NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact: Kelly Hokkanen General Manager InforME/Maine.gov 207-621-2600 kelly@informe.org

AUGUSTA, ME, August 8, 2008 – Governor John E. Baldacci is pleased to announce the launch of the newly enhanced Maine State Web site, http://www.Maine.gov.

The award-winning Web site, launched on June 1, 2008 and has new features to improve citizen and business access to government information, including: an updated design; enhanced searches for online services and state agencies; and citizen alerts using Twitter, which allows important state alerts to be accessible via the Web, email, Instant Messenger, or SMS (cell phone) messaging.

“It is the dedication to quality and excellence that has led Maine.gov to be the Gold Standard for government Web sites. With these new features that make finding important information easier than ever, Maine.gov is an incredible resource to citizens, businesses, visitors, and all others who need to access information about Maine,” Governor Baldacci commented.

The upgrades to Maine.gov were made with the focus of making it easier to find the most frequently visited information and services, and enhancing the usability of the information provided.

“Our overarching goal with the Maine.gov Web site is to provide a gateway to government information that is easy to use, effective, and attractive. Maine.gov combines the latest technologies with best practices in site design to achieve this goal,’” said Richard Thompson, the state’s Chief Information Officer,

For example, Maine.gov now offers the option for users to receive citizen alerts including Twitter, and provides a “predictive” search that displays matching results as you type a search for a service or agency.

Another important feature that will benefit Maine citizens is the enhanced Maine.gov state agency contact directory. The directory is a one-stop resource for all state agency contact information including agency Web site links, phone and TTY numbers, addresses, and descriptions of agency duties, and now offers the added convenience of Microformats, so that site visitors can easily add agency contact information to their own computer address books.

Maine.gov continues to put a strong emphasis on accessibility and usability for all Maine citizens. The Web site meets federal and industry standards for accessibility to the disabled. This commitment to all of Maine’s citizens is now extended through the use of closed captioning on video that is presented through the site.

In addition to these new features, Maine.gov provides access to more than 375 online government services, including vehicle registration renewal, professional license renewal, hunting and fishing licenses, traffic ticket payments, business tax registration, and more. Other popular features of Maine.gov include seasonal photo contests, a mobile device portal, news, email notifications, and weather.

Maine.gov offers a user-friendly Help Center with tips, a powerful search engine, live chat support, and answers to frequently asked questions. Beginner and experienced Internet users alike will find this site easy to navigate.

The Maine.gov Web site has been nationally recognized for excellence several times in recent years, including ranking second in the nation in the 2007 competition for best state government Web portal by the Center for Digital Government.

About Maine.gov
Maine.gov (http://www.Maine.gov) is the official Web portal of the state of Maine and a seven-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 (InforME), 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 2,900 state and local agencies that serve more than 70 million people in the United States. Additional information is available at www.nicusa.com.

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