Oh FFS !!!
Why cant they just setup a single server farm duplicated in another city, and just host All Goverment websites there.
Eggs basket yes i am aware, but HOW MUCH CHEAPER !!!!!!!
The coalition government has promised to get rid of 75 per cent of its websites - although it admits that it is not actually sure how many websites it is running. Francis Maude, Cabinet Office minister, told Parliament there was no centrally held data on how many government and "non-departmental public bodies" websites there …
Need analysis? HAHAHA. just shut it down.
they'll start with a list with what costs the most to turn at at the top, read a 500-page overview report that says 90% of sites can go or be 'merged' and they'll interpret that as kill off 90% of all sites, starting with the most expensive, regardless of purpose, need, or HPD/w/m
seriously. expecting the tories to show even the slightest urge towards comprehending technical things is a waste of time.
"Maude said that since 11 May, the government had already found another 81 sites - giving a total of 742 websites which are either run directly by the government or run by charities, museums or other bodies with government involvement.
Maude promised an announcement alongside the spending review to cut 75 per cent of these."
Does this mean they will be closing the charities and museums or just stopping them for having websites?
Does it really matter how many sites there are as long as they are being used by the public and kept upto date by the admins?
Closing Museums and Charities that people use is nasty. So, close their Websites for "efficiency". Now no-one knows they exist, and even if they should find out they won't be able to get any details. Museums and Charities fall into disuse, then you can close them. Simples!
Heeeeeeeeere's David !!!!!!!!!! (Can we have an axe icon please, we're going to need it)
Apparently it will cost as much, if not more, to dismantle the existing quangos.
In themeantime there are even more 'advisory bodies' being created -- Philip Green's outfit is one that is slagging off government spending while spending government money to do so.
No doubt there is also a website for it as well.
With the de-centralisation (yeah, my arse) of HM.Gov there will be more websites, not less.
Whilst it would be cheaper for central government sites...
it would then work out a lot more expensive for museums/charities and other organisations that have a partial funder remit.
The costs of setting up secure network links to meet HMG standards to manage the site are far more than having some standalone website in rackspace , some other hosting provider or even in the organisations own data centers.
This is a real case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Despite the number of websites produced under the previous administration, some were actually useful, particularly professional forums. Back in May the ConDems simply archived most of the sites, which disabled search facilities and messed up many of the links from those that remained. So much for consultation with the people who actually used them.
Close the website for all local museums, swiming pools, libraries etc.
Closing the website means nobody can find where it is or when it's open - so reduced visitors, so you can close it down = saving money.
Then you close websites for things like the inland revenue, which forces people to write and request extra forms or info, so they are later filing taxes, so you fine them 100quid. Enough people do this and the deficit is cleared.
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Surely if the website is designed, up and running then any future running costs should be relatively small . If the website is well used AND it provides a valuable service, I sincerely hope the value of any site is fully understood and costed.
By all means rationalise their locations and domain names, but closing for closing sake is not joined up thinking. Web services can dramatical reduces costs. (snail mail vs. email)
"Nothing frustrates me more than seeing an advert for a government service that has the phrase Search for 'xyz'" What's wrong with publishing the URL?"
Apparently, there's a government or local authority directive that says councils must NOT quote URLs or link to third party sites, even when they provide a service that complements or is even provided "in conjunction with" the council.
That's what my local council tells me when I ask for a URL to my site instead of "details on the XXX web site".
Its twits that make silly rules that need to go, not web sites.