Another New Site

The State Department on Thursday joined a growing list of federal agencies that are announcing Web site redesigns with great fanfare. The State and Homeland Security departments each scheduled press briefings to unveil their new online gadgetry. This raises the question: Do citizens expect the government to continuously refresh its public persona on the Web, like a commercial company?

Here's a list of some recent Web site enhancements, both cosmetic and functional:

State on Thursday debuted a simplified version of State.gov to "present the Department of State more transparently, effectively communicate the overarching mission of the Department of State, and increasingly engage audiences in an ongoing dialogue with Secretary Clinton and others in the department on the foreign policy issues facing the country." The new site shares updates on Secretary Hillary Clinton's activities, features a new "color palette" and better search functionality.

In November, the Veterans Affairs Department "rolled out the first phase of a large-scale Web renovation" with a slide show section and links to important online applications.

In September, Homeland Security revamped the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services site to offer better tools, rather than just superficial enhancements. New features inform applicants of current processing times and specifics on the progress of their cases.

In July, rule-tracking site Regulations.gov launched a "modern look and feel" to make it easier for citizens to search and comment on rulemakings.