Criteria for the CMF Mouse Awards

Through extensive research, we identified five building blocks of effective online communication. In order of importance, they are:

1. Audience. The Web site conveys a clear sense that the office has clearly defined its Web audiences, both those seeking information from the office and those that the office wants to target, and has methodically built the site around those audiences.
2. Content. The site provides up-to-date content that is specifically targeted to meet the needs of the defined audiences, will attract new visitors, and will support the goals of the office.
3. Usability. The design and information architecture of the Web site enhances the audiences' experience by enabling quick and easy access to information and services.
4. Interactivity. The Web site offers its visitors opportunities to express their views and fosters on and off line communication.
5. Innovation. The site employs creative features to enhance a visitor's experience on the site by making it more interesting or easier to use.

Together, these five building blocks encompass the most fundamental elements of a successful congressional Web site. These building blocks were selected not merely because they describe the current best practices in congressional Web sites, but also because we expect them to remain fundamentally consistent over time. At the same time, we believe that they provide enough flexibility to incorporate new Web standards and thinking that may occur in the months and years to come. For these reasons, they form the basis of our guidance to congressional offices and the basis of our evaluations of congressional Web sites.

For the CMF Mouse Awards, criteria was developed within each of the five building blocks to determine the best Web sites on Capitol Hill:

• 2007 Mouse Award Winners
  
• 2006 Mouse Award Winners
  
• 2003 Mouse Award Winners
• 2002 Mouse Award Winners