E-government looking to boost level of service

COLUMBIA — Each month as many as 15 million hits are counted on South Carolina's official Web site, and now the Internet gurus are trying to find even more ways to generate mouse clicks.

Jeff McCartney, general manager for South Carolina Interactive, highlighted new features offered, including MySpace, Facebook and Twitter accounts, video and audio clips with captioning for common questions and a photo gallery for the public to share Palmetto State scenic snapshots.

"In today's world, everybody is pressed for time. The days of 8 to 5 are probably gone for most people," McCartney said. The Web site is one way South Carolina is embracing e-government and improving transparency.

The site also links users to online services: buy a hunting or fishing license, search campaign contributions, examine school report cards and scrutinize agency spending.

"This is about offering convenience to citizens," McCartney said. The company he manages won a competitive bid to operate SC.gov, and overhauled the site in November 2005 with regular updates and additions since.

Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institute, said new media represents a way for government agencies to move closer to people.

"In an age of public cynicism, this is very important," he said.

The addition of social networking sites is a great way for government to reach out, and West noted sites like MySpace and Facebook are very popular among young people.

Using the Internet to engage the public is known as Web 2.0, McCartney said. He called it the "next generation of Internet-based services," and explained that Web 2.0 is about technology, creative functionality and information sharing to build online communities.

West authored a paper for Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University in Rhode Island last August that analyzed government Web sites and gave ratings.

More than 1,500 state and federal government sites were reviewed for the seventh annual report.

Taken together, South Carolina government sites ranked 25th, above North Carolina (26) and Florida (35) but behind Georgia (13). To generate the report, an average of 30 Web sites were studied per state.

Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.