Underfunded and understaffed, typically neither service has the extra resources available for coordination and processing necessary to minimize the risk of inconsistencies and complexities. Often agency programs end up choosing one simply because of the hassle of having to deal with both. Such access is complicated enough that agencies ought to think twice before writing the software twice. There are no hard and fast rules about which to use. The media depends on the message and the intended audience.
Valid arguments exist for both.
But agencies supporting both need to ensure regular, structured coordination of overlapping subject matter or audience. Walter R. Houser, who has more than two decades of experience in federal information management, is webmaster for a Cabinet agency. All rights reserved.