The enhancements, resulting from input from PA PowerPort users and designed to improve usability by portal visitors, include a directory of all PA Keywords used on the portal, expanded information on the portal's front page, and the addition of quick links from the portal's listing of citizen services.
"I've challenged our portal team to keep the PA PowerPort on the leading edge of state government portals, and who better to make suggestions for improvements than the public using our website," Gov. Schweiker said.
"The changes we're putting into effect demonstrate that we're listening and that we value the input of our PA PowerPort users. By putting our customers first, we're ensuring that their needs are met, and we're maintaining the PA PowerPort's outstanding national leadership."
The PA PowerPort was one of the first state-government Internet portals in the nation and remains an innovator by delivering online government services in a user-friendly way.
The latest enhancements include:
- A directory of all PA Keywords used on the portal. PA Keywords are a customized PA PowerPort search feature that lets users link directly from the portal's front page to the web pages they want by typing a specific word or two. In the past, visitors to the portal had to know an exact PA Keyword in advance to use it. Now the new "PA Keyword Look-up" feature displays a searchable directory of all the PA Keywords available, helping web visitors find what they need quickly and easily.
- Expanded information on the portal's front page. Some PA PowerPort features that previously were harder to access now have been put at users' fingertips on the portal's front page. These include services describing road conditions, a daily calendar of state government events, and links to a number of legislative informational web pages. Users have the ability to personalize the PA PowerPort by changing the order in which these services are displayed or "hiding" services they don't use frequently. A new online survey also is being posted on the front page of the portal to encourage visitors to describe what PA PowerPort features they like and make suggestions for improvements. Responses to the survey will be used by the portal's development team to make ongoing enhancements geared to customer demands.
- The creation of three quick links from the portal's listing of "Citizen Services." Since many users have written to the state webmaster requesting a hot link directly to state agency Web pages from the PA PowerPort, this option now is live on the portal's front page. A second new link under Citizen Services takes visitors quickly to a listing of available online government services. Gov. Schweiker has established the PA PowerPort as the Internet gateway to a growing list of electronic-government services, from vehicle registration renewal to the online ordering of hunting and fishing licenses. The third new link provides information on how to contact the Commonwealth Information Center, which helps citizens with their questions about state government.
- The addition of a new service called "Featured Websites." In order to give more visibility to the many outstanding agency websites available through the PA PowerPort, the portal has added a new service called "Featured Websites." This section of the portal's front page displays links to some of the best and most unique agency web pages. The quick links displayed there will change every few weeks to keep it fresh and provide exposure for a large number of outstanding agency Internet pages.
- An upgrade to the newest version of the technology that is the foundation for the portal's functionality. While invisible to most users, one of the biggest enhancements to
- the PA PowerPort is the technology upgrade. Called PA-DSF, this technology lets agencies quickly and easily build web pages and maintain web content. PA-DSF also makes it possible for the PA PowerPort and PA-DSF-powered state agencies to share web content with a simple mouse click.
The PA PowerPort has earned considerable national recognition during the past year, including selection as a national best practice by the Center for Digital Government, "Best of the Web" honors by Government Technology magazine, and the distinction of being named as one of the 50 best state and local government technology projects in the nation by civic.com magazine.
New features continually are being added to the PA PowerPort to stay abreast of technological changes and to better serve the growing number of visitors that use Pennsylvania's Internet portal.
Since the commonwealth first established a website in October 1995, it has topped six billion cumulative hits, and public interest continues to increase. In recent months, the PA PowerPort has recorded nearly 400 million hits per month.
The Administration has made technology a key component of Pennsylvania's economic-development efforts by such measures as:
- Launching the nation's first-ever Tax-Free PC shopping week to encourage home computer use
- Signing legislation to make Pennsylvania the first state to enact a uniform Electronic Transactions Act
- Eliminating the 6 percent tax on computer services; creating the research-and-development tax credit
- Putting the state's Web address on Pennsylvania's new license plates
- Leading technology trade missions abroad to increase high-tech exports and high-tech jobs for Pennsylvania
- Launching the Technology 21 initiative to catapult Pennsylvania into the Top 10 states for high-tech business
- Creating the "Made-in-PA" database of Pennsylvania-made products
- Expanding the Net Operating Loss carry-forward provision to give technology startups a tax deduction.
