U.S. government reduces web presence.

• Position: WEB

Over the next year, the Obama administration plans to shutter or consolidate about half of the government's 2,000 top-level websites to save money, the White House said.

Over the summer, the administration had ordered a 90-day freeze on all new ".gov" websites unless agencies could prove a "compelling need." The Washington Post said budget cuts have also forced the White House to cancel two new websites related to President Barack Obama's open government efforts. The Office of Management and Budget is shuttering a site that would have allowed federal employees to exchange work tips and information.

Another, also cancelled, would have provided information on the quality of federal services to the general public.

According to The Post, the administration had little choice after budget cuts reduced the Electronic Government Fund from $35 million to $8 million. The fund helps finance the government sites that track federal data (Data.gov), government contracting (USASpending.gov), government information technology (IT Dashboard), and overall federal employee performance (Performance.gov).

By October, The Federal Times reported, agencies will identify websites that can be eliminated or consolidated and will then report the actions they take to complete the job.

The Energy Department's director of new media said ending the creation of new websites and closing others have saved that department more than $1 million over a six-month period. Cammie Croft, deputy new media director at the White House, blogged that the department estimates saving $10 million annually by consolidating hardware, hosting services content, and IT systems.

Skeptics have questioned the initiative's real savings. IT experts say what may cost the government, according to open...