Ahead of Schedule

Oct 2008 , Sponsored by NIC

In eGovernment today, Web 2.0 and social media platforms are hot topics. And that's for good reason. Numerous states are revamping their Web portals, giving them popular new features and making them more dynamic for users.

Web 2.0 applications enable video, social networking, wikis, blogs, news feeds, and more. Government is using Web 2.0 to make its portals more like commercial sites, which is what the public wants. People use features like interactive tools, videos and RSS in their everyday online lives. Now government is offering those services, too.

State government portals are packed with transaction-driven services, volumes of information, and beautiful images. Enhanced search capabilities give users instant access to it all. States are also finding innovative ways to use tools like Twitter, the new social networking and micro-blogging service.

But the growth in eGovernment portals isn't just being driven by popular new features; it's also a result of government using technology to serve constituents more effectively. NIC helps 21 states achieve their eGovernment and Web 2.0 goals. "We have always felt that the ‘e' in ‘eGovernment' stands for ‘efficient,'" said Harry Herington, CEO of Kansas-based NIC. "By providing these services online and creating more responsive, real-time solutions for govern¬ment and those it serves, we are helping states, citizens, and businesses operate more efficiently."

The ultimate benefits are more transpar¬ency and better public service. "Web 2.0 provides an interactive channel into govern¬ment that has not been available before," said Herington. He added, however, that Web 1.0 is still the critical foundation that supports Web 2.0 and emerging technolo¬gies. Government still needs to provide more basic services online. To that end, NIC main¬tains a knowledge library of more than 3,900 installed eGovernment services and helped its partner states launch another 400 new applications in 2007.

NIC makes it easy for its state partners to implement innovative eGovernment services through a proven self-funding approach. States pay nothing for the portal infrastruc¬ture or development of online services, and modest convenience fees are applied to a limited number of services, most of which support high-volume transactions for regu¬lated industries. Self-funding gives a state a vastly improved Web portal and citizens get more services - all at no upfront cost to taxpayers.

The next-generation portals are here now. States are deploying imaginative services through advanced eGovernment concepts and Web 2.0 tools. And they plan to do more.

A Leader in eGovernment
Innovate. That's what Utah's been doing for years with its state Web portal. Whether it's the latest Web 2.0 technolo¬gies or visionary plans for the future, Utah is a leader.

Utah.gov took first place in the state portal category for the 2007 Best of the Web competition. The site also won first place in 2003. Today Utah is still setting the stan¬dard for next-generation portals. And other states continue to watch Utah to see what's coming next.

The strength of the state portal was a major factor in Utah's decision to adopt a four-day work week in mid-2008 to cut costs and conserve energy. "That wouldn't have been possible without all of the online services and capabilities that have displaced people having to come into offices to do things," said Utah Chief Technology Officer Dave Fletcher. Thanks to the powerful Web portal, citizens can interact with the state 24/7, making it practical to close state offices on Fridays.

Several hundred government services are available online at Utah.gov, and new features are added regularly. Many of these services are enabled by Web 2.0. "We were one of the first states to use Twitter, for example, to communi¬cate in real time with our citizens," said Fletcher.