NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Rich Steckler Access Idaho 208-332-0102 x12 rich@accessidaho.org

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BOISE, Idaho – October 14, 2004 – The state's of Idaho's official Web site has a new address and a new appearance – idaho.gov – that provides a single, easily recognizable presence on the Internet for Idaho's eGovernment services.

The state's home page was launched as www.accessidaho.org in 2000, and approximately 8,000 users now visit the site every day.

"With the growing volume of information and services on our state portal, we needed a more recognizable Web address that is easy to navigate and organized around current topics and areas of interest to our citizens and businesses," said Pam Ahrens, director of the Idaho Department of Administration and chairperson of the Information Technology Resource Management Council.

The dot.gov naming convention is becoming standard for government entities. Most importantly, Web addresses containing "idaho.gov" will give a clear indication to users that these are official Web sites that belong to the state of Idaho, Ahrens added.

The redesigned homepage incorporates the common graphic branding of the word "Idaho," as developed and promoted by the Idaho Commerce and Labor. Improved category organization, a more robust search function, and links to pages translated in Spanish have also been added.

Noticeably absent from idaho.gov is "www" and the alphabet soup-like format characteristic of the addresses it replaces: www.accessidaho.org and www.state.id.us. Although the old addresses will automatically link to idaho.gov, users should update their Web browsers' "favorites" list because the old addresses will be phased out over time.

In addition to the new idaho.gov domain, a similar address - id.gov - will be made available for use by city and county governments. State government agencies will also incorporate Idaho.gov naming convention as part of their respective web addresses: "state agency name".idaho.gov. State employee email addresses will also reflect the new portal domain during the transition.

Idaho's state's Web site provides electronic access to more than 55 online and information services, including vehicle license registration for Ada, Canyon, Gooding, Kootenai, Oneida, and Twin Falls Counties. Personal and business tax filing and payments, motor carrier permitting and registrations, professional license renewals, offender database searches, and a suite of UCC services are also among the online applications available at Idaho.gov.

In early September, the state launched its one-stop, multi-agency portal (business.idaho.gov) that links users to resources and permits necessary for starting and operating a business in Idaho.

Several other "theme" portals are under development for rollout in the near future, including a jobs site and a specialty real estate portal. These new sites will join other popular mini-portals, including employee.idaho.gov for state employees and 2004 Best of the Web Award finalist trucking.idaho.gov.

About Access Idaho
Access Idaho is the state of Idaho's official Web portal (idaho.gov) and provider of electronic government solutions for the state.  The network manager for the portal is Idaho Information Consortium, a 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 1,500 state and local agencies that serve more than 51 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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