Benefits and Barriers of Using XML in Government Websites

Abstract

Electronic government can be understood as the use of information technologies in public sector organizations. One of the most visible strategies of electronic government is the development of Websites. As these government Websites have grown in size, complexity, and prominence, Website management, content management, maintenance costs, and accessibility have become growing concerns for federal, state, and local governments. Government webmasters and system administrators have come to realize that the technologies and strategies used in the past to build most Websites are designed to produce individual Web pages. However, they do not provide a structure to easily maintain entire Websites, keep them responsive to changing needs, or manage the workflow involved in Web content production and maintenance; nor do they facilitate the sharing and reuse of Website content. Based on semi-structured interviews and a survey to program and IT staff from five government agencies, this paper examines the potential of XML (Extensible Markup Language) for Website content management in government settings.1 It identifies expected benefits and perceived barriers. It also provides some examples and explanations about the usefulness of XML for Website content management in government.