Portals and Gateways - United States - Archive
Firstgov.gov
Firstgov.gov- On June 24, 2000 in his first-ever Saturday webcast addressed to the Nation, President Clinton unveilled a series of new initiatives to give the American people the "Information Age" government. These steps are designed to cut red tape, make government more responsive to the needs of citizens, and expand opportunities for participation in democracy. By the end of the year:
- Citizens will be able to search all online resources offered by the federal government from a single web site called "firstgov.gov."
- Citizens, small businesses and community groups will have one-stop access to roughly $500 billion in grants and procurement opportunities.
- Citizens, students, researchers, and government employees will be able to compete for a new $50,000 prize for the most innovative idea for advancing "e-government."
- Firstgov - Get it done online - A-Z list of what you can do online with the US government
Citizen at center of e-gov service BY Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, 28 June 2000. "Successful electronic government has be truly citizen-centric, realigning information and services so people do not need to know which agency is the provider, federal experts said Tuesday...."
Portal will help e-gov click BY Bill Piatt. Federal Computer Week, 3 July 2000. "President Clinton's first-ever Web-cast on June 24 marked the dawn of a new era in electronic government. The initiatives he presented will set in motion a series of events that will transform the way government delivers services to its constituents. The first and perhaps most powerful idea is the FirstGov.gov Web portal — a one-stop, comprehensive index for locating and retrieving the information within 100 million pages of information published by the federal government on the Internet...."
Conditions of the FirstGov brand BY Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, 3 July 2000. "FirstGov Certified Partners will be allowed to post the FirstGov Certification on their Web sites proving they comply with the FirstGov brand conditions...."
Portal would customize federal info BY Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, 3 July 2000. "Federal officials are hoping that the new FirstGov Internet portal, designed to provide citizens with a one-stop shop for all government information, will also push agencies to work together on related public services. "This is the first time that the government is really taking a serious step forward in breaking down the stovepipes," said George Molaski, co-chairman of the CIO Council's E-Government Committee. "This is just a huge step forward in doing what we're all talking about" — organizing government by services rather than by agencies. A key portion of the FirstGov project is a branding campaign, in which private-sector organizations, called FirstGov Certified Partners, will organize and present federal information for specific users. Partners could include businesses, universities or individuals...."
FirstGov 'not worthy of being called a portal' BY Diane Frank Federal Computer Week 26 July 2000 "A public policy group says the FirstGov World Wide Web site, which is intended to provide a single view of federal government services and information, does not live up to President Clinton's vision of electronic access to government...."
FirstGov: All bark, no bite BY Patrice McDermott Federal Computer Week 14 August 2000 "First there was the flurry around President Clinton's Dec. 17 memo about strengthening public access to federal government information and services. We were hopeful about the plan that set out to develop a World Wide Web service to "promote access to government information organized not by agency, but by the type of service or information that people may be seeking." And now there is FirstGov. What a letdown! As envisioned in the mock-up presented on the firstgov.gov site, FirstGov is not a portal or a Web service; it is at best a click-through. That would only be a disappointment and not a big deal except that a number of agencies are being asked to cough up real money (in the millions of dollars) to support this. Why? ..."
FirstGov portal fine-tuned BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 12 September 2000 "The governmentwide Web portal, FirstGov, is being tested and fine-tuned this week in preparation for public use later this month, according to the General Services Administration...."
The end of government as we know it BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 18 September 2000 "If all it does is make possible instantaneous searches of the 40 million pages the federal government has posted on the Internet, FirstGov would be a useful tool and a rather remarkable achievement. But Bill Piatt, the godfather of FirstGov, is convinced that the impact of the governmentwide portal is going to be much more profound. The portal has the potential to transform the very structure and operation of the vast federal bureaucracy, contends Piatt, chief information officer at the General Services Administration. And the changes won't be long in coming. As soon as the portal goes online, for example, it will force federal agencies to be more open by making their online information far easier for the public to find. It also will direct the public to agency sites where online transactions can be carried out, helping to lay the foundation for electronic government...."
FirstGov Facts BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 18 September 2000 "The compilers of the FirstGov database discovered that the federal government has posted about 40 million pages on the Internet. Earlier estimates ranged from 50 million to 150 million pages on 20,000 Web sites...."
FirstGov: Not Yet Prime-Time About.com 25 September 2000. "On Friday, September 22, President Clinton officially launched FirstGov.gov, a new government Web site with the ambitious goal of providing a single unified gateway to the vast quantity of government information available online. "With 27 million Web pages of government information now online—and more added every day—finding the information or service you need can be frustrating," Clinton said in his Webcast. "This cutting-edge site gives the American people the 'Information Age' government they deserve." It's a good start—but FirstGov.gov is neither "cutting edge" nor does its search engine do much to ease the frustration of finding relevant government information, at least in this initial version...."
Impartiality Of E-Government Portal Questioned, By Brian Krebs, Newsbytes.com, Washtech.com, October 2, 2000 Staff Writer "Ten days after the launch of Firstgov.gov, a vast site that allows users to search all 27 million federal government Web pages available online, consumer and business groups are raising questions about the government's newfound relationship with the site's private-sector partners. The site, http://www.firstgov.gov, was created at the behest of the the Clinton administration, and allows users to search all of the publicly-available pages with the top level ".gov" and ".mil" Internet domain names...."
Industry frets over FirstGov BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 3 October 2000 "A little more than a week after the new governmentwide Internet portal opened a vast trove of information, a battle is brewing over who can use it and how. The federal government is providing the information to the public for free, but is imposing restrictions on how the information can be used by the commercial sector. Internet companies want access to the information for free or for minimal cost, and they want to be able to resell it, repackage it, sell advertising around it and track the browsing habits of information viewers...."
Portal for the people FCW's Dot-Gov Thursday column COLUMN BY Beth Archibald Tang 19 October 2000 "FirstGov represents the beginning of a new era in e-government. This portal to government information has, respectfully, AOL-ized content. Regardless of users' knowledge of federal agencies and experience searching the Web, newcomers can obtain information from many Web sites with just one search. The kicker is that users can do so without having to stop and think about the structure of the different agencies and which bureaus may have the relevant forms and resources. Simply put, FirstGov is easy to use, is in plain language and opens up the world of government information to new users...."
E-Government: No Walls, No Clocks, No Doors By William Peters & Charlene Porter Global Issues November 2000 "Governmental bodies large and small are moving into the digital age by making services increasingly available through the Internet. Government "of the people, by the people, for the people" has been a United States ideal dating back to the 19th century. In the 21st century, information technologies have given citizens powerful new tools to achieve that goal..."
Looking to localize FirstGov info BY Greg Langlois Federal Computer Week 15 November 2000 "When the governmentwide Internet portal FirstGov was launched, it was billed as a first step in transforming the relationship between the public and the federal government. Now, an interagency group is looking for ways to take a second step. The Federal Geographic Data Committee issued a request for information this week seeking ideas on how to localize FirstGov information...."
Major players steer clear of FirstGov BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 20 November 2000 "Expensive fees, an advertising ban and privacy restrictions have kept major Internet companies and service providers from signing up as "certified partners" of FirstGov, according to Internet industry representatives. The General Services Administration released a list of its first 30 "certified partners" on Friday afternoon. The list was more notable because of the companies that were not on it than for those that were. America Online, Yahoo, MSNBC, AT&T, Juno and other major Internet portals and service providers have not become partners of the the two-month-old governmentwide Internet portal. Instead, partners include KoolStores.com and Pilex Corp., the maker of an oral medication for the long-term treatment of hemorrhoids..."
FirstGov fine-tunes offerings by William Matthews Federal Computer Week 12 January 2001 'A blue-and-white, dishwasher-safe Cantonese porcelain serving dish: $25. A 1995 Bell 206L IV helicopter: minimum bid $805,000. Information on health subjects ranging from Alzheimer's disease to infant vaccinations: priceless. From the Smithsonian Museum online gift shop to the U.S. Marshals Service seized-property auction to the National Institutes of Health, FirstGov is striving to offer people easier access to more government services and benefits... "
FirstGov Web portal finds a home in new administration By Shane Harris and Jason Peckenpaugh Gov-Exec.com 23 February 2001 " While the Bush administration has yet to announce its e-government agenda, the officials behind FirstGov, the one-stop Web portal built at the end of the Clinton administration, are quietly making improvements to the site..."
FirstGov likely to go interactive BY Judi Hasson Federal Computer Week 15 March 2001 "The CIO Council is expected to recommend expanding FirstGov to an interactive site across government, according to Jim Flyzik, the council's vice chairman..."
FirstGov ready for next page BY William Matthews Federal Computer Week 16 March 2001 "Federal agencies have been adding more than a million Web pages a month to the vast collection of pages available to the public through FirstGov, the governmentwide Web portal. The latest tally of government pages is 35 million, according to Tom Freebairn, a senior official in the FirstGov office at the General Services Administration. That's up from 27 million pages when FirstGov went online Sept. 25..."
FirstGov looks to e-gov fund BY Diane Frank Federal Computer Week 13 April 2001 "After receiving only $3 million in the White House's fiscal 2002 budget proposal, leaders of the FirstGov Web portal are already making plans to draw on President Bush's new cross-agency e-government fund. The White House often uses FirstGov as an example of the kind of project the proposed $100 million e-government fund is intended to support. The fund will be held by the General Services Administration, the agency that runs FirstGov, but it will be administered by the Office of Management and Budget..."
FirstGov to add state links, BY William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, 21 May 2001 "FirstGov, the Internet portal that provides access to all federal government Web pages, plans to add links to most state Web pages beginning this week...."
FirstGov expands to states, BY Judi Hasson. Federal Computer Week, June 27, 2001. "FirstGov, the federal government's portal to its Web sites, has officially expanded its search engine to include sites from all 50 states and Washington, D.C..."
FirstGov adds states to its index, BY Judi Hasson. Federal Computer Week, July 2, 2001 "FirstGov, the federal government's portal to its Web sites, has officially expanded its search engine to include 16 million Web pages from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. ..."
Search on for search engine, BY William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, July 2, 2001 "FirstGov has begun searching for a new search engine. General Services Administration officials, who run the governmentwide portal, are asking industry leaders, vendors and researchers to suggest "search service solutions" to power FirstGov in 2003 and perhaps earlier...."
FirstGov Web portal deluged with citizen e-mail, By Joshua Dean GovExec.com, July 5, 2001 "Citizens are flooding FirstGov, the federal Web portal, with e-mail requests for information, creating a technology and management headache for the site's operators...."
FirstGov on the front lines, BY John Stein Monroe. Federal Computer Week, July 23, 2001. "In theory, FirstGov should be of assistance because it pulls together information from federal, state and even municipal agencies (in the case of California and a few other states), any of which might offer services or funding information. But it does not work very well in practice..."
A work in progress - Change is status quo for FirstGov portal, BY William Matthews and John Stein Monroe. Federal Computer Week, July 23, 2001 "...Since FirstGov went online last September, its search engine has been upgraded repeatedly and its topic fields refined. In June, the General Services Administration, which runs FirstGov, added links to a wealth of Web offerings from all 50 states. But at 10 months of age — not a newcomer in Internet time — the portal remains underused, and many who have used it say the results often are not particularly helpful...."
Who's owner of FirstGov database? Not Uncle Sam, By Dipka Bhambani. Government Computer News, August 20, 2001. "Millionaire philanthropist Eric Brewer owns the FirstGov database of federal Web sites—and in 2003, he'll take it back. The Clinton administration agreement with Brewer that brought the award-winning portal online in 90 days' time has changed meaning under the Bush administration...."
Is the FirstGov playing field level? By Dipka Bhambhani, GCN Staff Government Computer News, August 27, 2001 "The General Services Administration's acceptance of the FirstGov search engine as a gift from philanthropist Eric Brewer “shelters all the information from current law.” Or so says David LeDuc, manager of public policy at the Software and Information Industry Association of Washington...."
- This site, which is organized into twenty subject areas ranging from art to transportation, contains links to federal and other sites that would be of interest to children. From the Federal Consumer Information Center.
FirstGov among award finalists. BY William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, September 3, 2001. "The government Web portal FirstGov, a child welfare program and a veteran's medical safety initiative are three federal technology projects selected as finalists for the Innovations in American Government Awards. ..."
FirstGov will be linked with USA Service app, By Dipka Bhambhani, GCN Staff, Government Computer News, 29 October 2001. "The General Services Administration’s FirstGov team appears likely to play a large role in the execution of OMB’s e-government efforts to unify and simplify federal systems...."
FirstGov to undergo overhaul - GSA wants eye-catching, user-friendly site, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, December 10, 2001. "The General Services Administration is planning a major makeover for FirstGov, the government's data-endowed but bureaucratic-bland Web portal. The new FirstGov will be eye-catching and customer-friendly, according to GSA plans outlined in a notice Dec. 6...."
FirstGov searching for ideas, BY Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, December 14, 2001. "The General Services Administration is turning to agency Webmasters for suggestions on how to improve the FirstGov governmentwide portal...."
FirstGov searches for a new search engine, By Tanya N. Ballard. Govexec.com, January 9, 2002. "On Tuesday, the General Services Administration called for bids for a new search engine for FirstGov, the one-stop Web portal touted as the citizen's window to the federal government..." More information http://www.eps.gov/spg/GSA/OGP/OAP/GS00A02PDR0002/Synopsis.html
ISO: search engine for FirstGov, By Jason Miller, GCN Staff Government Computer News, v.21, no.2, January 21, 2002. "When the General Services Administration this month released a request for proposals for a new search engine for FirstGov, the purpose was not only to find a vendor to supply new searching technology but to give the governmentwide Web portal a face-lift..."
Vendors vie for new FirstGov contract, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, January 21, 2002. "At least three major search engine companies and scores of other businesses are competing to supply the new search engine for the federal government's Web portal, firstgov.gov...."
FirstGov for citizens coming soon, BY Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, February 6, 2002. "The administration will release this month the new, improved FirstGov Web portal and the first performance measures for the 24 cross-agency e-government initiatives, Mark Forman said Feb. 5...."
FirstGov Web site to get an upgrade, By Diane Frank, USA Today 6 February 2002. "The administration will release this month the new, improved FirstGov Web portal (www.firstgov.com) and the first performance measures for the 24 cross-agency e-government initiatives, Mark Forman said Feb. 5..."
FirstGov Web portal to re-launch next week. Govexec.com, February 21, 2002. "Vice President Dick Cheney will announce the relaunch of the federal government's FirstGov Web portal next Wednesday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington...."
Cheney unveils redesigned FirstGov, By Shane Harris. Govexec.com, February 27, 2002. "Vice President Dick Cheney unveiled a redesigned FirstGov Web site Tuesday, a new version of the federal government’s online public point of entry for information and services...."
FirstGov's New Focus on Customers: Introduces Citizen, Business, and Government Gateways in Re-Design - FirstGov: Your first click to the U.S. Government. General Services Administration, News Release, February 27, 2002.
GSA debuts friendlier FirstGov, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, February 28, 2002. "It's more colorful, more concise and a lot quicker. The overhauled FirstGov Web portal appeared online Feb. 27 as a visible sign of the Bush administration's efforts to make government more productive and effective by using the Internet...."
AT&T snares new search engine contract for FirstGov, By Thomas R. Temin, GCN Staff, Government Computer News, 7 March 2002. "Don’t like the results you get on the FirstGov.gov search engine? Well, wait until April 1. The General Services Administration today awarded AT&T Government Markets of Washington a contract to replace FirstGov’s search engine..."
FirstGov pick stirs controversy, By William Matthews. Federal Compute Week, March 8, 2002. "A Norwegian company will provide the new search engine for the federal Web portal FirstGov, and American search engine makers expressed dismay that the federal government chose a foreign competitor...."
FirstGov search returns surprise result, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, March 11, 2002. "The Norwegian search engine that beat American competitors to provide search services for FirstGov offered "the best technical solution" at "an incredibly lower price," a senior federal official said...."
Search engine pegged at $10.5 M, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, March 13, 2002. "The new search engine selected for the federal Internet portal FirstGov may cost more than $10.5 million during the next five years, according to a contract award notice published March 11 by the General Services Administration...."
FirstGov search misses deadline, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, April 2, 2002. "Search not for the new FirstGov search engine. It's going to arrive late...."
GSA postpones FirstGov revamp, By Jason Miller, Government Computer News, v.21, no.8, April 15, 2002. "The wait for the new search engine to power the FirstGov portal continues—at least for another six weeks..."
INTERVIEW: Deborah Diaz, GSA’s FirstGov chief. Government Computer News, April 15, 2002. "Next for e-gov: Integrate channels. Deborah Diaz has had a long career in technology. Now the deputy associate administrator for the General Services Administration’s Office of FirstGov.gov, she said the challenge of making the portal the face of the government is her dream job..."
Fast ready to rev up FirstGov, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, May 31, 2002. "At last, Fast. The Norwegian search engine bought to find information on the federal government's Internet portal, FirstGov, is finally ready for service. It is to be formally unveiled June 3 by Stephen Perry, administrator of the General Services Administration..."
New FirstGov engine will search agency databases, By Jason Miller, Government Computer News, v.21, no.17, 1 July 2002. "The General Services Administration is touting the new search engine for its FirstGov.gov portal as the technology that will make it the Web site it was intended to be—a single place to look for virtually any information regarding the government...."
Search engine gives FirstGov edge, By Shawn P. McCarthy, Government Computer News, v.21, n.17, 1 July 2002. "The new FirstGov search engine the General Services Administration revved up last month runs smoothly and needs only a few improvements to make FirstGov a best-of-breed Web portal...."
Students grade FirstGov - Commentary, By Steve Kelman. Federal Computer Week, July 1, 2002. "Before they left for their summer jobs, I asked the first-year students taking my public management class at Harvard University to visit the FirstGov Web portal and send me their reactions..."
Firstgov - Shopping and Auctions
- FirstGov opens for business, By Margaret Kane. CNET News.com, July 16, 2002. "The federal government is joining the ranks of e-tailers. The government on Monday announced it would open up an online auction and shopping section on its FirstGov portal, consolidating sales of property, real estate, cars, souvenirs, books, gifts and government auctions in one spot...."
- FirstGov opens storefront, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, July 16, 2002. "Want to buy some ferrochromium from the national defense stockpile?..."
FirstGov among 50 most useful, By William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, July 23, 2002. "MapBlast, PriceGrabber, BookFinder and FirstGov? Its name might not be as catchy, but its ability to find government information fast has won FirstGov a position among Yahoo Internet Life magazine's "50 Most Incredibly Useful Web Sites."..."
AT&T braces FirstGov for e-gov, BY William Matthews. Federal Computer Week, August 22, 2002. "New security services being provided to the federal Web portal, FirstGov, will be strong enough to permit secure online transactions between federal agencies and citizens, said officials from AT&T Government Solutions...."
GSA awards AT&T Web hosting contract for FirstGov, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, 20 August 2002. "The General Services Administration today awarded AT&T a four year, $7.6 million contract for Web hosting and security services for the Firstgov.gov portal...."
A Government First, by Tom Kaneshige. Portals Magazine, October 1, 2002. "Two years ago Michael Messinger faced a towering portal challenge: building the U.S. government's virtual front door to the world. Imagine crafting a portal to help citizens, businesses, and officials navigate 180 million electronic pages of wordy documents and complex forms that span more than 22,000 government-agency Web sites, including the Department of Commerce, United States Secret Service, and Treasury..."
FirstGov among finalists for $100,000 prize, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, 13 March 2003. "The Firstgov.gov portal was one of two government IT-specific projects among the finalists for the 16th annual Innovations in American Government Award sponsored by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Council for Excellence in Government..."
Web portal sole federal finalist for public service award, By Amelia Gruber. Govexec.com, March 13, 2003. "A Web site that gives the public access to a wide array of government services and information is the only federal project among 15 finalists for the annual Innovations in American Government Award..."
E-Government in Action: FirstGov Breaks Barriers To Serve Public, By Gail Christopher. Federal Times, April 7, 2003. "FirstGov.gov — the official portal to all government transactions, information and services — is among this year’s 15 finalists for the Innovations in American Government Awards. What insights does this program offer for improving the way government serves its citizens?..."
Agencies plan marketing blitz - Effort seeks to spur agency online initiatives, By Diane Frank. Federal Computer Week, April 28, 2003. "The Bush administration's e-government initiatives will be going public in a big way this summer with the launch of a major marketing and promotional effort for the FirstGov government portal..."
FirstGov testing local additions, By Diane Frank. Government e-Business, April 24, 2003. "Officials soon will start a pilot test to include local governments in the FirstGov portal..."
FirstGov to get content management, BY Michael Hardy. Federal Computer Week, April 24, 2003. "The General Services Administration has awarded a $525,000 contract to Vignette Corp. for software to manage content on GSA's FirstGov.gov Web portal..."
GSA buys content management app for FirstGov, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, 23 April 2003. "The General Services Administration has awarded Vignette Corp. of Austin, Texas, a contract to use its content management system on the FirstGov portal. The contract is worth $525,000 for the first year, which covers the software license as well as maintenance and implementation support. The contract includes four one-year options..."
Web portal expands technology available to agencies, By Maureen Sirhal. Govexec.com, April 23, 2003. "The operator of the federal government's Internet portal announced on Wednesday that it is bolstering efforts to leverage its technology tools across government by allowing agencies to use the products to manage their own Web sites..."
FirstGov.gov the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal Wins Prestigious Innovations in American Government Award. PRNewsWire, May 8, 2003. "The U.S. General Services Administration Office of Citizen Services and Communications (OCSC) is proud to announce that http://www.FirstGov.gov, the U.S. Government's official web portal, is the winner of the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award..."
GSA refreshes FirstGov portal, By Michael Hardy. Federal Computer Week, May 7, 2003. "FirstGov, the government's Web portal for citizens, has been redesigned and "refreshed" in an attempt to make it easier to use..."
Refresh of FirstGov.gov Bringing Citizens 'My Government, My Terms'. The Whitehouse, Egov, May 6, 2003. -- "FirstGov.gov, the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal, is making it easier than ever for citizens to connect with their government. Responding to feedback from the Web site's users and employing the results of usability testing, FirstGov.gov has been refreshed..."
Federal Web site wins top public service honor, By Shane Harris. Govexec.com, May 8, 2003. "The federal government’s homepage, FirstGov.gov, was recognized on Thursday with one of the most highly-prized honors in public service, the Innovations in American Government Award..."
FirstGov tries again. Kablenet, 9 May 2003. "The main point of online contact for the US Government is striving to become more accessible. The US Government is once again attempting to tempt its citizens to use official websites, with a facelift for the main FirstGov internet portal..."
FirstGov wins $100,000 innovations award, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, 9 May 2003. "It’s been a busy week for the General Services Administration’s Office of Citizen Services and Communication, which oversees the FirstGov Web portal. After relaunching the site earlier this week, GSA today won a $100,000 grant from the Institute for Government Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University..."
FirstGov Wins Prestigious Harvard Prize. News Release - Government Technology, May 12, 2003 -- CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - "The Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government announced that the federal government's FirstGov web portal won the "Oscar" of Government awards..."
GSA's FirstGov.gov Honored for Innovation in E-Government. PrNewswire, June 27, 2003. "Cross-Agency Subscription Service Wins Trailblazer Award -- FirstGov.gov, the official Web portal of the U.S. government, was honored for innovations in electronic government during the E-Gov 2003 Conference recently held at the Washington Convention Center, the U.S. General Services Administration announced today..."
Nuevo: FirstGov to launch in Spanish, By Gail Repsher Emery. Washington Technology, 9 October 2003. " The General Services Administration next week will officially launch FirstGov en Español, the government’s first and only Spanish-language information Web portal, at www.espanol.gov, department officials announced today..."
¡FirstGov en Español esta aquí! By Michael Hardy. Federal Computer Week, October 16, 2003. "Spanish speakers now have a new government resource to turn to. The General Services Administration today launched FirstGov en Espanol, a Spanish language version of the FirstGov portal..."
FirstGov’s FAST engine gets faster, By Susan M. Menke. Government Computer News, 27 January 2004. "To speed responses to FirstGov site visitors, the General Services Administration will update the portal’s search engine software from Fast Search & Transfer, a Norwegian vendor with U.S. headquarters in Boston..."
FirstGov touted as model for collaboration, By Joab Jackson. Government Computer News, 5 February 2004. "The FirstGov portal is a model of successful public-private partnership, a New York research center said in a study released this week. The study, “New Models of Collaboration: A Guide for Managers” was conducted by the Center for Technology in Government. The center looked at 15 projects that involved government collaboration around the world, including international efforts in countries that speak different languages..."
GSA promotes FirstGov, By Florence Olsen. Federal Computer Week, May 26, 2004. "PHILADELPHIA — In the next three to five years, marketing will play a more prominent role in the federal government's efforts to provide services online. General Services Administration officials have launched a multiyear campaign to create brand-name recognition for USA Services, an e-government program that helps citizens find government information and services via the telephone or Internet..."
GSA’s FirstGov RFQ shows plan to switch to Web-based searches, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, 8 July 2005. "The General Services Administration is taking a new approach to pump up FirstGov.gov’s weak search capabilities, and it should be in place by next February..."
GSA wants to add Web searches to FirstGov, By Jason Miller. Government Computer News, v.24, no.19, 18 July 2005. "The General Services Administration is taking a new approach to FirstGov.gov’s search capabilities..."
By standing still, FirstGov slips in Web rankings, By Alice Lipowicz. Government Computer News, 12 September 2005. "The federal government’s official e-government portal—Firstgov.gov—slid from first to ninth place in a ranking of the top federal government Web sites for 2005, according to a new study by Brown University of Providence, R.I..."
Firstgov Slips in Web Site Rankings. Newsbytes - Black Enterprise, 12 September 2005. "The federal government's official e-government portal--Firstgov.gov--slid from first to ninth place in a ranking of the top federal government Web sites for 2005, according to a new study by Brown University of Providence, R.I..."
FirstGov portal to soon offer better search organization, By Aliya Sternstein. Federal Computer Week, September 23, 2005. "FirstGov.gov users will get search results clustered into groups of related hits through new technologies that the General Services Administration is implementing early next year..."
FirstGov to Add New Search and News Capabilities. Government Technology, September 23, 2005. "Yesterday, the U.S. General Services Administration announced new Web Search and News capabilities will be added to FirstGov.gov, the U.S. Government's official Web portal. The new capabilities will help the portal function as a swift and efficient source for Americans to locate, identify and utilize information and government services at all levels from local to federal..."
FirstGov.gov to expand capabilities with new contract, By Rob Thormeyer. Government Computer News, 23 September 2005. "The General Services Administration expects an expanded search function on Firstgov.gov to improve access to and the efficiency of the portal. A broadened search tool should let users search for government services across all levels, including state and local resources, GSA said today..."
GSA inks deal to upgrade FirstGov search engine, By Daniel Pulliam. Govexec.com, September 23, 2005. "The search capabilities of the government's official Internet portal will be upgraded next year, the General Services Administration announced Friday..."
Vivisimo and MSN to Power FirstGov, By Gary Price. Search Day, September 26, 2005. "Vivisimo has been awarded a federal government contract to provide search technology to the U.S. Government's FirstGov.gov portal, with MSN Search playing a key role in the new service..."
FirstGov completes its search - Government Web portal will use search engine that clusters results, By Aliya Sternstein. Federal Computer Week, October 3, 2005. "The federal government will soon lure citizens to its Web pages with a revamped official government Web portal that looks and feels a lot like popular search sites. FirstGov users will get search results clustered into groups of related hits through new technologies that the General Services Administration is buying..."
GSA selects Aquilent for FirstGov.gov refresh project, By Rob Thormeyer. Government Computer News, 5 October 2005. "The General Services Administration has awarded Aquilent Inc. an $836,000 contract to provide services for the design and testing of the rebranded FirstGov.gov, the company said today. The contract, which includes four option years, also applies to Spanish-language FirstGov en Espanol..."
Aquilent gets FirstGov refresh contract, By Michael Hardy. Federal Computer Week, October 12, 2005. "Aquilent has won a contract to take part in designing and testing FirstGov and FirstGov en Español. The contract for updating the portals' technology and appearance comes through the General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communication..."
Private Portals to US Government Websites
- Dot-Coms pitch public service
- e-CityHall.com
- Ezgov.com
- Fedamerica.com
- Findlaw Forms
- GovConnect.com
- GovernmentGuide
- Govworks.com
- Hearingroom.com
- HiCitizen.com
- Link2gov
Dot-Coms pitch public service
BY Heather B. Hayes Federal Computer Week 28 August 2000 "As a buzzword, "e-government" has been bandied about as a solution to many of government's most pressing problems. But for all of its possibilities, the use of the Internet as a path for government-to- citizen services has not been emphasized as much as one might expect by federal agencies. "For a number of reasons, the federal government has really been focusing its time and money first on internal processes and then business-to-government connections," said Larry Bradley, federal e-business solutions manager for IBM Corp. "Now I think they're finally starting to really look at providing more [World Wide] Web-based government-to-citizen transactions." With that opportunity finally opening up, it's not surprising that the private sector stands ready to offer help. Several dot-com companies, all specializing in facilitating direct government-to-citizen services, have arrived on the scene...."
e-CityHall.comThis web site is designed to show citizens what is possible and to present to government officials a simple, yet comprehensive solution called e-CityHall. Examples of transactions available for Filling in a Form on the Local Govt Web Site:
- A citizen reports a pot hole. Their information is inserted into a central database and classified by type of request. At the Public Works Department a Street Repair work order is printed with all of the pertinent details. Historical data is retrieved and an email message is composed and sent to the citizen informing them who will take care of this and how long it should take. Every step of the process, from the citizen getting on the government web site to the completion of the work, can be monitored, managed and reported, with very little administrative intervention.
- A citizen comments on an establishment's application for a liquor license. Their comments are automatically forwarded to all the city council members that sit on the committee overseeing such applications and their comments can be posted back to the web for public viewing. Or if the issue is a bicycle helmet law, the opinion goes to the sponsor of the ordinance as well as all of the people on the committee debating the proposal and the people who will be responsible for implementing it. Same for Zoning changes.
- A citizen wants a permit. Yard sale, parking or automobile decal. The citizen fills out the form from their home computer. It ends up in the city hall database and the permit is issued. If payment is involved Virtual Cash or credit cards can be used on a secure server. Same with utility bills or taxes.
http://www.ezgov.com is a new commercial portal to US Government web sites.
FedAmerica.comThis site helps millions of active and retired federal employees by providing information on pay, benefits, retirement planning, leave, insurance, travel, health benefits, veterans benefits, Medicare, Social Security etc. They publish free weekly email newsletters, free handbooks, and tons of free information for the entire federal community. fedamerica.com is a veteran owned, small business located just 10 minutes outside of Washington D.C.
Findlaw Forms(http://forms.findlaw.com/) - Findlaw has recently launched an extremely useful free site that offers almost 8,000 state and federal court forms in .pdf format. The forms, logically enough, are grouped into federal and state sections, the first divided by circuits, the second by state (not all states were available at time of review). Users who do not know their circuit court number can select it from a map. Available forms vary by circuit or state, but most include Bankruptcy, Civil, Criminal, Family, and Probate Courts. Others also offer forms for Small Claims, Worker's Compensation, Juvenile, and other Courts. Related resources and a legal dictionary are also provided. An excellent resource, although users should certainly read the Notice posted at the bottom of the page regarding "local rules" before filing any forms.
GovConnect.comProvides government agencies the technical capability to interact electronically with their citizen and business constituents over the Internet or by telephone. This can be used for information exchange or the completion of transactions, such as tax payments, license renewals, employment reporting or hundreds of other applications. GovConnect has over 22 years experience and transaction solutions successfully running in 34 states. GovConnect uses its AccessNetTM technology to integrate input from phone, Internet and other electronic sources to assure applications are available to each and every constituent. And if human assistance is required, call center services can be added to the solutions. At the web portal, GovConnect.com you can click on a subject listed on the home page or use the research capabilities to find a topic of interest to you. Their is an “Ask an Expert” capability which will get you a personalized response from their government subject matter experts.
GovernmentGuideAmerica Online Launches GovernmentGuide - Access America Sites Are Among the Top-rated Government Sites - America Online recently launched GovermentGuide, a new site that organizes hundreds of government agencies and more than 4,000 government web sites in a clear, easily-searchable and intuitive directory for consumers. By combining a comprehensive guide to government web sites with new consumer-friendly features such as a one-stop complaint center, GovernmentGuide makes it simple for consumers to find and take advantage of the government resources, programs and services that can improve their daily lives. The new site provides government agencies with important consumer feedback on how their services and communications could be improved. The site is located at http://www.governmentguide.com/
- NIC, AOL revamping Government Guide BY Dan Caterinicchia Civic.com 29 August 2000 "NIC and America Online Inc., are poised to announce a partnership to build a national e-government guide for state government services and applications. AOL's current Government Guide (http://www.governmentguide.com/) is being redesigned and will be launched in mid-October with an enhanced navigational structure and state government content provided by NIC, said Kevin Childress, chief financial officer at the Overland Park, Kan.-based company..."
- NLC Strikes Deal with AOL. Government Technology - Apr 01, 2002 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "The National League of Cities has announced a new partnership with America Online to provide cities with a new way to reach their citizens through the Internet..."
govWorks, Inc., founded in 1998, is a private company that collaborates with government to provide a wide variety of Internet-based services that enhance interactions with other government agencies, citizens and businesses.
- E-government solutions - govWorks' e-government services range from customized private label solutions developed with our integration partners, to do-it-yourself Web development tools that governments can use to create their own transactional sites, to co-branded Web sites powered by govWorks, to free access to the govWorks.com consumer portal.
- Benefits to government - With products developed by the govWorks technology team and our systems integration partners, govWorks provides an easy, secure and efficient means for governments to leverage the full power of the Internet. In doing so, governments can provide better services, lower costs, increase revenues and free up resources that can be used to address other needs. Additionally, with the adoption of integrated e-government solutions, government agencies can provide simplified and direct channels of communication exchange to help build upon existing relationships within and among their communities.
- Benefits to citizens and businesses At our consumer portal, www.govWorks.com, individuals and businesses can pay tickets, bills or taxes online, look for government jobs, exchange ideas with elected officials and community leaders, find information, access government resources, participate in government auctions and much more. Citizens and businesses benefit from 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week access to enhanced government services, with expanded options for making payments online--including the ability to use credit and debit cards, and to save money on the cost of bills and tickets. By developing national online links among government agencies, citizens and businesses govWorks has created a comprehensive and efficient channel for transactional, informational and communication exchange.
Service Puts More Government Online, for a Price By JERI CLAUSING New York Times May 29, 2000 "WASHINGTON -- Congress has long been criticized for being slower to open its doors to cyberspace than other branches of government. But soon, much of its daily proceedings will be available to the world over the Internet -- at least, to the portion of the world that is willing to pay for the privilege. Phillip Angell, a communications entrepreneur, and his new company, Hearingroom.com, are putting the final touches on a digital-age transcription service, one that uses experimental technology to record and transmit House and Senate committee hearings...."
HiCitizen.com Recently launched by Imagitas, this site is designed as a one-stop source for government forms and information for consumers. The site is organized by topic (Auto, Business, Moving & Mail, Military & Veterans, etc.) and searchable by keyword. For relatively straightforward information or documents, such as a form for registering a new car, an application for a social security card, or a zip code directory, the site is hard to beat. Instructions and related links and information are also provided for each topic. A list of most-requested forms is available from the main page. While the site is probably not much use to anyone seeking detailed or obscure government information or documents, ordinary consumers will find it easy to use and very helpful.
Link2GovDeploys e-government applications that allow citizens and businesses to transact directly with government agencies. Link2Gov services give government agencies the opportunity to provide licenses, permits and other government services to citizens 24-hours-a-day utilizing the Internet and the telephone.
Added: 13 December 2005,
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Last Updated: 22 February 2006
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