By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Schoonover Bodyworks Inc. - Stillwater and Shoreview, Minn.
www.schoonoverbodyworks.com
This site uses graphic elements to bring the site together. Complete with maps to both locations, comprehensive service descriptions and company history, this site is both eye-appealing and informative.
Web Wise
Putting the “e” in Government
The emergence of the letter “e” in our vocabulary is becoming more widespread. Terms such as e-mail, e-commerce and eBay have become synonymous with our culture. But, a new term is emerging as a popular entity. E-governments are building new bridges between citizens and governments around the nation. In December, Vice President Al Gore announced the signing of the “E-Government Directive,” calling on federal agencies to use technology to enable easy access to governmental services and information.
State and local governments are teaming up with companies such as Tidemark Solutions, Official Payments Corp. and govWorks.com to provide easier accommodations in dealing with governmental services.
“We're seeing a huge interest in all sectors of the government,” said Bruce J. Zanca of Official Payments Corp.(www.officialpayments.com). “There's an interaction within
the Internet.”
According to Zanca, governments are one of the last business sectors to become involved in the Internet. But, they are now allowing citizens to conveniently pay government taxes online. “For independent business owners, a system like ours can be very beneficial,” he said.
Tidemark Solutions (www.tidemarksolutions.com), which has worked with government agencies for 16 years, recently launched an online application for state and federal governments. Shawn Martin, marketing and communications director for Tidemark Solutions, said his company provides more than 100 governments the opportunity to allow citizens to pay traffic tickets, permit and pet licensing fees.
“Governments are required to be more self-efficient and cost-conscious,” Martin said. “The Internet provides a good venue for it.”
Tidemark is allowing governments to meet the technological expectations of its citizens. The public is permitted to report code violations, schedule inspections, track the status of permits and renew professional licenses. “This is a very big change for governments,” Martin said.
The future of e-governments is almost unfathomable. GovWorks.com (www.govworks.com) is already
allowing citizens and businesses to pay traffic tickets, bills or taxes online, exchange ideas with elected officials and access government resources.
E-governments are providing more convenient means for dealing with some of the headaches of government interactions. The next time you are scrambling to pay that electric or water bill, or planning to schedule a building inspection, you should contact your local government to see if they participate in an e-government program.
Net Numbers
The government has an estimated 20,000 separate home pages and 100 million
Web pages, all different.
Source: Pat Wood, National Partnership for Reinventing Government
ASA Web Ways
Legislation
The Legislation section of the ASA Web site (www.asashop.org) provides an excellent source for the latest legislative and regulatory issues in your area. Three new reports were recently added to this section. These reports include information on vehicle safety inspection programs, vehicle emission I/M programs and a status of shop licensing in different states. ASA's monthly newsletter, “Washington Watch,” which details several national automotive issues, was also added to this section. Information on replacement crash parts, anti-steering laws and ASA's formal positions and legislative objectives can also be obtained in this section.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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