Regardless of the roles employees may play in the development or management of the Web site, it's important they have a general awareness of the Internet. Producing a user-friendly Web site requires staff to understand what it's like to call up a site, wait for it to load, view it on their PCs, and then use it to answer a question or find information.

According to participants, many of their colleagues weren't familiar with the Web. Some municipal employees don't have Internet access. Other governments have internal rules that prohibit regular use of the Web. And some simply were uncomfortable with the technology. One city had difficulty designing its Web site because key members of the design team did not use the Internet very often. Because of these issues, participants encouraged staff to get comfortable using the Web. This includes getting accustomed to the way material is written for and presented on Web sites.