Rating the Web Sites of Land Grant Universities and State Departments of Agriculture

For at least ten years, educational and government organizations have used the Internet to communicate with their respective clienteles. Land grant universities, departments of agricultural economics, and state departments of agriculture have launched web sites to achieve various communication goals, including, among others: to disseminate research results, to generate positive publicity among various constituencies, to promote agricultural activities, and to recruit employees. This report is the result of an effort to systematically evaluate, rate, and comment on the web sites of land grant universities, departments of agricultural economics, and state departments of agriculture. A panel of reviewers rated the web sites of these organizations. The results of reviews of a total of 177 web sites are presented. The following aspects were rated for each site: loading time, visual appeal, ease of navigation, quantity of useful information, and overall effectiveness. Individuals responsible for web sites should strive to achieve visual appeal and accessibility, and to avoid broken links and the under construction phenomenon. Three web sites in each category are identified as being highly effective, exemplary sites. Web designers and other representatives may use the results to plan new web page designs and to improve current pages/sites.