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Maine.Gov Once Again Captures Top Placement in National Best of the Web Awards

Posted on: Friday, 26 September 2008, 15:00 CDT

Maine's official Web portal (http://www.Maine.gov) has again been named one of the best state government Web portals. Maine.gov was ranked second among all state Web sites by the Center for Digital Government's 2008 Best of the Web competition. Maine's Web portal has been honored in each of its eight years of eligibility for Best of the Web, which is an unprecedented milestone that no other state has matched.

"We are honored that Maine has received this award in the Best of the Web competition," said Governor John Baldacci. "Maine.gov makes state government more accessible by creating online efficiencies for state citizens, businesses and visitors. It continues to be a high priority for us to maintain a standard of excellence in this critical online resource for the public."

The 2008 Best of the Web competition recognizes the most innovative and user-friendly state Web portals and was conducted by the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. Sites are judged on delivery of public services, efficiency, economy, and functionality for improved citizen access. Representatives from the Center for Digital Government and officials from the 2007 Best of the Web-winning state and local governments served as judges for this year's competition.

"This year's winners represent the very best in state Web sites and the Center applauds Maine for its diligence and hard work," said Cathilea Robinett, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. "Each year, state and local governments continue to make strides towards implementing better access and more efficient Web delivery of public services."

Maine.gov has served as the official Web portal to Maine state and municipal government since its launch in 2000. The growth in usage of Maine's Web portal has been dramatic, with 4.5 million page views per month and access to more than 250,000 state government Web pages. Maine.gov also offers more than 375 online government services that provide convenience to citizens and businesses in the form of renewals, filings, government payments, licenses, permits, and more.

Several new features were added to Maine.gov this year to improve citizen and business access to government information, including an updated design, enhanced searches for online services and state agencies, and citizen alerts using a leading Web 2.0 platform. Maine.gov is using Twitter to send important state alerts that are accessible via the Web, email, instant messenger, and SMS (cell phone) messaging.

"Great efforts are being taken to ensure that Maine's Web provides interactive services that are user-friendly, accessible, and cutting edge for state constituents," said Dick Thompson, Maine Chief Information Officer. "The Maine.gov Web site becomes more important all the time, as our citizens and businesses expect to be able to take care of government transactions online. This award recognizes the hard work of people throughout state government in bringing valuable online services to citizens."

About Maine.gov

Maine.gov is the official Web site of the state of Maine (http://www.Maine.gov) and a service of the Information Resource of Maine (InforME). InforME is a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and Augusta-based Maine Information Network, LLC. Maine Information Network is the official eGovernment solutions partner for the State of Maine. The company builds and manages interactive government services on behalf of the state and is a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).

About NIC

NIC manages more eGovernment services than any other provider in the world. The company helps government communicate more effectively with citizens and businesses by putting essential services online. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for 2,900 state and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.nicusa.com.

Source: Business Wire

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