MGT444 Spring2012

The Future of Children is an organization that focuses on the best social science research about children and youth translated into information that useful to many groups (policymakers, practitioners, grant-makers, advocates, the media, etc.). The organization is a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution. The research, articles, and other information on this site are written in non-technical terms for easy understanding by a wide range of readers. At first glance, and after a deeper dive into the site, it appears to be a credible source of information. It is free of advertisements and other marketing propaganda. As well, the collaboration between a renowned and accredited university (Princeton) and a Washington D.C.-based public policy organization (Brookings) suggest the resources available on the site are factual and reliable. There are several sub-sites to the parent site: - About: o Overall explanation of the organization, its goals and mission. o People: credentials of the varying level of contributors to the site's content. o Policies and Procedures: copyright information and guidance on how to cite content from the site. - Publications: o A wide variety of literature written by Princeton and Brookings contributors. o Includes journals, executive summaries, policy briefs, article summaries, journal highlights, and research data and figures. - Media: o Press releases, newsletters, other honorable mentions in the media. - Events: o Provides information on upcoming events hosted by, or affiliated with, the Future of Children organization. - Webcasts - FAQs - Resources - Blog While the name of the site suggests that its contents are directly related to children (policies and practices that affect them), there is just as much content that is indirectly related.

[Continued...] Many of the webcasts and written literature relate to marriage and family, work-life, diversity in children, community and school research, civic engagement, military transition, etc. This is website is not full of fuzzy, feel-good literature. It is research-based content which is a great source of reference for the facts.

PART 1 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org Purpose and content: The purpose of the website seems to be to provide educational and/or public service information for parents, teachers, and caregivers. The content is basically brief definitions and information regarding child abuse prevention, tips to avoid lashing out at your children, tips on adoption, education, daycare, divorce with children, work and family balance, caregiving, and links to other web resources. Accuracy of information: None of the information is comprehensive in nature. However, the brief text that is present does seem believable. It seems the purpose is to direct visitors to outside sources -- or to the "sponsors" shown at the bottom of most pages, which are for-profit businesses. All the information on the pages within this website seemed to be generic tips and definitions that could have been copied and pasted from almost any other website with similar information. Qualifications of the author or group that created the site: There is nothing on this website to determine the author's identity or establish any qualifications, expertise, or credibility of anyone associated with this website or organization.

PART 3 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org The domain Whois report shows Avid Amiri to own about 17 other domains and is associated with over 1,000 more. This is not concrete evidence that information is biased and the site is actually for advertising, but it is conspicous. Either Avid Amiri is the person hired by the organizations to register and host the domains -- which does not seem plausible since the address is the same for all contacts and the organization -- or Avid Amiri is in fact also the author. If the latter, I would venture to presume Avid Amiri is using domains as an underhanded method of search engine optimization (SEO) for the for-profit businesses shown as sponsors on many pages of the website. Further investigation of Avid Amiri revealed there is one with the name Avid Amiri located in the Salt Lake City area that is a member of LinkedIn and Twitter. When looking at the Twitter page connected to that Avid Amiri, that person is in fact a consultant specializing in search engine optimization. Contact information / means of communication with author or webmaster: On the Contact page there is an email address that looks like it is attached to administration -- whether it intends to be web administration or organizational administrative staff member or author is not clear. The address is admin@familysupportamerica.org. There is a mailing address on the Contact page as well. It lacks the two-letter state abbreviation. There is no phone number. There are no specific contacts displayed. Broken links: The link to the "learning center" hangs on a blank page and is therefore broken (http://www.familysupportamerica.org/familysupportamericalearningcenter.html). The Links and Resources page does not provide any links or resources at all.

PART 4 OF 4 Title: Family Support America - http://www.familysupportamerica.org/ Design, organization and ease of use: The overall appearance of the website is generic. It is what I call a "cookie-cutter" template. It is easy to read and navigate, but that is because there isn't much on it. The home page template is fractured, i.e., the left panel link image is too large for what is allowed in the template causing a fracture in the design elements. A site map is available, but the learning center link does not work. There are no help screens. There is no search available within the site. Final evaluation remarks: At first glance, this site is revealed as a non-profit site (.org domain extension) sharing family support information. At second glance, it appears to be a bare bones approach to direct visitors to other sites for more comprehensive assistance and/or information. The home page reads they can help with child abuse, alcoholism, and more, but continues that if they cannot help, they can direct the visitor to someone who can. There are no individuals featured. There is nothing to indicate anyone has any credentials of any type in the field of Family Support. Again, it appears to be directing visitors to other sites and it does not appear to do that well. The closer look reveals misrepresentation and sneaky SEO tactics to pump up search results for the businesses shown as "sponsors" on many of the pages. I will say the information that is on the pages is not useless and it does pertain to families and work as I feel the real-world pressures of work and bills to pay has a lot to do with family abuse and the ability or non-ability to deal with those issues.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a research and public policy organization dealing with issues such as minority public policy, minority political participation and minority health policy

The website is a key tool in disseminating the in-depth research, analysis, and other resources that the Joint Center contributes to the nation's public policy discussions. Relationship to work, family, community class: The Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies relates to work, family, community class because the joint center is focused on providing a forum for discussion and policy action on issues of critical interest in the black community. The mission of the Civic Engagement and Governance Initiative is to explore new avenues for increasing and enhancing the effectiveness of political participation by minority citizens, as well as providing them with tools for civic engagement and opportunities to advance their skills. One of the topics that we covered in the class was Community which is described as being based on the idea that what we share exceeds what divides us, and that we gain more by working together than alone. The Joint Center is all about working together. General Observations: By exploring the site I learned that The Joint Center formed the National Policy Alliance. This alliance is comprised of key membership organizations representing black elected and appointed officials at every level of government to provide a forum for discussion and policy action on issues of critical interest in the black community. Today, on issues ranging from job creation and the economy to environmental concerns and equitable access for quality health care, the NPA is active and engaged in giving voice to more than 11,000 African American leaders and the millions of constituents they represent.

According to the website, the Joint Center for Political and Economical Studies is the leading national public policy institute focused on issues affecting African Americans and other people of color. The Joint Center works with legislators, policy makers, civil rights organizations, and advocacy groups to identify effective public policy solutions that ensure the inclusion of diverse voices in the national debate. Other comments: I thought that the website was both informative and educating and provides an open forum for exchange of information and ideas.

http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/ This website is out of New York and is basically a site for influencing elections and is pro-democrat. A slogan that is mentioned states "Working Families is a different kind of political party. We're fighting for ordinary people, not for special interests." So right there, this is a politically biased website for the supposed "99%." The three main areas are meet the candidates, issues, and take action. They list their endorsements and of course there is an area to contribute to the cause and the candidates. Oh, yes, and President Obama is listed on this site as someone they endorse because he has worked so well for working families. Really? The intended audience is definitely voters. I do not give any credibility to this site due to it's political bias. Some of the ideas they promote are bank bailouts, healthcare for all, and green jobs/green homes. They are "fighting to bring back the Amerian Dream, and they want you to joint them. All I can say from the right is "don't drink the kool aid" to the voters.

Interesting website. The name of the site suggests that perhaps it is a politically neutral organization, focused on the policies and actions that benefit working families, be it from the right or the left. In looking thru the website, I don't see anything that resembles a care or concern for work/life/community balance. Here's an example of strategic website naming to acquire caring, help-seeking viewers who wouldn't normally visit political campaign sites.

Inspired by Secretary Clinton's leadership, No Limits Foundation is a non-partisan, non-political organization which aims to help "make the case" that foreign policy matters, and that an active and engaged America working with allies around the world will help to build the safe and secure future we want for our children.

No Limits foundation http://nolimits.org/ As per their about us page "No Limits Foundation is a non-partisan, issues-based organization that enables members to stay informed and active on a range of domestic and international policy issues through information, education, and advocacy." The three main issues this site overviews are "stronger communities, a safer and secure world, and human rights home and abroad." Under the "stronger communities" section there is a link to work family issues and in the work family issues section you will find issues that relate to and were covered by our class to include better leave policies for American families and greater support for caregivers to name a few. This site was easy enough to navigate, simple yet effective. There are many links to supporting sites who are working on such issues for the working families. This site claims to be inspired by our own Hillary Clinton but doesn't really point to how much the Secretary of State is involved, if any at all. As for an intended audience, this site would work for anyone wanting to get involved with their core issues or research information on these issues. In this case, less is more. I liked the site, it was relevant and informative.

http://www.worklifebalancecentre.org/ This website review is of the WorkLifeBalanceCentre. The main areas of the website are the About Us, Corporate Wellbeing, Individual Support, Interact, Hot Topics, Clients, More Resources, and Contact Us sections. The website audience is for both individuals and organizations. For organizations, it focuses on highlighting the problems organizations face when there is not an appropriate amount of WorkLifeBalance. For individuals, it focuses on hypnotherapy and CBT, fears, phobia, trauma, depression, childbirth, etc. This website is basically a site for people and or organizations to find out about the various courses they teach and the fees involved. There was a portion for testimonials from individuals who the courses or one-on-one courses helped with self esteem, wedding stress, and medical issues. The company is based in Leicestershire which is located in the midlands of Central England. I think this site could be easily used by the general population and is accessible to them. Unfortunately, they are located in England. So while the services can easily be used by folks over there, the services really provide nothing to us here in the United States. As far as credibility, I researched the director, Julie Hurst and also the center itself and found the following. She is a psychotherapist/hypnotherapist and the center has been in existence for over 21 years. Her LinkedIn profile does not say where she went to school but it does say that she has been a featured speaker. I searched google and youtube looking for placed where she has been a speaker but I did not find much of anything. I also searched for complaints against her or the business and was not able to find much either. She has not written any books and the website does not appear to have any specific political or social agenda either. As far as credibility, it is hard to say. If we believe her LinkedIn page, the company has been existence for over 21

The Work Life Balance Center website offers a host of tools and resources for individuals as well as employers and other work groups. The organization is directed by Julie Hurst, a researcher and expert on health and well-being at work and overall balance in life. She is a consultant for news and other organizations where research facts, professional opinions, and commentary are requested on the topic. The site has absolutely zero advertisements for products and services, making it clear that the primary purpose of the site (and the organization) is to educate provide free tools to anyone looking. The tools available on the site are helpful, some interactive, to determine a person's current work-life balance and provides resources to consult in an effort to achieve his/her ideal work-life balance. There are many free whitepapers on various related topics and research, such as an overview on work-life balance, research on depression as one of the biggest work life balance issues, etc. The site does not address the community aspect of balance, but it covers the work-life dimensions very well. Many other resources are available thru the site: links to books and articles by published authors, links to other organizations who share the same cause and focus. The website is somewhat generic and is not as well populated with content as many other sites; however, the content is unbiased and the site is easy to navigate.

Website Name: Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) URL: www.aafcs.org Website overview: This websites vision is "AAFCS is recognized as the driving force in bringing people together to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities." The website tries to provide leadership and support to professionals who work with or assists families and communities. They work to help families and communities make informed decision about their "well being, relationships and resources to achieve optimal quality of life." The members consist of educators, human service and business professionals, administrators and managers, researchers, and community volunteers. They assist by offering affiliate memberships, journals, networking and leadership opportunities, conferences and research grants. They do this by connecting professionals with different practices and provide researched-based knowledge about everyday life topics. The organization was founded in 1909. Intended Audience: Business professionals that work with families and communities. To see some of the information on the website you have to become a member. Relationship to work, family, community class: I think this relates to the class by offering information to those that assist us. If you are a member they offer ongoing education to assist families "achieve optimal quality of life" which is pretty much all of our goals. Other comments: I found this website when I was looking up another I had seen while working. I had initially looked up Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and this was an affiliate. So I clicked the link and read through the information. This website seemed to be authentic and credible, when you type in their name there is a hit in the online encyclopedia, it has a copy right date and give plenty of contact information. After reading and reviewing the website, I am not sure how this helps, my guess is people that want to make a change or help

Other comments: I found this website when I was looking up another I had seen while working. I had initially looked up Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and this was an affiliate. So I clicked the link and read through the information. This website seemed to be authentic and credible, when you type in their name there is a hit in the online encyclopedia, it has a copy right date and give plenty of contact information. After reading and reviewing the website, I am not sure how this helps, my guess is people that want to make a change or help their communities become members and are giving the tools and education to be able to do it more effectively. There did not seem to be any bias, just the opportunity to become a member and be connected. Looks like not all of this material made it on either.

Interesting review, Kassandra. I was fascinated to find out about the field of FCS. I had no idea of its existence. Quality of life as seen from a family-based point of view would seem to be at the core of many of the issues we discussed this semester. This seems to be a very well-designed website. I wish the organization could do a better job of making its existence known to the general public! I feel that they have alot to offer in the way of ideas and strategies for families to use in the pursuit of optimal well being. Take care, Mike

Website Overview: This site was founded by a foundation founded in 2001 called Corporate Voices for Working Families. The foundations goal is to help shape conversations and collaborate on public and corporate policy issues involving families. Throughout this site you can browse and find information about the foundation, as well as their work, their policies, partnerships, publications, news and events. They have worked on such policies as the Workforce Investment Act, tax policies and flexible spending. These policies help the worker and thus help the home. In addition, the publications and toolkits focus are focused on four topics: workforce readiness, work and family balance, workplace flexibility and family economic stability. This site appears be very creditable as they have documented work and they are nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Their main goal is to be a voice to corporations in explaining what workers desire and thus return a dedicated worker. This foundation also reaches out to the government for their support on different family/work issues. One thing I did not find in the site is their accomplishments they have earned by this collaboration. Intended Audience: Business owners, members of the Government and any working individual. Relationship to Work, Family, and Community Class: This site's main goal is to bring about a healthy balance in the workplace as well as at home. Through mediating between corporations and the government this organization is seeking to provide a better home and work life. Other Comments: I found the publications very interesting, especially the Family Economic Stability publication.

New Ways to Work http://www.newwaystowork.org/ Website Overview: The purpose of the webpage titled New Ways to Work is to inform the audience of the organizations continuing efforts to create partnerships with other organizations such as schools, communities, private and government partners in order to provide young adults access to quality education and career opportunities. The New Ways to Work is devoted to providing less fortunate youths with choices to better themselves by using the public resources available to them. The organization also provides training programs, community activities and support groups that help educate youths about the necessary skills or goals required to succeed in an evolving school/work environment. Intended Audience: The intended audience for this website seems to be the general working families. I feel as the whole purpose of the webpage is to let less fortunate families know that there are organizations out there attempting to provide their children with a better way of life. Critique: After reviewing the webpage I began to realize that the webpage itself is extremely focused on informing individuals about the organizations efforts and continuing involvement with organizations to improve future generation's way of life. What I found interesting is the number of corporations that are associated with the organization, names such as Bill Gates, Apple, IBM, Wells Fargo, and the US Department of Education have all helped fund the organization in one way or the other. This alone can lead one to believe that the organization is accomplishing its objective of working with corporations and educational institutes to help build awareness regarding the possibilities youths can have. However, the webpage itself lacks information regarding how these corporations and individuals have made their contributions. The whole site seems to fail to make any real stance against anything other than helping youths. I found it interesting to see th

that they do not have a way for their visitors to donate money. The webpage seems to be more focused on making sure people are aware of what their organization does more than how they go about it. As for the website itself, I feel that a lot more time could have been placed on creating a more organized webpage. I looked at several webpages and the new ways to work webpage might be one of the worst put together website I have seen. The whole thing just looks like it was put together as a high school project. The webpage lacks some real direction as it seems the developers of the site were satisfied with just throwing a large amount of information out on their site and letting the viewer attempt to decipher the meaning of the information. One of the worst cases of this would be the web links section. I could not determine why the tab was there. From what I could tell the section is just a list of websites organized in alphabetical order, there is no introduction to the page or any references attempting to explain why the websites are there. Are these webpages sites that the organization supports or are they actual organizations that the group works with? Overall I feel that the organization as a whole has been successful in accomplishing their mission, however, I feel that their webpage needs better direction and more credible sources. I found it very difficult to find any sort of sources throughout the entire webpage and feel that the reason for this is largely due to the lack of organization on the website itself. The Author of the webpage is never revealed, however there is a section regarding the staff of the company under the "About us" section. Overall, I would say that the large number of individuals and corporations that have worked with the organization can only lead one to believe that the information provided is credible and that the lack of clarity on their website is due to poor organization. Relationship to Work, Family, Community class: I feel t

One of the topics that we covered in the class was Community which is described as being based on the idea that what we share exceeds what divides us, and that we gain more by working together than alone. New Ways to Work seems to be all about promoting the element of Community. It is good to have a source to go to for guidance on how we can collaborate and strengthen our ability to accomplish things that we would otherwise not be able to accomplish on our own. This seems to be a good site and I will probably refer to it again in the future.