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IIt
doesn’t seem right! The government
is trying to make it easy for its citizens
to find the right place for federal resources?
Can’t be. However here are the words
straight from the source: “FirstGov
allows users to browse a wealth of information
everything from researching at the Library
of Congress to tracking a NASA mission.
It also enables users to conduct important
business online such as applying for student
loans, tracking Social Security benefits,
comparing Medicare options and even administering
government grants and contracts.”
I
am impressed, and I am not the only one. The
site has picked up awards and positive reviews
during the last year, all of which are deserved.
The information offered is not just tucked
away in sections with undecipherable bureaucratic
nomenclature. It’s presented in many
different ways and is organized so you may
either use keywords to search the site or browse
to get where you need to be.
A directory similar to the Yahoo! site guides
you along progressively narrower descriptions
leading, hopefully, to the information you
are looking for. Each major section has a main
page that offers news of the day. A weekly
newsletter is available so you may receive
an email about all the new articles recently
posted. Pictures and links abound to get you
quickly to the most frequently asked for data.
As an example,
not long after the terrorist attacks on the
USA, information appeared about
victim’s benefits and assistance. There
is a link to the White House site with timely
information on the U.S. response. You can quickly
find out the latest air travel restrictions
or buy savings bonds. If your looking for a
federal job this is a good place to start.
If you are a U.S. citizen and speak Arabic,
Farsi or Pashto there are jobs paying $27 to
$38 per hour as an FBI contractor.
This web site shows what can be accomplished
when a group is dedicated to pulling together
a huge body of information and providing the
mechanisms and intuitive navigation to allow
most anyone to find what they need.
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