Invigorating website management through XML: an e-government case from New York State

Abstract

E-government initiatives have become more prevalent across countries and levels of government. Among these initiatives, internet-based applications are at the core of strategies to provide more integrated information and services to citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders. As a result, the need for effective and efficient website management has significantly grown in importance. Through the combination of a detailed case study and a survey of government practitioners in New York State, this paper explores the process of adopting XML as an alternative content management technology and captures perceptions about that adoption process from individuals involved in state government websites. Finance and Management, among others. His research interests include collaborative electronic government, inter-organisational information integration, adoption and implementation of emergent technologies, digital divide policies, public management, and multi-method research approaches.James Costello is the Webmaster at the Centre for Technology in Government (CTG). Prior to joining CTG, he had his own web design company and worked for several private and public organisations, including KeyCorp, the Professional Development Program of Rockefeller College, and Coopers and Lybrand. He has been an Editor, Technical Writer, Trainer, Invigorating website management through XML 53Computer-Based Training Designer and Manager of web applications and distance learning. He has worked for the past five years on the benefits and challenges of using XML for website content management. He has developed curriculum and delivered training to over 30 different NYS agencies on XML/XSL. Theresa A. Pardo is Deputy Director of the Centre for Technology in Government located at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She is also a member of the Faculty of Public Administration and Policy as well as Informatics at the University. She has written extensively on information technology innovation in the public sector, interorganisational information sharing and integration, trust and knowledge sharing, preservation of government records in digital form and XML as a content management technology. She holds a doctorate in Information Science from the University at Albany, State University of New York.Derek Werthmuller has managed the Technology Solutions Laboratory and the Technology Services Unit at the Centre for Technology in Government (CTG) for over ten years. He is the co-author, along with Jim Costello, of the white paper 'XML: A New WebSite Architecture', published in September, 2002, which detailed the Centre for Technology in Government's migration to an XML-based website. He has made several presentations over the past five years on the benefits of using XML for website management.