Washington, Jan 15 - The website of Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) was recognized by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), a non-partisan, non-profit management consulting and research organization in Washington, DC, for having one of the best websites in Congress.

 Braley’s website, http://braley.house.gov, was one of only 65 House websites given an “A” grade for 2007 by the CMF in their annual analysis of the 618 House, Senate, committee, and leadership websites. 

 The Braley site won a “Silver Mouse Award” for 2007.  CMF awarded 36 Gold, 34 Silver, and 34 Bronze Mouse Awards.  Braley was the only member of Congress from Iowa to win an award.

 “It was my goal to provide a useful, easy-to-navigate website to serve as my ‘online office’ because of the ever-expanding role the Internet is playing in the lives of my constituents,” Braley said.  “I’m pleased that my website has been recognized as among Congress’ best, and I will be working to continually improve the quality and usefulness of my website in the coming year.”

 “Congressman Braley’s website shows that he understands the value of creating a virtual office to reach specific audiences who have come to expect having their needs met online,” said Beverly Bell, CMF Executive Director.  “The Congressional Management Foundation congratulates Congressman Braley for having a Web site that is among the best-of-the-best on Capitol Hill, and we are pleased to present him with the 2007 Silver Mouse Award.”

 Web sites were graded on how well they incorporate five basic building blocks which extensive research identified as critical for effectiveness:   audience, content, usability, interactivity, and innovation. Using these building blocks, an evaluation framework was developed by CMF and their research partners at Harvard, Ohio State, and the University of California-Riverside which would be fair and objective while still taking into account important qualitative factors that affect a visitor's experience on a Web site.   

 A full copy of the report, the 2007 Gold Mouse Report: Lessons from the Best Web Sites on Capitol Hill, is available on the Congressional Management Foundation’s Web site at www.cmfweb.org.