Kentucky.gov: My New Kentucky Home

In mid January, finding online services and information from the Commonwealth of Kentucky got a little easier with the launch of the new name for the state's Website: kentucky.gov.

Back in 1998, when the Internet was really beginning to emerge, Kentucky was in the top tier of states with the amount of online content available to citizens. The name chosen at that time for the site was www.kydirect.net. The name symbolized the intent of the site, which was to provide services direct to the people, not just become an online brochure for the state. Over time, the site has grown to include over 130 online services for citizens, businesses and visitors, directly from the homepage, and the list is growing everyday.

The .GOV Extension: It's Official
In 2002, the Federal government released the .gov extension to states and local governments, making it easier for Web visitors to know when they are on an official government site. Kentucky.gov is easier to remember, easier to promote and is instantly recognized as the home for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

But you still see many state and local government entities using .NET, .COM and .ORG. What's the difference? It used to be that .COM was for commercial entities, .NET was for network infrastructure -- servers, routers, and the other hardware that makes the Internet work -- and .ORG was for not-for-profit organizations. A few years ago the restriction on .NET domains was lifted and there was never really any monitoring of the use of the .ORG, so it, too, is effectively free to be used by any person or organization. With so many different kinds of companies, organizations and state/local agencies registering all three domain names, it was difficult to tell when you were on the "official" site.

Today, more and more state agencies are adopting the .GOV extension for their Websites. According to Doug Robinson, who administers the Enterprise Architecture and Standards for the Governor's Office for Technology, "Moving to the .GOV extension is about simple recognition, distinction and integrity for our citizens. Consumers expect domain names to match organization types in the real world. Having an Internet domain name such as kentucky.gov assures citizens that they are accessing the state government's official Website."

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February
2003