Washington, D.C., Jan 16 - Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) released today that his Web site was honored by the Congressional Management Foundation with a “Gold Award” in their 2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill.  Congressman Forbes’ Web site was one of 34 gold medal winners out of 618 sites evaluated in the House and Senate. 

“My staff and I have worked hard to ensure that constituents have the information they need from my office at their fingertips.  From my stance on important issues to press releases, tour requests, and getting help with federal agencies, our Web site allows constituents in the Fourth District access anytime day or night to the information they need,” said Forbes.  “With more and more people relying on the Web as their primary source of information, it is increasingly important to provide a top notch Web site, especially for younger constituents.  Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to enhance our Web site with a blog, video, and other multimedia content to allow users of all ages to learn about their Congressman.”

The 2007 Gold Mouse Report awarded the “Gold Award” to Congressman Forbes’ Web site for its ease of use, the ability to access information on the site, and its ability to serve constituent needs.  The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a non-profit, non-partisan management consulting and research organization in Washington, D.C.  The 2007 Gold Mouse Report and Awards are part of the “Connecting to Congress” research project, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.  Web sites were graded on how well they incorporate five basic building blocks which extensive research identified as critical for effectiveness: audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation.

“One of the key reasons for the awards is to highlight best practices so offices can improve their sites by learning from those doing a good job,” said Beverly Bell, CMF’s Executive Director. “Web sites like Congressman Forbes provide a template for other congressional offices to follow.  Also, Congressman Forbes’ Web site shows that he understands the value of creating a virtual office to reach specific audiences who have come to expect having their needs met online.”

A full copy of the report, the 2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill, is available on the Congressional Management Foundation’s Web site at www.cmfweb.org.  To visit Congressman Forbes’ Web site, go to forbes.house.gov.

# # #