A government website which is believed to give latest information, says Happy New Year in May, keep off the user from the website. The day-to-day updating of a website is an important task. However the degrees of transactions involved in a simple updating has often restricted the ability to make on the go changes on the web. Most government officials, who are no experts of the html depend on service providers to manage their websites. To update a website, the information has to be documented, got approved through the approval process, sent to the service provider who manages the site. After it reaches the service provider, it is distributed within their set-up to the actual programmer who manages the site for the Department and he carries out the change. The actual change-maker is removed from the content developer by several degrees of transactions. Moreover, he may lack the domain expertise to incorporate the information in suitable area of the website. This may require reverting back to the requisitioning department that requires more transactions. If there is no connect between information being generated in the Department and the information being posted on the web, it becomes very difficult to motivate officials to keep sending information to the service provider to update information. Not surprisingly, many government websites have information that is often out of date.
Is there any possibility for the user to maintain the website by himself, thus avoiding the time period meant for updating? The big question gets an answer. The Kerala state Information Technology mission (KSITM) has come forward with the mission to migrate all government websites to the Content Management Framework (CMF).
Content Management Framework
It is open source software which allows a user to change the content and design of a website himself through a user name and password access control. This avoids the need of the web service provider for content management and as a result steers clear of the delay caused in this regard. The important thing about CMF is that the user with normal word-processing skills is able to update websites, change layouts, design, and shift items around on the website. This system also includes features such as page catching to improve performance, RSS feeds, printable version of pages, news flashes, polls, web searching etc. It treats graphics and content separately, so the user can easily change the content with out changing the graphics or by changing the graphics. A parson has minimum knowledge about computer can easily change or manage the content. I t is possible to access sites from other devices like Mobiles, Set Top Box etc.
Reload the website
Kerala, the high profile state in Information Technology domain, reload the concept and the definition of website. Using Joomla software, one of the renowned open source content management software, Kerala State IT Mission takes the pioneer move in India to migrate the conventional websites to content management framework. Apart from empowering the user departments to manage their own websites, the effort to migrate the websites to CMF has been used by the KSITM as an opportunity to standardize the templates of government websites, particularly those which did not have adequate information thereon, so that the websites have a minimum citizen friendly content available on them.
Is there any possibility for the user to maintain the website by himself, thus avoiding the time period meant for updating? The big question gets an answer. The Kerala state Information Technology mission (KSITM) has come forward with the mission to migrate all government websites to the Content Management Framework (CMF).
Content Management Framework
It is open source software which allows a user to change the content and design of a website himself through a user name and password access control. This avoids the need of the web service provider for content management and as a result steers clear of the delay caused in this regard. The important thing about CMF is that the user with normal word-processing skills is able to update websites, change layouts, design, and shift items around on the website. This system also includes features such as page catching to improve performance, RSS feeds, printable version of pages, news flashes, polls, web searching etc. It treats graphics and content separately, so the user can easily change the content with out changing the graphics or by changing the graphics. A parson has minimum knowledge about computer can easily change or manage the content. I t is possible to access sites from other devices like Mobiles, Set Top Box etc.
Reload the website
Kerala, the high profile state in Information Technology domain, reload the concept and the definition of website. Using Joomla software, one of the renowned open source content management software, Kerala State IT Mission takes the pioneer move in India to migrate the conventional websites to content management framework. Apart from empowering the user departments to manage their own websites, the effort to migrate the websites to CMF has been used by the KSITM as an opportunity to standardize the templates of government websites, particularly those which did not have adequate information thereon, so that the websites have a minimum citizen friendly content available on them.
First but strong
The effort to migrate the government websites was launched in November 2007. The project team has already migrated 50 important websites includes 19 Minister’s websites to the content management framework. The government websites of finance department (finance.kerala.gov.in), Minister for Labour and Excise (minister-labour.kerala.gov.in) and Minister for Fisheries and Registration (minister-fisheries.kerala.gov.in) give the right impression and necessity of the CMF websites. The updated main menu gives the information about the department and minister. A user can know about the static details like profile constituency, portfolio etc and dynamic details like itinerary, achievements. In the itinerary column the ministers’ day-to-day programmed chart is available. The website also provides the option of polls with which the department can collect the public opinion of any subject related to their department.
Now the service providers like National Informatics Centre (NIC), Centre for Digital Imaging Technology (C-DIT),Kerala State Electronic Development Corporation(KELTRON) agree the system and they become the arms of I T Mission. “The Kerala State Health Mission came up with new findings about ‘chikungunya’ in the late hours of the day. Without Content Management Framework, it would have been woefully difficult to publish it timely. But this situation changes by the use of Joomla software. Anytime any where content management and updating is possible” says Asha Varma Technical Director of National Informatics Centre. These words justify the pioneer move of Kerala state Information Technology mission (KSITM).
The System Right Clicked
Governance and capacity are two important issues in a project of this mammoth nature, which proposes to cover all Departments across the government. Kerala State IT Mission has mandated a content management governance mechanism in each department headed by State Information Officer. Kerala State IT Mission is providing training and technology support to the persons who are keen on this move. The technology support team gives instructions and guidance to the concerned officer or the content management team of the various departments.
The templates of the website of Finance department (finance.kerala.gov.in) has been very effective in communicating the up-to-date information to its customers. The site is more reliable than any time before. Now onwards a user can relays full on that website. The content management team in the department is always focused on giving the latest information to the public.
The migration of all websites has several benefits. Apart from reducing the degree of transaction invoved in updating the websites, it also reduces the cost of updating .It also built capacity to the Government Department to manage the website themselves. There are spillover benefits in overall approach to delivery of services to citizens as the Department’s officer recognizes the direct link between his action and improvement of service delivery by the Department.
It will also enable the next level of up gradation where it is possible to combine all the Government websites and provide a single window –Kerala web portal for all Government services. It give the chance to modify the Government websites to possess all the relevant data including circulars to public, submission of application forms, grievance redressal ,e-procurement, government Orders etc.
Kerala has been the leader in several e-governance projects in the past through innovative projects like Akshaya, FRIENDS and others. The implementation of content management framework is another initiative, which will provide quality improvement in the use of ICTs in providing G2C services. This seemingly innocuous effort would have huge benefits in the long run and become model for others to follow.
Here onwards, our websites change with time, say Happy New Year in January not in May.
(For Kerala stat
e I T Mission)information courtesy: Kerala State IT Mission
MY first tech- write project
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