In the past few days, Governor John Lynch announced that New Hampshire has created a Web site to help residents address potential home mortgage problems. Governor Martin O'Malley launched a Web site to address "keen taxpayer interest" in the stimulus package by showing where stimulus money will go in Maryland.
It's a long way from the days when state and local governments had to justify creating a Web presence. (And when they finally did develop a Web site, they mostly posted basic information that remained static for weeks on end.)
I was reminded of this evolution from skepticism to acceptance to routine while talking to tech officials in Decatur, Georgia. The city is looking into whether it should create a Virtual Georgia. The initial reaction by many taxpayers is...you guessed it. Leeriness. Doubt. There are more important things to spend money on, they say. Now's not a good time. Why do we need this?
These all may be legitimate concerns. But we're unlikely to know for awhile.
What's become predictable is the skepticism. It's a routine element in the government technology development process. And that's probably a good thing.
