Capitol Hill Getting More Web Sophisticated

How to put the 'e' before democracy? Spread the net wide, set it free, let it fly. Capitol Hill may not be the address for the online information age, but over the past year, many lawmakers have greatly improved their websites,
transforming them from promotional advertisements into virtual offices that provide useful services for their constituents, according to a story by Brian Faler in the Washington Post. That's the conclusion of by the Congress Online Project, a nonpartisan group that monitors lawmakers' websites. "At the member level down to the Web designer level, there has been a completely different level of attention and commitment to making [the Internet] an effective communications tool," says Rick Shapiro, executive director of the Congressional Management Foundation. "This really has been a dramatic, rapid change."

For example, Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-Delaware) has a site that allows users to choose news and links specific to the county in which they live. Representative George Radanovich (R-California) has a Life Events page that provides links to government services for every stage of life. And Representative Chaka Fattah (D-Pennsylvania) has an Education Resource Center that allows users to search for college financial aid, track federal education initiatives, and find information on local school programs.