Government websites "dormant", not updated, no interaction... In the Internet age, how is the performance of government department's official website for external information release? Recently, Shenzhen published for the first time the "scorecard" of performance evaluation for 45 government department websites. As the first published government website scorecard, among the 45 units, Guangming New Area and the Municipal Fire Department scored below the "passing line" for the whole year.
Performance evaluations have been expanded to government websites. Since 2008, Shenzhen has officially started government performance evaluations, initially choosing 16 departments, then in 2010 expanding the performance evaluation to all municipal and district departments. Last June, the General Office of the Municipal People's Government issued the "Notice on Issuing the Implementation Plan for the Performance Evaluation Work of Shenzhen Municipal Government Websites in 2011", officially extending the performance evaluation to the field of government websites. The first evaluation included 8 district (new area management committee) portal websites, 30 municipal government department websites with administrative approval services, and 7 units without administrative approval services and some internal decision-making support service departments. A comprehensive ranking was conducted for district (new area management committee) portal websites, department websites with administrative approval services, and department websites without administrative approval services; only comments were made for internal decision-making support service department websites, without ranking.
In terms of evaluation content, the first government website performance evaluation adopted "differentiated treatment" based on the work nature and characteristics of each unit. For district (new area management committee) portal websites, the focus was on evaluating aspects such as information disclosure, education, healthcare, housing, employment, social security, document processing, business establishment, urban management, public participation, and support for the portal website, combined with daily monitoring, self-assessment, and public assessment for a comprehensive evaluation.
For department websites with administrative approval services, the focus was on evaluating aspects such as information disclosure, online services, public participation, website functions and management, and support for the portal website, combined with daily monitoring, self-assessment, and public assessment for a comprehensive evaluation. For department websites without administrative approval services, the focus was on evaluating aspects such as information disclosure, specialized services, public participation, website functions and management, and support for the portal website, combined with daily monitoring, self-assessment, and public assessment for a comprehensive evaluation.
The handling of unqualified cases has not been announced. According to the plan, to encourage various districts and departments to provide more distinctive and practical services to the public based on their own business functions, additional indicators such as bonus and penalty points were established outside the basic indicators. Bonus items were recommended by each unit, combined with online display and assessment, and finally determined by organizing expert reviews.
Previously, since last October, on the Shenzhen Government Online website, there was a special invitation for the public to vote on the government website performance evaluation. As an important part of the evaluation work, the "public assessment" was held from October 8 to 31, where citizens could directly vote for the evaluation objects and leave messages with suggestions and opinions.
The General Office of the Municipal People's Government also publicly solicited opinions on the evaluation implementation plan before the evaluation and strengthened guidance and diagnosis of each unit's government website. During the evaluation process, routine monitoring was carried out through the government website daily monitoring integrated management system, focusing on monitoring the standardization and accuracy of content assurance for each unit.
South China Morning Post reporters noticed that in the published score ranking table for each unit's website, the performance evaluation scores for each quarter of 2011 and the annual total score were listed. Among the district (new area management committee) portal websites, the highest score was 90.78, and the lowest score was 57.30. Among the government websites of departments with administrative approval services, the highest score was 94.90, and the lowest score was 59.33. Among the government websites of departments without administrative approval services, the highest score was 80.36, and the lowest score was 60.17. The gaps were all quite large.
Among the 45 departments with published scores, Guangming New Area scored 57.30 points annually, and the Municipal Fire Bureau scored 59.33 points annually, becoming the two departments whose websites did not pass the "passing line". However, although the evaluation scores and rankings were published to the public this time, there was still no explanation regarding how unqualified evaluations would be handled.
Efforts to interact with the public need to be strengthened. In analyzing the evaluation results, the General Office of the Municipal People's Government stated that in 2011, the overall construction and service level of government websites in various districts and municipal departments significantly improved, and the performance evaluation results significantly increased. At the same time, it must be clearly recognized that although Shenzhen's government website construction has achieved certain results, there are still some problems. Especially compared to internationally leading government websites, there is still a significant gap. For example, the overall development level of each unit's website is uneven, with a large gap between advanced and backward websites; some unit websites are not updated in time, and the depth of information disclosure is insufficient; service resources are not standardized, and practicality needs improvement; responses to public letters are not timely enough, and efforts to interact with the public need strengthening. These issues will hinder the development and service level of Shenzhen's service-oriented government websites, which is not conducive to the creation of a service-oriented government.
Future government website construction needs further梳理of information service resources, strengthening the intensity of government information disclosure, innovating ways to present service resources, improving the level of business service handling, establishing and improving content guarantee mechanisms, enhancing the effectiveness of interactive exchanges with the public, and boldly exploring the application of advanced technologies in government websites.
■Department Response
Public Security Fire Bureau
Lack of professional maintenance personnel due to internal institutional adjustments
Regarding the failure to pass the "passing line" in the annual website performance evaluation, the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau Fire Supervision and Administration Bureau recently responded that sz119.gov.cn is the official portal website of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau Fire Supervision and Administration Bureau, used for public information disclosure and providing fire administrative approval services. Due to last year being the Universiade year, the fire department undertook heavy fire safety protection tasks, fully engaging in Universiade security work, neglecting website construction and maintenance. Simultaneously, since March last year, Shenzhen reformed the fire system, dissolving the original "Science and Technology Office", and redistributing police officers to grassroots units, resulting in a shortage of professional website maintenance personnel, causing untimely content updates, outdated interfaces, and reduced public appeal.
The fire department stated that in 2012, greater human and material resources will be invested in website construction, optimizing website sections, increasing website columns, and enriching website content. Especially for dynamic fire-related information, it will be updated and maintained in a timely manner, and according to the "six e" network construction requirements of the provincial corps, the function of the online service hall will be further strengthened. Meanwhile, combining with the actual situation of fire publicity and training work, fire publicity and training columns will be added, enriching the content of fire publicity and training, increasing public appeal, and striving to make this portal website a window for the public to understand fire dynamics, a platform for learning fire knowledge, and a "fast lane" for fire administrative licensing services.
Guangming New Area
Due to technical reasons during website renovation
As one of the eight districts (new area management committees) with unsatisfactory website performance evaluations this time, Guangming New Area’s website scored below passing in three quarters out of four, with the lowest score even failing to exceed 40 points, making it the lowest-scoring institution. In response, relevant departments of Guangming New Area stated that due to the website renovation and upgrade in 2011, technical reasons led to delayed data updates, affecting the fourth-quarter results. Guangming New Area stated that the website has now completed the renovation and begun normal operations.
Chief Reporter Wang Ying of South China Morning Post
Reporter Zhu Qian of South China Morning Post