About SLGN Notes

Since 1995, when we launched our online directory, State and Local Government on the Net (SLGN), we've watched thousands of websites of state departments, counties, cities and towns progress from brochureware to comprehensive, informative, easily-navigated, well-designed interactive communications tools that truly serve citizens, businesses, visitors, students and others.

Often, as we update our listings, we come across interesting ideas: a website with a live online help feature, a memorable design, or a new way to use the web to build community.

We've wondered: Will our visitors find or fully appreciate these gems? Will the web designers add the one or two touches that could push their sites over the top? Will Internet users discover the rich content now available on state and local government sites?

Our new weblog, SLGN Notes, lets us share and document our discoveries. We can't cover each of the thousands of new and updated sites we enter each year—just the ones that jump out and grab us. Our entries include:

You'll see that we're not pushovers either. We're sticklers for logical navigation, search tools, clarity in communications and abundant white space. Visual clutter and use of taxpayer-funded government web real estate to promote incumbents' political ambitions turn us off. We like really useful government websites.

Our website reviews are snapshots of sites captured at the time our comments are posted. We expect these sites to change over time. Nevertheless, we hope the points we make will continue to be valuable.

In time, we trust the SLGN Notes archive will become a useful resource for anyone interested in government use of the Web.

Please let us know what you think of this weblog on the feedback form, and submit new official state and local government site information on the SLGN Directory's Add/Update a Link form.

Dana Noonan
Wallys W. Conhaim

June 21, 2004
Minneapolis, Minnesota