By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Jerry's Auto Repair - Pullman, Wash.
www.jerrysautorepair.com
This site features several “customer-friendly” aspects, including an online appointment scheduler and Web coupons. For technicians looking for employment, the site has included an employment section complete with an online application. Easy navigation and professional graphics make this site user friendly.
Web Wise
Politics on the Net
The Internet is constantly changing the way we organize our lives. Years ago, informed citizens would turn to the newspaper to learn about presidential candidates and their issues. Then the age of television took over, giving a visual and audible view of the candidates. Now, the Internet combines aspects of both to redefine the face of American politics.
“There is no question in my mind that there is in fact an audience that is hungry for reliable, nonpartisan, noncommercial voter information, and the Internet is a great place to start offering it,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation (www.calvoter.org), a nonpartisan group that has published online candidate information since 1994.
Your computer can help you prepare for the upcoming presidential election by educating you on the candidates and their concerns. The Internet is still maturing, breaking new ground for future elections. Like the California Voter Foundation, there are many nonpartisan sites whose primary function is to inform the electorate. Project Vote Smart (www.vote-smart.com) has volunteers that research the backgrounds and records of more than 12,000 candidates for public office, including major presidential candidates. FreedomChannel.com (www.freedomchannel.com) houses a site that provides voters the first-ever on-demand video views of candidates and their issues. It allows voters to select a candidate or issues they are interested in and watch a free, interactive video that provides the information they are looking for.
The Internet is making the voting process easier as well. If you are not registered to vote in the upcoming election, Election.com (www.election.com) offers online voter registration. In January, VoteHere.net (www.votehere.net) conducted the first binding Internet election. Registered Republicans in a remote area of Alaska were given the opportunity to vote in the statewide Republican straw poll.
No one knows where the future role of the Internet will be in American politics. Today, candidates use it as a campaign tool; voters use it as an informational source. Either way, the Internet is making a strong presence in the political realm.
Net Numbers
The Republican National Committee has allocated $5 million to its Web site this year.
Source: Democracy Online Project
ASA Web Ways
Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites
Is your shop's Web site among the best in the business? AutoInc. is now calling for nominations for its fourth annual Top 10 Automotive Repair Web Sites. Each year, AutoInc. reviews hundreds of Web sites found in search engines, links from other sites and shop sites found in the “Find Nearest ASA Shop” section of the ASA Web site. Each site is rated according to design, content, speed and navigation, with the top10 published in our January 2001 issue. If you would like your shop's Web site to be included in the nomination process, please submit your Web address to colbyh@asashop.org by Nov. 1, 2000.
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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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