Maine’s Official Web site Recognized for eGovernment Excellence by Brown University
AUGUSTA, Maine – September 20, 2005 – For the second consecutive year,
Maine’s official Web site (http://www.Maine.gov) has been singled out in
Brown University’s survey of state eGovernment performance. Researchers at
the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown
University ranked Maine.gov second among all state Web sites, the same
position it held in last year’s study.
“Over the past two years, Maine’s leadership has clearly demonstrated a
commitment to eGovernment, and this is reflected in the rankings for the
Sixth Annual State and Federal eGovernment Study,” said Darrell M. West,
director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions at
Brown University and the author of the study. “The Maine.gov portal is an
optimal example of how a multitude of content can be arranged well with a
pleasing design.”
Researchers at the Taubman Center reviewed 1,559 state Web sites and
evaluated them against a broad range of criteria, including availability of
online services, disability and foreign language access, quality control, ease
of use, privacy and security policies, personalization, and credit card payment
options.
“Maine citizens have a strong tradition of interacting with their government
and expect to be able to do so in an easy and accessible manner,” said
Governor John Baldacci. “The Brown University study validates Maine’s
commitment to continuing this tradition through the Maine.gov portal and to
the spirit of excellence in our state.”
According to the Brown study, Maine.gov was recognized for its dedication to
helping the user access eGovernment services in an uncluttered and
informative manner. The Maine.gov portal has several services to help visitors
find information quickly and easily, including Live Help online customer
service, real-time RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feeds, and up-to-date
weather reports.
Launched in August 1999, Maine.gov is among the most acclaimed state
portals in the nation and was ranked first in the Center for Digital
Government’s 2004 Best of the Web competition. Maine.gov hosts more than
6.5 million user visits and supports approximately 110,000 eGovernment
transactions each month. The portal offers over 150 interactive services for
businesses and citizens, including driver’s license and state ID card renewals
and replacements, public criminal records retrievals, interactive corporate
services such as Maine’s Total UCC Solution, and motor vehicle registration
renewals.
About Maine.gov
Maine.gov is the official Web portal of the state of Maine www.Maine.gov
and is the winner of the Center for Digital Government’s 2004 Best of the
Web competition. Maine.gov is a service of the Information Resource of
Maine (InforME), a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and New
England Interactive that helps Maine government entities Web-enable their
information services. Maine.gov was built and is marketed, operated, and
maintained by New England Interactive.
