that allow users to easily navigate through the information;
4. highlighting any recent updates or providing a “What’s New” section for recently updated information to facilitate repeated users;
5. providing links to related external sites and encouraging other sites to provide links into your site as far as bureaux/departments deem appropriate;
6. providing an index of downloadable materials, such as reports, bibliographies, glossaries, appendices of information;
7. listing frequently asked questions to reduce the number of direct users’ enquiries; and
8. providing contact information, including email, telephone number, fax number and mail address.

19. Government homepages should be available in English, traditional Chinese character and simplified Chinese character (unless there is a strong reason for not doing so) and the writing style should be consistent with the language (i.e. avoid a direct translation) (see also para. 35 below). The use of jargons or abbreviations should be avoided.

(B) Essential and Useful Information

20. The information categories and their suggested contents are as follows -

1. Essential Information

Essential Information Category		Suggested Contents
a.	Organisation details	Organisation chart, including names of officers filling the directorate posts and telephone numbers of all posts shown in the chart Responsibilities of individual divisions
b.	Public service	Description of main services or functions of the organisation Information on services introduced or changed. User-friendly features include - A “how to” guide for accessing services Key documents/forms required for accessing services On-line access to services
c.	Performance pledges and success	Statements of performance pledges Statistics measuring fulfilment of pledges
d.	List of records by category	List of categorised records which the public may have access to
e.	List of available information	Categorised list of information (either published or otherwise) made available, whether free or on payment. User-friendly features include - Softcopy of documents available for download Procedures and charges for accessing/ purchasing available information
f.	Procedures and charges for access to information not routinely published	Description of the process for obtaining information Standard photocopying charges Application form for Access to Information Contact information of Access to Information Officer, including name, email, telephone number, fax number and mail address for related enquiries
g.	Consultation papers	Consultation papers in HTML format with internal links if feasible (Note: Subsequent references to HTML in this document also applies to XHTML, and for simplicity sake, “HTML” will be used as the abbreviated version.) An audio version of the summary or the full text should be provided to allow users to choose their preferred media. Softcopy of documents (e.g. PDF format) available for download (Note: Please ensure all “track changes” features are removed for word processing document files.) Feedback channel for collecting views on consultation papers, i.e. email access for submitting response, postal contact details
h.	Electronics services	List of services that can be accessed online. Policy bureaux should also list electronic services provided by the departments under their purview. Bureaux/departments should add a hyperlink to the list of electronic services on GovHK (http://www.gov.hk/en/about/os_residents.htm).
i.	Public forms

2. Useful Information

Useful Information Category		Suggested Contents
a.	Site objective	This provides Internet users with a concise description of the contents of the site, enabling them to quickly assess the site’s relevance to their needs.
b.	Vision, mission and value statement of bureau/department
c.	Code on Access to Information
d.	Survey results and statistics of public interest
e.	Policies	e.g. Policy Objective
f.	LegCo Briefs and Bills	The documents should be uploaded after their release to legislators.
g.	Notices	e.g. tender notices and recruitment advertisements
h.	Annual Reports	Summaries of reports should also be made available.
i.	Publications and papers	e.g. reports, publicity leaflets, consultation papers, fact sheets
j.	Information unique to bureau/department	e.g. membership and terms of reference of advisory boards and committees related to the bureau/department
k.	Channels to access services (where and how)
l.	Frequently asked questions	They should be categorised and indexed to facilitate easy access for Internet users. They are valuable in reducing enquiries for frontline staff.
m.	What's New section	This facilitates frequent users to access and bureaux/departments to publicise the most recent information. The section should not be maintained as an archive of information in chronological order. Such practice prompts users to doubt whether the homepages are updated. A separate section of “What was new in (month)(year)” should meet the purpose. A “new” tag is useful to mark small updates in a site map or web pages.
n.	Major press releases and speeches	It is valuable to provide an archive of news related information by date and topic. Bureaux/departments should create an index page of the press releases with each item linked to individual press releases (see also paras. 8 to 10 above).
o.	Events	Providing event calendar, event descriptions and on-line registration for events (if feasible) is an inexpensive way to promote Government or social events to the general public.
p.	Relevant external information	e.g. Hong Kong Laws on the Internet(Note: It is a good practice to inform the department concerned before creating links.)
q.	Links to related Government departments	Links to other departments and to related boards and committees (with regard to terms of reference and membership lists)
r.	Links to related external sites	Through use of links to additional related external sites, the breadth of content can be easily expanded to better meet the content requirements of target users (see also para. 69 below). Bearing in mind that the homepage addresses change from time to time, the external links should be checked regularly to ensure that they still work.

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