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Why is it that movie and sports stars, who are already earning millions for their public performances, feel the need to lend their reputations to endorse products such as lipstick, running shoes and advanced hair restoration treatments?
Of course there's the money and the extra public exposure to build their celebrity status and it helps stars leverage their reputations to support important causes, influencing the views of millions - but besides these obvious rewards, why would they behave in such a manner?
I'm sure this is a question often pondered at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), who own the most trafficked government website in Australia (based on the Hitwise data I've seen).
From visiting the BOM's site I don't know if they've successfully answered this question as yet.
The BOM site is a tour-de-force of weather information. From the homepage it's possible to literally take Australia's temperature - and check if it's raining outside too!
For the average citizen, this wealth of meteorological information is vitally important for starting those awkward conversations with strangers, "Nice weather we're having - I've just checked the BOM website and it's 30 degrees outside".
For many other Australians this information is vital to their planning and financial wellbeing. Farmers rely on this information to make decisions on planting, harvesting and water use. Sailors and fishermen need to know the latest conditions at sea. Aviators need to check the winds before they take to the skies.
All of this information is needed by citizens on a daily basis - so it's no wonder that the BOM's site manages to consistently reach more Australians each day than other government website juggernauts, such as the Australian Tax Office, Centrelink or Australia.gov.au.
But do they really leverage these visitors well?
At a second glance at the BOM homepage, there's a small area promoting the BOM's 100 year anniversary and a couple of links to allow people to learn more about meteorology.
There's also a small link at the bottom of the page (below the fold) to the Australian government locator service (AGLS) and links to the BOM's Department, to Australia.gov.au (but named 'Federal Government') and to the Prime Minister's website.
However there's no links to other government services that would be of use to the many sailors, farmers and aviators visiting the BOM's site.
This is the difference between the BOM and a movie star.
The movie star leverages their relationship with their fans to present them with appropriate products and services that may be of interest to them.
The BOM misses a major trick in joined-together government by not doing the same with services across the public sphere, and then using these connections to further increase its own star appeal and audience.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What's the difference between the Bureau of Meteorology and a movie star? | Tweet |
eGovernment links | Tweet |
This is a great set of eGovernment links at Del.icio.us.
eGovernment resources
Monday, June 09, 2008
Anatomy of LinkedIn | Tweet |
Here's a very interesting presentation from Linkedin's Principal Software Engineer, Nick Dellamaggiore, exploring the 'guts' of one of my favourite networking sites.
It provides some insight into what is required to deliver an effective social media site.
Note that it is technically orientated, so can be hard to follow without the context of the speaker.
LinkedIn - A Professional Network built with Java Technologies and Agile Practices
Sunday, June 08, 2008
12th Webby awards announced - beauty remains in the mind of the beholder | Tweet |
The Webby Awards are beginning to resemble the Oscars in their level of hype.
However as the most prestigious global award for digital media I can excuse them the need to make their mark alongside the older media awards.
The Government winner this year was the Peace Corps for their teen site.
It's an attractive marketing site, with a consistently strong theme and subtle interactivity.
The People's Voice Winner in the category was the Transport for London site.
While not as pretty, this is significantly more functional as a 'working' site designed to deliver services day in, day out.
The two sites are excellent examples of the pressures in the online world - stunning visual design (form) or clear consistent functionality.
Humans as a species react strongly to design - take our ongoing love affair with fashion or architecture for example.
This isn't limited to the physical world - beauty is in the eye and mind of the beholder. Our thoughts and, particularly, our feelings, colour how we respond to any digital product.
Of course design must also be useable - but isn't that one of the qualities of good design?
Government has some legislative considerations to ensure websites are usable and accessible, which often appear to bias us us towards focusing on function at the expense of form.
However as online communications we must keep in mind that form, the visual and interactive design, is equally important in winning the hearts, minds and ongoing use of citizens.
We have photogenic politicians, can we please have more attractive government websites?
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Innovative Intranets | Tweet |
Here are some great ideas from Step Two Designs in a presentation resulting from their Innovative Intranets Awards this year.
It includes a voiceover from James Robertson
What do innovative intranets look like?
