Maine's Web Site Named One of Best in U.S

Business Wire, August 30, 2007

Brown University Report Praises Ease of Use, Speedy Access

AUGUSTA, Maine -- A Brown University report recently confirmed the philosophy of the State of Maine's official Web site (http://www.Maine.gov): the simplest things make all the difference.

Maine was rated the third best state for eGovernment in the United States, according to the eighth annual survey of eGovernment effectiveness conducted by Brown University's Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The study praised Maine's site for its easy navigation, thoughtful prioritization of information and customizability.

"Maine's Web site has tackled quality, consistency and ease of use for many years, so the Brown ranking echoes what our citizens see each time they visit Maine.gov," said Dick Thompson, Maine's Chief Information Officer. "We certainly offer the advanced technologies -- like interactive mapping and mobile accessibility -- but it's the subtle things like simplicity and organization that make the difference. Those are often the hardest to get right, and our team obviously nailed it."

In three instances since 2004, Maine.gov has been ranked among the top three states by the Brown University eGovernment survey. It also is a five-time Best of the Web honoree from the Center for Digital Government.

"This honor is more evidence that Maine is a great place to live and work," said Gov. John Baldacci. "Maine's eGovernment services help enable the lifestyle that is the state's appeal for its citizens and its businesses. Our award-winning online services make it easy for our citizens to live anywhere in Maine and still enjoy access to state services from the convenience of home or office."

According to the Brown University report, Maine.gov "is designed to allow people to get to the information they are looking for as quickly as possible." The site also offers instantaneous translation into Spanish or French, and provides access to numerous records and online services.

The site's busiest sections include business services, sportsmen's services and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The top business services include corporate annual report filing, business tax registration, and searches and filings of financial documents in the Uniform Commercial Code database. Some of the most popular sportsmen's services are online hunting and fishing licenses, hunting lottery applications and ATV and snowmobile registrations.

About Maine.gov

Maine.gov (http://www.Maine.gov) is the official Web portal of the state of Maine and a five-time winner in the Center for Digital Government's "Best of the Web" competition. Maine.gov is a service of the Information Resource of Maine, a collaborative effort between the state of Maine and Maine Information Network, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV).

About NIC

NIC manages more eGovernment services than any 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 2,600 state and local agencies that serve more than 67 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.nicusa.com.