Apps.gov

As a federal agency, the thought of Web2.0 may elicit fearful reactions.  While your agency may be actively looking to broaden public engagement efforts and may very well want to utilize Web2.0 to its fullest extent, the technology brings about questions of security, government regulations, archiving, and cost to maintain.  To assuage those fears, let me introduce you to Apps.Gov.   

Currently in its beta phase, Apps.Gov was created from open source software and intended to best serve federal agencies in their efforts towards more participatory forms of government.  It aims to lower both the initial implementation and continued operating costs of Web2.0-type platforms for government agencies by counteracting some of the most common problems federal agencies are faced with.   

How, you might ask?  First and foremost, the software is free for federal agencies.  Furthermore, it’s hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration, GSA, which ensures that everything created is encoded with premium security features.  GSA monitors the security of everything created and performs regular upgrades.  They also verify that all content meets Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act.  This act, applicable to all federal agencies, mandates that website content be equally accessible to people with disabilities.  The restrictions contained in Section 508 can seem daunting and may have deterred agencies from creating websites, especially interactive websites, in the past.   

While it certainly reduces the time it takes to build a website, Apps.Gov doesn’t do all the work for you.  They provide a selection of ‘tools’ for users to choose from, such as WordPress-based blogs and contests and various wikis and discussion forums.  Apps.gov then builds your website and hosts it for you, but returns control of all customization to the agency it was built for.  Design templates and widgets are provided for users to further customize their site.  Users must facilitate and provide content for their site but Apps.gov provides traffic reporting and analytics reports.  With the multitude of features coupled with added government security and adherence to federal regulations, Apps.gov is certainly changing the web 2.0 game for federal agencies.    

See for yourself here:  www.citizen.apps.gov