Satisfy your urge to give the government a piece of your mind by joining the National Dialogue on Improving Federal Websites. The government wants to know what you think should be the practices, policies, and principles that guide federal websites. To date, 277 ideas have been posted, so you can browse others’ input or submit an idea of your own. But you’ve got to hurry: the Dialogue is open 24/7 until September 30, so join in and provide your feedback soon. If you do participate, please add a comment here to let us know what you had to say and how you liked the online Dialogue experience.

Dialogue topics

You can share your thoughts on any of these topics:

1. Creating better user experience, navigation, and design
2. Improving content to make it more readable, engaging, and useful
3. Improving how services and transactions are delivered
4. Providing universal access to government content online, regardless of device or technology
5. Optimizing the way the public is able to search for federal content, via federal websites and commercial search engines
6. Ensuring content on federal websites is integrated with social media and other third-party websites
7. Improve how federal websites protect privacy and security
8. Reaching global audiences and people with limited English proficiency

Discussion schedule

• Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 1:00 ET – Social Media
• Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 1:00 ET – Content and Readability
• Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 3:00 ET – Usability and Navigation
• Friday, September 23, 2011 at 12:00 ET – Search
• Monday, September 26, 2011 at 1:00 ET – Content in other Languages and LEP
• Monday, September 26, 2011 at 4:00 ET – Services and Transactions
• Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 1:00 ET – Practices, Policies and Principles
• Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 12:00 ET – Universal Access
• Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 1:00 ET – Data, Apps, APIs
• Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 3:00 ET – IT and Infrastructure
• Friday, September 30th at 1:00 ET – Privacy and Security

Join the Who’s Who of web thinkers participating in the Dialogue

A number of experts will serve as volunteer “discussion catalysts,” to guide the various discussion topics. These experts include:

• Annetta Cheek, Chair, Center for Plain Language
• Candi Harrison, Former Co-Chair, Federal Web Managers Council
• Carla Briceno, Co-Founder of Bixal
• Clay Johnson, Director of Engagement for Expert Labs
• Craig Newmark, Founder & customer service rep craigslist.org and craigconnects.org
• Ed Mullen, Principal Edward Mullen Studio; Founder MixTrail
• Jakob Nielsen, Principal of the Nielsen Norman Group
• Lee Vann, Founder & CEO Captura Group
• Sharron Rush, Co-founder and Executive Director of Knowbility
• Steve Krug, Author and Founder Advanced Common Sense
• Vanessa Fox, Author, Marketing in the Age of Google