(5:50 AM) Unfortunately the links to forms on their site don't work. I guess work in progress or they hired someone from the Plainfield administration.I suggested Plainfield could learn from its little sibling how to have a usable, effective and inexpensive website.
(8:24 AM)How Can you compare Green Brook to Plainfield pls dont be silly Plainfield is larger than Green Brook and has so much more to offer than Green Brook you see silly comments like this one makes us here in Plainfield look foolish and stupid....
(7:19 PM, responding to 8:24AM) Yeah - but Green Brook doesn't have a "Coming Soon = "Our Online Community Videos" on their website or a picture of their Mayor on the main page. Coming Soon??? My guess is that it's like one of those "Going Out of Business Sa;e" signes that you will see for a lont time to come.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, let's compare the two sites with some screen shots.
The 'welcome' experience.Little Green Brook has done a great job for its residents. Like I said, a well-organized, useful site.A community's home page gives visitors -- whether residents, homebuyers or businesses looking for help -- their first impression about the community. Think of it as taking a date home to meet your folks -- there is only ONE first impression.Want to find out about a Board or Commission meeting?Green Brook's home page is very simple. Tabs across the top clearly explain what to expect. The page itself contains two news items of interest to residents: Newly expanded hours at town hall include evening hours for offices and regular time to see the mayor; also prominently displayed is a link to the town's online budget document.Contrast this with Plainfield's home page. First, if your browser blocks popup ads (as mine does), you will not get the menu tabs but an 'f' in a circle indicating you must give permission for the item(s) to load.
Once you do, you will see this totally useless 'crawler' headline announcing you are on the Plainfield website. Well, duh.When you do get the menu bar up, this is what you see --
On Green Brook's site, it's simple -- just click the tab --
On Plainfield's website, you can click all the tabs you want, but you won't find a listing of Boards and Commissions or their meeting schedules. Why not?
Looking for departments?
On the Green Brook site, just click on 'municipal services' --A 'site map' is a lifesaver.Over at the Plainfield site, clicking on 'departments' brings you these menu choices --
If you're familiar with Plainfield's charter, you will be surprised to find the public access cable channel and the Corporation Counsel listed here, since neither is a 'department' by the charter's definition. And if you're going to list Channel 74, why not Recreation or Plainfield Action Services? You get my drift.
The Mayor's page is even more interesting --Probably nowhere else in the country do the mayor's confidential aide and administrative assistant get their own pages right up under their boss's. But then Plainfield IS DIFFERENT, no?
But the easiest and best thing a website can do to show it cares about its viewers is to put up a 'site map' page -- in which the entire site is outlined in live links. Often this is the make-or-break page when a user has trouble finding information.
Do I need to point out Plainfield doesn't have a site map page?
Plainfield has thrown a lot of money at a website that is clearly not well organized and far from as useful as it could be.
Why can't Plainfield do better?
On Plainfield's website, you can click all the tabs you want, but you won't find a listing of Boards and Commissions or their meeting schedules. Why not?shrndhot
Looking for departments?
On the Green Brook site, just click on 'municipal services' --A 'site map' is a lifesaver.shotmunsvsOver at the Plainfield site, clicking on 'departments' brings you these menu choices --plfdgptsIf you're familiar with Plainfield's charter, you will be surprised to find the public access cable channel and the Corporation Counsel listed here, since neither is a 'department' by the charter's definition. And if you're going to list Channel 74, why not Recreation or Plainfield Action Services? You get my drift.
The Mayor's page is even more interesting --Probably nowhere else in the country do the mayor's confidential aide and administrative assistant get their own pages right up under their boss's. But then Plainfield IS DIFFERENT, no?
But the easiest and best thing a website can do to show it cares about its viewers is to put up a 'site map' page -- in which the entire site is outlined in live links. Often this is the make-or-break page when a user has trouble finding information.Little Green Brook has done a great job for its residents. Like I said, a well-organized, useful site.Do I need to point out Plainfield doesn't have a site map page?
Plainfield has thrown a lot of money at a website that is clearly not well organized and far from as useful as it could be.
Why can't Plainfield do better?
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