Government Technology - November 2008 - (Page 19)

Five Indispensable Technologies for Web Portals Before moving into the next-gen realm (whatever that turns out to be), there’s still time to optimize your government Web portal with today’s hottest features. According to Paul W. Taylor, chief strategy ofﬁcer of the Center for Digital Government, here are ﬁve technologies a Web portal shouldn’t be without: 1. Social networking: “It is simple, free and may even seem quaint and gimmicky. But a growing number of public-sector applications and portals have put a stake in the ground in MySpace and Facebook in a way that establishes themselves where people actually like to congregate and then draws them back into the [government] portal,” Taylor said. It’s perilous to ignore the social networking phenomenon, he said. 2. Mash-ups and blogs: Governments have been yearning for true two-way communication with citizens. Blogs and mash-ups can be used for this purpose. A good example is what happened during ﬁres in San Diego in 2007, Taylor said, when private citizens uploaded their camera phone photos to Flickr, giving emergency responders a way to monitor ﬁre conditions and map them on Google Maps. 3. Twitter and short messages: “You should do this because that’s where the people who are coming of age are,” Taylor said. Twitter is a popular service that lets subscribers update each other about their everyday activities — in no more than 140 characters at a time — via BlackBerry, cell phone and traditional Web browsers. Governments “tweet” to citizens about events such as crimes and ﬁres, as well as more mundane functions. 4. Mobile device applications: One-third of all households and two-thirds of all households under age 30 don’t use a traditional landline for computers, Taylor said. Perfecting the Web portal for a desktop or laptop isn’t enough. Web portals must be squeezed down for the smaller screens of mobile devices. 5. Audio: YouTube is great, but it’s not the only option. “I still haven’t given up on audio. It’s lighter to the touch — both technologically and to produce — and there’s a captive, earbud-wearing audience that we haven’t tapped successfully yet,” Taylor said. Podcasts haven’t got their due yet, because governments haven’t condensed their audio material enough to ﬁt in the shufﬂe mode of an iPod. Audio should be no longer than four minutes, he said. available online as posHerington said what sible, whether they are for comes after Web 2.0 ultifishing licenses, taxes or mately will make new permits. In fact, Oakland modes of governance posCounty estimates that its sible, including what he 1.2 million citizens will calls “invisible governdownload 2 million forms ment,” or i-government. in 2008 — 1 million more Herington foresees that forms than a year ago. the next-gen government The next step to portal will allow customers achieving the one-stop who buy new cars to avoid experience is making a visit to the local departgovernment Web portals ment of motor vehicles functional and useful (DMV) office. How would anytime and anywhere it work? Using some Phil Bertolini — on mobile devices. kind of citizen identity The Oakland County, Mich., CIO Chopra said this could be “passport,” a 15-minute, says government is going to somethe horizon of the nextbusiness-to-government day be forced by citizens to offer gen portal. He’s asking transaction would alert the services in virtual worlds like himself how the availDMV that a car has been Second Life. ability of a GIS location purchased. In turn, the DMV would send all the paperwork to the code in mobile devices will change the way car dealership, and the customer could drive citizens interact with government. “Should off the car lot with all fees paid and new I be able to say, ‘I’m at this street corner. I license plates in hand. It should be a pain- want to find the nearest DMV’? Or ‘I want less process, Herington said. “In the back to report a health violation. What is the of your mind, you’ll know you’re doing this easiest way? I’m at this restaurant right now. and it’s legally done.” Therefore, the trans- Locate this restaurant, and I want to upload a photograph that this particular restaurant action would be “invisible” government. has a rat.’” It’s this potential that has Chopra thinking about how mobility will affect Web site design. No matter what the future holds, Chopra The concept of a “one-stop shop” for government services via the Web portal has said it’s important for IT shops to foster gained traction for years, though it’s some- a “culture of continual improvement” for times articulated in a different language. their Web space, where changes are made in Chopra said this impetus for a one-stop months instead of years. Otherwise, governexperience will only increase in Virginia ments will surely be caught off guard by the and other governments that want to revamp next hot technology — the new YouTube or Facebook. Today’s cutting-edge, next-gen their portals. “Eventually if I say to you, ‘I’m going to join portal will inevitably become tomorrow’s a Facebook community around fishermen in dinosaur. Bertolini agrees. “If you don’t evolve your Web portal conVirginia,’ I know by virtual connection to the group that you need a fishing license from tinually,” Bertolini said, “then you will be the Department of Game and Fisheries or looking at that next-gen again and you will you might need a tow license if you wanted have to rework everything you have if you’re to put a boat on your truck trailer. The point not evolving with the next technology as it is, the one-stop structure is basically organiz- comes along.” ing government around key constituencies or service needs,” Chopra said. Chopra and Bertolini agree that the first step to building that one-stop framework is making as many forms and documents One Portal, One World

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2008

Government Technology - November 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for … Forward Thinkers Taking Tech Home Virtual Frontier Hidden Costs Uncovered Seeing Red For the Record In the Loop Benign Dictatorship Home-Field Advantage A Better Way to Park New Tools for Fighting Crime How It Works Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - November 2008

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