The City of Houston Website
The website works in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act, which forbids the exchange of personally identifying information. It also advises its users to exercise maximum caution by not triggering the leak of sensitive information regarding the Texas State Government. Physical security of data submitted to the Texas government is ensured by 128-bit encryption technology installed on users' PCs.
The site's usability is demonstrated by the use of different colored typefaces to provide direction in the links that lead to greater information about the government's functions. Usability of the site is promoted by the incorporation of different categories of functions such as: Govt, Residents, Business, Departments, Visitors, and Languages. This enables a researcher to select the right category of the research term being examined.
Aesthetics
The aesthetics of the website is achieved by the use of both text and images which makes it attractive. The images used include the Logo of the City of Houston, the images of Houston Town, the image of the mayor of the City of Houston, Sylvester Turner. Due to these graphics within the web site, it becomes unique and distinguishable from other web sites, which improves its usability (The City of Houston, 2015). The fonts are represented using different colors to illustrate a distinction between links and plain texts.
Content
The content of Houston City website is mainly composed of the governance structure of the city, the services rendered to the residents, the business areas in which the Houston City provides services to the public, and the projects that have been carried out recently by the city government (Padró, 2004). For instance, it has been involved in provision of relief funds to victims of the recent floods in Texas, solid waste management efforts, and Harvey relief Funds contributions. The website also presents news reports of recent activities in Houston City and events calendar which presents past activities within Houston City that is worth public attention. The website also presents some of the most popular links that can be accessed by the city's residents to know about its services and other support to the inhabitants. These include; newsrooms, events and theatres, pay traffic tickets, Hurricane Harvey fund, and HTV Houston Television.
E-services
The e-services provided to Houston residents by the City of Houston are as follow: pay traffic tickets, water bill services, reporting services for floods and damages, and permits for construction of premises or procurement of construction materials. It also offers iSpeak Houston service which enables access to resources for use by non-English people in Houston. The government of Houston City also uses 311 Help Service to promote the engagement of the public by enabling them to request for services such as directions to different locations within the city, and obtaining feedbacks for their service requests. It also engages the public via its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section where it provides answers to major concerns of the public. It provides the citizens with the opportunity to get information about its services via emails after subscription on its website.
Public Engagement
Public engagement services offered by the City of Houston to its residents include a Report Pothole.
Social Media connections
The website is connected to Twitter via its twitter handle: @AlertHouston which provides visitors with the opportunity to access tweets regarding current events in Houston City.
Pros and Cons
The pro of the website is its effectiveness in illustrating its roles to the residents of Houston City. It is effective in illustrating its roles in promoting the availability of services such as protection of the people from floods, relief services, and the provision of business permits to enterprises (Williams, 2012). The con of the website is its effectiveness in providing empowerment efforts such as improving health care practices, promoting educational attainment among the minority communities, or promoting the role of marginalized people in the society such as youths, older generations, and women.
Recommendations for Improvement of the Website
The website should incocorporat5e more graphics such as images of its past projects and current initiatives to promote the welfare of the people of Houston City. It should incorporate testimonials of successful provision of services to its residents.
The Department of Labor Website
Security/privacy policies
It is a security policy of the Department of Labor (DOL) that any information that has been requested from United States citizens will be used for the purpose of provision of services to the public but not for disclosure to unauthorized users. Those who access its site or download information are recorded in terms of the domain from which the website was accessed for the purpose of getting statistics which enable understanding the identities of its visitors.
Usability
The usability of the DOL website is due to the fact that its links can be easily accessed to get more details about its service to the US citizens, it is presented using topics which can be selected depending on the topic of interest of the user, and it has a search section which enables the user to type the topic of interest which is then easily accessed if it is within the website (United States Department of Labor, 2017a).
Aesthetics
The aesthetics of the DOL website is contributed by the fact that it incorporates both texts and graphics in presentation of information about its services. It also integrates the most trending topics that can be accessed by the user to get the latest information about its services to the American public.
Content
The website provides 'About DOL' section which explains its history, mission, and vision to the people of America it also has the 'Agencies' section which explains its roles to the people of the United States via other agencies. For instance, it collaborates with Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Office of Solicitor General among other agencies in the provision of services to the American citizens.
E-services
The DOL engages with the public via a number of services such as the ability of citizens to apply for contracts and permits via its website or the websites of the affiliated agencies.
Public Engagement
Public engagement is achieved by increased availability of newsletters to the public, News releases, and news contracts.
Social Media connections
In order to promote its accessibility to social media networking sites, the DOL website has buttons that can be clicked by users to connect them to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, You Tube, and mail subscription lists. Its twitter handle @USDOL has been active in providing the latest information about its services to the American citizens (United States Department of Labor, 2017b).
Pros and Cons
The pro of the site is that it uses fonts of different colors which are distinct and easily identifiable and distinguishable from other links depending in their area of focus. It also provides animations of services of DOL, its employees, and affiliated agencies which improves its role as a government entity. The con of the site the use of blogs and news which occupy a larger section of its interface.
Recommendations for Improvement of the Website
It is recommended that the interface of the website should include its history, mission, vision, and objectives in addition to the news and blogs.
References
Padró, F. F. (2004). Statistical handbook on the social safety net. Greenwood Publishing Group.
The City of Houston, (2015). The Official Site for Houston, Texas, [Online], available at: http://www.houstontx.gov/ , Accessed on October 20, 2017.
United States Department of Labor (2017a), United States Department of Labor, [Online], available at: https://www.dol.gov/ , Accessed on October 20, 2017.
United States Department of Labor (2017b), Office of Disability Employment Policy, [Online], available at: https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/ , Accessed on October 20, 2017.
Williams, S.L., (2012). The City of Houston, Department of Health and Human Services, Annual Report 2012, [Online], available at: http://www.houstontx.gov/health/reports/HDHHSAnnual%20Report.pdf , Accessed on October 20, 2017.
