Tina Trenkner is the Deputy Editor for GOVERNING.com. She edits the Technology and Health newsletters.
E-mail: ttrenkner@governing.comTwitter: @tinatrenkner
Governments have performance data to judge the efficiency of the programs they put in place. Naturally, online sites have metrics too. How soon will that data be used to drive how an agency uses its Web site or social media?
I was surprised to see that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts its online metrics on its Web page. I found out about these metrics through a tweeted link coming from attendees at a social media conference in Atlanta. One of the presentations at the conference referred to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- the CDC especially -- as government entities that monitor their online presence especially well.
I followed the tweeted link, clicked around a bit and oh, wow. They have pages among pages of what they do with social media and what the effects have been:
This is screen shot of the CDC's eHealth Metrics dashboard. This is only about a quarter of it, so I encourage you to check out the whole page here.
What I found really interesting this a report the CDC put together a few weeks ago regarding how the agency's online activities addressing the H1N1 virus. Their report found that (among other stats):
o About 240,000 users subscribed to H1N1 e-mail updatesIs it a common practice for an agency to publish its own online data? This is the first time I've ever seen something like this. I can only imagine that if state and local governments start posting their metrics on their sites, analysis of that data could lead to additional and or more refined Gov 2.0 best practices (since guidelines and best practices on how to use social media are starting to emerge.) Would your state or local agency have any reservations about posting its Web and social media data?
If you know of other government agencies on any level of government that publishes its own online data, please let me know at ttrenkner@governing.com.
(h/t to Twitter user @shelholtz for mentioning the CDC link and to @dslunceford, @govtwit, @krazykriz and @kayawalton for [re]tweeting it)
Tina Trenkner is the Deputy Editor for GOVERNING.com. She edits the Technology and Health newsletters.
E-mail: ttrenkner@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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