CHAPTER 7 Going Online: The Net, Information Services, and More
Who Is the Biggest on the Net? Microsoft Corporation has announced that their MSN Internet portal is now larger than both AOL and Yahoo!. MSN now claims more than 200 million users. Of course, statistics don't always tell the complete story. The Microsoft claim is based on their own survey, while independent rankings normally show AOL first, then Yahoo!, followed by MSN. MSN has made big strides since it came online as a fee-based competitor to AOL. The service now offers a number of services including Hotmail, Expedia, MSNBC.com, and MoneyCentral. The question of which is the largest will continue as the various Internet portals post their claims based on statistics that favor their type of usage (number of hits, elapsed time spent at the site, and so on).
No More Waiting in Line at Government Offices The United States federal government will soon begin operation of its new Web portal, pay.gov. This new portal will enable individual citizens and various types of organizations to complete many common transactions online. For example, at the site, they can apply for a variety of licenses and permits and to obtain a large number of government publications, as well as file official documents. The federal government expects to run $125 billion worth of transactions through the system each year. This site was prompted by the incredible success of the IRS Web site, where 35 million people filed returns online this past year. The online returns resulted in considerable savings to the government, quicker distribution of refunds, and added convenience to U.S. citizens. Although critics are concerned about site security and the privacy of personal information that is handled through the system, the government assures us that information will be secure and used for its intended purpose.
American Citizens Want More Online Government Services According to surveys by Andersen Consulting, more than 60 percent of American voters indicated that they would vote online in the November presidential election if that option were available. Moreover, the survey indicated that the majority of citizens are comfortable renewing driver's licenses, registering to vote, paying taxes, requesting literature, and performing other common interactions online. Online administrative support has proven that it can cut costs and improve efficiency to better serve citizens and, in the business world, customers.