Web Restructuring

Jeffrey Levy

April 2010

Goals for Web Site• Technical and science library • Tell EPA's story: what we're doing and why • Engage the public on policy issues and provide

clear requirements to the regulated community• Move people, communities, and organizations to

protect health and the environment• Conduct business• Share information about crises

Operating Principles• EPA, not organizations• Think “online,” not epa.gov: mobile, blogs, contests,

social media, etc. • Engage people where they are• Provide raw data and interpret it• Use multimedia and storytelling whenever possible• Evaluate and adjust• Experiment• Learn/go/repeat – fail fast, don’t wait for perfection, invite

public input• Consciously match effort to priorities

What’s Happened Since Sausalito

• Lots and lots and lots of talking

• Discussions w/sr. mgt. across EPA

• Deliberate pace, but proceeding

• Clarity: we need to rebuild, not convert

• Memos: Administrator, OEI/OPA

• Plenty for everyone to do

We Don’t Want to Rebuild the Same Site

• Fall out of love with your site

• It’s about them, not us

• Be harsh in your judgment – the

audience is

• Think across: agency, government

A New Approach

• Editors-in-chief, not owners

• Audience focus, not organizational ego

• Rebuild, not convert

• Manage, not put it up– Link checking– Metadata (pages, PDF)– If you can’t manage it, don’t have it

Next Steps: OPA

• Lead an exercise to:– Identify top subjects / geographical

areas

– What’ll be a microsite or resource directory

• Identify pilots, editors-in-chief

Next Steps: OPA and OEI

• Lead pilots– Create microsite template(s)

– Clean navigation

• Learn as we go

Next Steps: OEI

• Develop metadata

• Work from priorities list

• Use Documentum for pilots and next 18 months

• Evaluate, choose long-term Web CMS

• Evaluate, choose search solution

Next Steps: All of Us

• Keep talking: we have the vision, but the details are still forming

• Identify resources, funding needs and processes

• Share what you’ve learned: colleagues, mgt

• Know your Web Council members

If you’re not in a pilot …

• ROT hunt

• Update, but don’t redesign or create new sites

• Do your PDF metadata

• Get to know your content well

• Explore social media, mobile – work with your Web Council members as usual

Goal:Launch “epa2.gov” in fall 2010

Not literally a new URL of epa2.gov

Progress To date• Now:

– Home page: www.epa.gov– Open Gov: www.epa.gov/open– Widgets: www.epa.gov/widgets– Earth Day: www.epa.gov/earthday – 40th anniversary: www.epa.gov/40th – Many video contests, discussion forums

• Coming:– About EPA– Multiblog– Social media resource center– Pick 5 for the Environment– Mobile apps