Businesses drive customers to their website via e-mail communications in anticipation of enticing them to purchase their products.  I signed up for e-mails from Borders Books and I can always count on being sent a 30% off coupon which I am happy to get whether I use it or not.  I get special tweets for discount theater tickets.  And Land’s End always e-mails their on-line sales.

So how can the Federal and State government drive citizens to their websites?  Is this a case of “build it and they will come?”  One of the requirements of the Open Government Directive (Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, OMB, December 8, 2009) is to “inform the public of significant actions and businesses of your agency such as through agency public meetings, briefings, press conferences on the Internet, and periodic national town hall meetings ..” As a consumer, I don’t want to go to the Borders Books website every day to see what’s on sale.  I also don’t want to go to the discount ticket or Land’s End website every day.  But I do like to get special notices that I can read quickly, are specific to my interests where I can select to click on the link to receive more information if I desire to do so.

Not everyone will come just because government builds an informative website.  Citizens have gone beyond that and government will need to run to catch up.  People are busy and with information overload at its peak, they want information that will fit their specific interests.

Government therefore needs to adapt a business model that segments its citizens’ interests.  For example, there are many citizens interested in the Food and Drug Administration.  Interest can range from drug interactions, new drug approvals, drug recalls, medical devices, cosmetics, foods, etc.  I am not going to run to the website every day.  And I certainly don’t care to get information about medical devices when I am interested in new drug approvals.  Government can serve me by sending me an e-mail alert with the name of the new drug approved, what it is used for and giving me a direct link to their website that can be easily accessed with more detailed information.  That is serving its citizenry!