HHS Open Government Web site snowed by bad timing?
As of today, only three people have commented on the new Open HHS Blog. That seems to suggest a slow start to the discussion about how HHS can be more transparent and more accessible.
The Health and Human Services Department rolled out its HHS Open Government Web site on Feb. 5 --the same day that the Washington metropolitan area was seeing the first snowflakes fall in what was forecasted as an historic storm.
And that prediction came true: 54 inches of snow (and a second snowstorm) later, it seems the HHS.gov/Open Web site has not received the attention it ordinarily might have won had it not been released during the blizzard of 2010.
As of today, only three people have commented on the new Open HHS Blog. That seems to suggest a slow start to the discussion about how HHS can be more transparent and more accessible.
But in comparison to the other federal Open Government Web sites I have reviewed, the HHS.gov/Open site seems to have a lot to offer. It is not just a publicity vehicle. For example, it has an easily-accessed list of HHS data sets, such as a database that compares hospital mortality rates across the country. It also has easy links to HHS widgets, online tools, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages.
Judging by the lack of blog comments, the only thing HHS.gov/Open appears to lack at this point is visitors.