12 Best Government Websites

Take the Air Force, for example. It's not the official, ".mil" U.S. Air Force site, but the Air Force's recruitment site at airforce.com has a stunning launch page replete with crisp three-dimensional interactive graphics and embedded video. Dig into the site a bit, and you'll find detailed games designed to teach visitors more about the Air Force. It's a great representative of what a good government Website should be all about.

Many Americans do believe the government should be more transparent and engage better with its citizens, according to a survey commissioned by cloud-based software vendor RightNow Technologies. Ninety-six percent of respondents said the government could improve how it engages with citizens, and agreed that technology -- in particular the web -- was a good way to do it. But they doubt the government will catch up to commercial organizations and their skill in using the web to reach customers. Seventy-three percent said that improving website usability was the best way for the government to tactically engage with the public, while 52 percent said that creating an agency-branded forum or community would also help. Using the web to access government services via email, web community, chat and social-networking sites also was a popular means of engagement, with 77 percent of respondents saying they would like to engage that way.

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