Thursday, 4:30 PM
Mass. government rated sixth best on the Web
By Globe Staff
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has the sixth-best Web presence in the country, according to a group of Brown University researchers.
Researchers at the Taubman Center for Public Policy examined 1,487 state government websites. They rated them higher when they did such things as make publications and databases available, allowed people to make payments online, and offered content in foreign languages.
They rated them lower when sites offered advertisements and charged user payments or fees.
The top three states in terms of Web presence: Delaware, Michigan, and Maine. At the other end of the spectrum, Wyoming was the worst in Web terms.
Darrell M. West, director of the Taubman Center, said, "We're tracking how effective state governments are at using technology to improve public sector performance. ... People really like the convenience of online and nobody likes to wait in line."
