Internet Evaluation Form
Evaluated By: Balbir Singh

URL: http://www.gov.sg/gvthome/min.html

Political

I. Authority/Credibility: Recommended

Write a paragraph or two that evaluates the authority/credibility of the site by addressing the following points: who provides the site (person, institution, business, agency, political party, etc.); who the author is and is there email address provided? (What is it?); identifying the credentials of the author with regard to the topic of the site (is it a professor, professional, or someone with an interest in the subject matter)?; identifying whether the author's/group's affiliation appears to bias the information; identifying the purpose of the web site? (To provide information, sell something, campaigning, etc.); informing the reader if there is personal information required in order to receive information from the site? (Is the personal information optional? Password needed?)

• This is a detailed directory that contains websites to all the various branches of the government. The sites include government ministeries, organs of state, statutory boards etc. This site is run by the Singapore government. The party which controls the government is the Peoples Action Party. This site also contains a mailbox address: http://www.gov.sg/ Although the Singapore government runs the site, its various branches contibute their own individual home pages. For example, within the government ministeries there are the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education and so on. They have also used different design companies like Media limited, Brel Media etc. to design home pages for them. The purpose of the websites is to provide infomation aboutthe workings of the government in a clera and consistent manner. As each home page is different, this adds variety and further more all the sites have content pages that list briefly the type of information that will be found. No personal information is needed to acess any of the sites. Also passwords are also not required.
  

II. Content. Rating: Recommended

Write a paragraph or two that evaluates the content of the site by addressing the following points: offer an overview of the content; determine if the web site contains accurate, reliable information; tell the reader if a substantial portion of the site contains editorializing by the author; determine if there are references offered that allow the reader to verify some or all of the information offered; note if there are grammar or spelling errors; identify how often the information is updated (if that is pertinent to the type of information offered);

• This site contains accurate and reliable information. The information is easy to acess and understand.For example under the gooverment ministeries there are various subheadings.

• Ministry of Communications.- Its mission is to bring about cost effective world class transportation and communications services and gateways to enhance Singapores economic competitiveness and quality of life. It ensures that a certain level of service is being provided through faciltating and adopting the right policies, regulations and incentives and even building infrastructure which can be done by the government ot private sector.

• Ministry of Defense.-Contains information about how Singaporeans should all work together to ensure that they are ready at all times during an emergency and the various programs this ministry does to reach out to the public.

• Ministry of Education.-This site contains information on the formation and implemantation of eucation policies. Also contains information on all the schools and institutions of higher learning in Singapore.

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-The role of the Foreign Service is to manage Singapore`s foreign policy on behalf of the government and to provide advice on Singapore`s relations with other countries. This also provides information on how to enhance Singapore`s national interest through effective diplomacy.

• Ministry of Home Affairs.-This ministry comprises of various deparments like the Singapore Police Force , The Prisons Department, Internal Security Department and so on. It provides easy acess of the working of these departments.

• The information provided is easy to understand and very convient to use. It is very user friendly. Ther are no refferences made at all. This is a government website and the information contained is detailed enough to let the readers have a clear understanding of the workings of the various branches of the government. There are no spelling or gramatical errors to be found. The ites are updated frequently. For example the Ministry of Education website was last updated on 07, October, 1998.

III. Design and Navigation. Highly Recommended.

 Write a paragraph or two that evaluates the design of the site by addressing the following points: offer a brief description of the layout of the page; determine if it is easy to find the material referenced on the page; determine if it is easy to move around the web site and retrieve material; determine if the links from the page work; offer an overall impression of this site.

• It has been very well designed. They all use very colourful graphics and this has been intergrated very nicely into the homepages concerned. Each grphic sends a different message. For example the Minisrty of Defense home page shows a soilder on a tank with his fist clenched. Without looking at any thing else, the reader immediately knows that this is the defense ministry`s home page a,d it also has subheadings to give easy acess to the information that is required. Retrival of information on this and other sites is very simple.