Oklahoma portal open for business
- By Dibya Sarkar
- Oct 18, 2001
Oklahoma officially launched its Web portal Oct. 15, unveiling a searchable
business directory in the process.
Like many redesigned state and local government portals, the YourOklahoma
site (www.youroklahoma.com) has a common look and feel and is more user-friendly than before, said Deb Chase, the portal's director of marketing.
The business directory is searchable by name, location and ZIP code.
Chase said businesses that don't have a Web presence also could add their
information to the listing. Officials weren't sure how users would react,
but she said, "It's turned out to be a hit."
The site also unveiled an events calendar for agencies to announce official
government meetings. In the next several months, Chase said the state would
launch an online professional license renewal service, beginning with the
nursing profession, and an online grant application service for the Oklahoma
Arts Council, which is a state agency.
She said the state is actively marketing the site through children's
and other contests, in shopping malls statewide, and through news organizations
and state agencies. Since the launch, Chase said the site has received 250,000 page views, but she couldn't say whether that was an increase from the state's previous Web site.
In June, the state signed a $1.1 million contract with NIC to develop
the site. The contract was unusual for NIC, which has developed portals
for 13 other states. NIC usually builds a portal for free and then makes
its money by collecting user fees from transactions conducted via the site,
such as renewing licenses. In this case, Chase said each Oklahoma state
agency would contract with NIC to build its own applications.
She said a representative cross-section of government employees helped
plan and design the portal.