In the long run by far the most important part of
South Carolina's Information Highway will be the on-line information
and services available to state citizens and businesses. Some
of these resources will be developed by private companies for
profit-making purposes. But many of the on-line resources that
could benefit South Carolinians the most-by promoting economic
development, saving people and businesses time and money, and
reducing government costs-can be developed only by (or with the
cooperation of) state and local governments and non-profit organizations.
If these resources are not developed, then for many South Carolinians
SCIway will be little more than a path to reach the rest of the
Internet.
This primary goal of this chapter is to recommend
strategies for developing and delivering on-line public information
and services for South Carolina. We will begin by reporting the
results of an e-mail survey that asked state Internet users to
identify the types of public information and services that should
be available on SCIway. Then we will identify the on-line public
information resources and services that are already available-and
those that are not. Finally, we will recommend some specific
strategies for expanding and improving South Carolina's on-line
public information resources and services.
4.1 Types of public information and services South
Carolinians want to be able to access on-line
One of the first steps in developing commercial products
or services is to find out what your potential customers want
to buy. This is equally true for on-line public information and
services. Even though South Carolinians are not likely to pay
a fee for using most such resources, developing them will definitely
cost time and money. Thus it is important for state and local
governments officials to know what information and services citizens
want on-line the most so they can set priorities and allocate
scarce public resources effectively.
2. What sorts of state and local government services
do you think should be available through SCIway and the Internet?
Survey respondents were also asked to identify the
county where they lived and their home ZIP code, sex, race, approximate
age, and approximate annual personal income.
The survey was conducted in late 1995 and early 1996,
primarily with the help of 25+ South Carolina Internet access
providers, colleges, state government agencies, and other organizations.
These SCIway Needs Survey sponsors e-mailed the survey questionnaire
to some or all of their subscribers or employees with a cover
message explaining the purpose of the survey. Replies to the
survey were automatically routed to a special Appalachian Council
of Governments e-mail address.
In addition the survey was sent to the subscribers
of three South Carolina e-mail discussion lists-the SCIway list
(hosted by The Citadel), SCLIBN-L (a library-related list hosted
by the University of South Carolina), and the South Carolina Association
of Data Processing Directors' list (most of whose members are
state government employees). The survey questionnaire was also
published in at least two state newspapers (the Columbia State
and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal), and readers were
asked to send their responses to the Appalachian Council of Governments
either by e-mail or through the U. S. Postal Service.
Finally, the survey questionnaire itself encouraged
all recipients to forward the survey to "other South Carolinians
who may be interested in the future of state network information
and services."
More than 1,000 South Carolina residents-from 75 different Internet domains-responded to the SCIway Needs Survey. However, 81 percent of these responses came from the eight South Carolina Internet access providers and two state agencies:
Organization | Location | Number of Respondents |
---|---|---|
A World of Difference | Charleston | |
Info Avenue | Statewide | |
Hargray Telephone-Interstar | Hilton Head | |
South Carolina SuperNet | Columbia | |
The Citadel | Charleston | |
Netside Network | Columbia | |
Horry Telephone Cooperative | Conway-Myrtle Beach | |
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control | Statewide | |
SIMS | Charleston | |
GroupZ.Net | Aiken-North Augusta | |
Other Internet Domains | ||
U. S. Postal Service | ||
TOTAL |
This survey could not have been successfully completed
without the help of these 10 organizations-especially the Internet
access providers. The participation of these companies was critical
because their customers represent a variety of interests (occupations,
geographic areas, etc.) and know enough about how the Internet
works to conceive of possible "on-line public information
and services." For many South Carolinians who have not yet
used the Internet, questions about "what sorts of public
information and government services you would like to see on SCIway"
would not be meaningful.
Almost 75 percent of the survey respondents were
men, and 95 percent were white. The estimated median age of those
who marked an age category was 42, and the estimated median personal
(not family) annual income of those who marked an income category
was almost $42,000.
One of the strengths of the SCIway Needs Survey was
that it did not provide people a convenient "shopping
list" of public information resources and services and ask
them simply to mark the ones they thought should be on-line.
Rather, it required people to think of these information resources
and services themselves . . . and list them in their survey reply.
We feel this "open-ended question" approach-which requires
some thought and effort on the part of survey respondents- produces
results that more accurately reflect true citizen demand for on-line
information and services.
SCIway Need Survey Results
Once the survey was completed, we began coding and
categorizing respondents' suggestions. One of the first things
we learned was that our distinction between public information
(Question 1) and public services (Question 2) was not meaningful
for many people, as they listed both information and service needs
in responding to both questions. So we classified responses as
information or service needs according to their wording rather
than by the question that prompted them.
The vast majority of on-line information and service
needs fell into one of ten broad categories. These categories
are listed below in order of their popularity, followed by the
number of responses (not respondents) that we grouped into
each category. The expressed need for government information
and services exceeded the other nine categories combined, and
it was four times greater than the next highest category.
10. Libraries and archives: information and services
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In early 1995 there was almost no information about
South Carolina governments and public organizations and services
on SCIway. Ten state colleges had Gopher servers; five colleges
and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources had World-Wide
Web sites; and about 15 colleges and county libraries had on-line
library catalogs.
The amount and variety of on-line public information
available to South Carolinians have increased exponentially during
the past two years. For example, more than 40 state colleges
and universities now have Web sites, as do 50-plus state government
agencies and offices. Thirty library catalogs can be accessed
through SCIway.
The growth in the quantity of on-line information
provided by South Carolina state government has been particularly
impressive. Most of these information resources have been developed
by state employees and can be accessed through state government's
World-Wide Web home page (http://www.state.sc.us).
On-line local government information resources are
being developed at a slower pace. About 20 municipal governments
and three county governments now have Web sites. Most of these
sites were created within the past six months by local Web developers,
and all are hosted by local Internet service providers.
Close to 200 South Carolina non-profit organizations
and groups (ranging from churches to political parties) now have
Web sites. Most of these sites are hosted by local Internet service
providers, but some are hosted by national or regional organizations.
(The upstate of South Carolina is served by the Appalachian Web
located at http://www.acog.greenville.sc.us)
At least 50 South Carolina companies are in the business
of hosting World-Wide Web sites. About two-thirds of these companies
are also Internet access providers. All of these companies host
Web sites for businesses and individuals, and many host sites
for local governments, schools, and public organizations as well-often
at no charge.
At least 60 South Carolina companies-and countless
individuals-design and develop Web sites.
Most South Carolina state and local government Web sites are part organizational chart and part telephone directory. They typically identify the various departments of a government or offices of a department, and list telephone numbers citizens can call-or addresses they can go to-to obtain answers to questions or services. Many of these sites mistakenly assume that citizens know what services are provided by which governments, departments, and offices.
Few state or local government Web sites actually
provide citizens answers to common questions, on-line forms they
need to fill out, or information resources they can search. Notable
exceptions include a few city home pages that prominently address
"frequently asked questions"; college and county libraries'
on-line catalogs; and the complete text of House and Senate bills,
state laws, and state agency regulations provided by Legislative
Printing and Information Technology Resources.
While a significant and growing amount of basic public
information is available on SCIway, these resources are scattered
across more than 100 different computers and are often hard to
find. To help people locate the information they need quickly,
The Citadel has developed a subject-oriented directory of South
Carolina on-line information called SCIway Web (http://www.sciway.net).
1.2 City, county and regional governments, public service districts, and school districts should work with state
government's on-line information access board, commercial Internet
service providers and Web developers, or local colleges and universities
to provide on-line public information and services to the citizens
they serve.
1.3 The State of South Carolina should establish
a challenge grant program that helps local and regional councils
of governments provide their citizens on-line information resources
and services. This program should be funded by annual legislative
appropriations for three fiscal years, beginning in FY 1997-98.
The grant matching percentage for poorer governments should be
less than the percentage required for wealthier governments.
1.4 South Carolina's colleges and universities, libraries,
and school districts should form network information cooperatives.
These co-ops would have the buying power necessary to negotiate
favorable local, regional and statewide contracts with companies
that publish widely used electronic resources (such as directories,
dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodical indexes, and full-text
databases). In addition the General Assembly should establish
an annual matching fund program that provides additional incentives
for the formation and long-term growth of these information co-ops.
1.5 The structure of World-Wide Web sites that provide
public information and services should reflect the perspective
of citizens who want to find information and use services rather
than the viewpoint of government employees who provide information
and services. These sites should also have clear, concise text,
and their pages should display quickly. Designers should never
forget that the primary purpose of on-line public information
resources and services is to save citizens time.