Rachel Haot
Cheers to Governor Cuomo for creating the important new post of Deputy Secretary for Technology, and appointing the dynamic Rachel Haot. Rachel was an energetic and innovative force as NYC Chief Digital Officer, and will have a critical portfolio leading the:
“State’s digital experience across web, mobile and social media with a focus on streamlining services and supporting public engagement online. She will also work with the technology community to implement strategic partnerships that serve the needs of New Yorkers and help to realize the State’s innovative potential.”
Haot has potentially enormous responsibilities since a huge array of state services are delivered through agency websites. New York State badly needs help organizing its digital resources. Astonishingly, many state agencies do not use Content Management Systems — like WordPress which this site is built on — for their websites, and must have a developer hand code every new announcement or event they post online. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. Few state agencies use site analytics to track page views and other activity, and are essentially flying blind when it comes to what’s working and not working on their sites. Additionally, most agencies have not done basic assessments of their “business processes” to see how their can best help agencies serve the public and meet their basic performance goals.