All Massachusetts CAAs are now connected to the Internet—and many of them have become connected only within the past year or two. However, the breadth of access to the Internet within individual agencies among programs, departments, and staff varies widely.
Just four CAAs reported that nearly all or most of their computers are now connected to the Internet. For three others, Internet connections are widespread throughout the agency, involving significantly more than half of their systems, and exist within virtually all departments and programs. Seven agencies have some of their computers connected—in some cases about half of computers—and they typically have at least one connection in every program and department. The remainder—11 CAAs—have just a few computers that are connected, and they typically reported that only a couple of staff utilize the Internet on a regular basis. Within this latter group of agencies, in most cases the staff who do use the Internet regularly, are fiscal department personnel, the planner, or other administrative staff. At a few agencies, connections are limited to one or two programs along with the central administrative office.
Several CAAs indicated that while they now have just a few computers that have access to the Internet, they have plans to significantly expand that number—in some cases, by the end of 1999.
Some agencies that lack widespread internal Internet access do have internal e-mail over their existing networks. In these organizations, use of internal e-mail systems seems fairly widespread among departments, programs, and their staff members.
The majority of agencies are connected to the Internet through one or more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in their areas. A couple of agencies utilize America On-Line (AOL) for Internet access.
Many who were interviewed seemed excited about the possibilities of the Internet as a new communications medium. And some felt that expanding access within their organizations would be necessary sooner or later, since they believed that more of their programs’ funding sources will require electronic reporting and make needed documents and other materials available only via the Web. A few noted that requests for proposals (RFPs) from a few public sector agencies now can be obtained only via Web sites.
However, senior staff at a few other CAAs who were interviewed—while acknowledging the potential value of the Internet as a communications vehicle and a source of information—also said that they were hesitant to widen access within their agencies. Cost was one reason, and the other that they cited was a concern that staff would misuse their access to the Internet by spending too much time "playing" rather than doing their work. In fact, a couple of them expressed fears that a few staff might abuse their access by regularly visiting Web sites containing pornographic materials.
Thus far, staff at CAAs most often use the Internet for external e-mail and for visiting Web sites—typically those of government agencies that contain information about programs CAAs have, or new funding opportunities, or governmental regulations. Occasionally, agencies use it to for transmitting electronic files among their various sites. In a few instances, CAAs currently use it for reporting to funding sources.
However, staff at several agencies with widespread internal Internet access suggested that their organizations have had such a level of access for a very short time, and it was still to early to tell what many staff were using the Internet for, or, after gaining more experience, what they might be using it for in a year or two. (Click here to view a sidebar that lists some specific Web resources that CAAs have thus far found useful.)
As this report went to press, eight Massachusetts CAAs had Web sites of their own: ABCD, CAPIC, CTI, GLCAC, HCAC, Tri-CAP, VOC, and WAC. (Links to all these sites are contained on a page of MASSCAP’s Web site.) At least a half dozen other CAAs either have sites in the works or said during the site visits that they would like to have a site.
Several of the CAAs that have sites or are constructing them are doing so in-house and are developing in-house capabilities to maintain and to expand their sites over time. CTI has established an in-house committee to carry out this work. One of the difficulties for organizations that have Web sites—especially for organizations that contain many programs spread across multiple locations—is collecting materials that can be used to update the Web site regularly and, therefore, offering a motivation for those who visit the site to return.
CTI’s committee approach to site maintenance can be useful since it can function as a mechanism to collect information and materials regularly from across the agency. Besides, having input from different parts of the agency is very helpful. Developing a Web site involves a combination of skills and talents: computer skills, writing and editing, graphic design, an understanding of effective PR, a sense of the audience(s) one is trying to reach, and a knowledge of the organization’s activities. Committees such as CTIs also can be useful since they combine such skills and talent that exist within an agency.
Attracting Audience(s) for CAA Web Sites. Several CAAs questioned the value in investing in developing Web sites for their agencies. They pointed out that many of their clients and potential clients lack access to the Internet. However, others—especially those who have sites or anticipate creating them—think that while that may be the case now, it may not be in the near future. Several cited the race by cable television companies, some of whom have merged with Internet service providers or telecommunications giants, to get into the business of providing Internet access. They noted that Internet access could expand to include more low-income people once television sets with Web browsing capabilities become commonplace.
Some named other audiences for their Web sites. They noted that more and more case managers at other agencies have access to the Web and are beginning to use it to find information about services to which they can refer clients. They also mentioned government agencies, other funders, local officials, and the media as potential audiences.
At least four agencies mentioned development of their Web sites in connection with plans for private fundraising. HCAC plans to upgrade its site so it can serve as a more effective medium to reach potential donors. QCAP, SSCAC, and NSCAP all said they would like to do more extensive private fundraising, and they would like to build Web sites as part of their development strategies.
For CAAs—which have little money for advertising and promotion—publicizing their Web sites is a challenge that requires some ingenuity. Citizens for Citizens (CFC) in Fall River offers a good example of how CAAs can create imaginative, low-cost ways to promote their Web sites. (Click here to view the sidebar on CFC's Web site promotion ideas.)
Another issue facing CAAs with Web sites is the need to find new or unique material to place on their sites that will entice visitors to return on a regular basis. A couple of agencies told us that they also plan to attract repeat visitors to their sites by including links to other Web sites in their communities or by adding other information that visitors will not find elsewhere on the Web. One plans to include a calendar of community events. And CFC has come up with a novel idea for this, too. (See the sidebar.)
Web Sites for Internal Agency Purposes. At least one agency—CTI—is planning such a Web site as a repository for internal documents and forms in order to make them easily accessible to staff across the agency. These documents may include such items as personnel policies, travel vouchers and other forms, boilerplate materials, and possibly an electronic bulletin board and calendar for agency activities. A number of other agencies are also considering the idea.
While all Massachusetts CAAs are now connected to the Internet, the number of computers within each agency that have access varies widely. In many agencies, access to the Internet is a very recent development; thus, it is difficult to predict the ultimate impact of this new medium on CAAs. And the breadth of material on the Internet is expanding daily. CAAs are still in the process of mining this worldwide network to see how it can enhance their work.
Other sectors—such as many businesses and governmental entities—have invested heavily in the communications revolution brought about through the advent of the Internet in the last few years. However, CAAs have been much slower to do so. This is undoubtedly due to a combination of reasons, including: cost; the fact that many current and potential clients are not connected; the fact that, at least until now, some agencies feel they lack compelling reasons to do more; and, in a few cases, an absence of know-how.
Thus, CAAs probably can best be described in a state of transition in the area of electronic communications. However, it seems inevitable that CAA utilization of the Internet is bound to vastly expand—and probably quickly. If nothing else, CAAs probably will face increased electronic reporting requirements for their programs. If recent history is any guide, new IT demands by government funders probably will be the main catalyst to more widespread Internet use by CAAs.
However, this new era of communications ushered in by the Internet also offers CAAs the opportunity to undertake programmatic ventures and to engage in intra-agency communications and collaboration on a level unthinkable just a few years ago. Already, several CAAs have seen this potential and have established their own Web sites. While "The Information Age" presents new challenges for CAAs, the Internet offers these organizations a new tool to meet them.
Many CAAs need to pay more attention to the rapid expansion of the Internet and its uses, and the possible impacts the phenomenon will have on them—probably in the near future. Some CAAs have held back from expanding Internet access within their organizations for good reasons. For some, lack of resources is a real obstacle. Given other priorities, it can be difficult to justify expending them on widening internal Internet access, or building a Web site, when the benefits seem intangible and are not immediate. Yet communications technology is rapidly advancing and in the process it is transforming our society and our economy. CAAs should take the steps now to learn how to better utilize the Internet.
MASSCAP should continue to assist its member CAAs in making the transition into the age of electronic communication (and the Internet) by identifying potential sources of funding for those members that want and need to increase access to the Internet within their own organizations.
MASSCAP should help to ease this transition by facilitating joint ventures among CAAs in training, education, and technical assistance that will help them develop their capacities to utilize the Internet. This includes effectively utilizing e-mail, communicating among non-networked sites, designing/maintaining agency Web sites. (More specifics on how this might be done are covered in the next section.) MASSCAP has already taken steps in this direction, through workshops offered at its 1999 IT conference.
MASSCAP should encourage the use of more communication among its members through via e-mail and its Web site. A place to start would be by sending regular MASSCAP communiqués to members via e-mail as well as by FAX—as a way to encourage executive directors to try e-mail and to see its advantages.
CAAs should examine—perhaps through any internal IT committees they now have or may develop—new ways that they can use the Internet to support agency goals and needs.
CAAs should, if financially feasible, widen access to the Internet within their own organizations and educate staff how to use it effectively, as well as on how it can benefit them. They should make this part of any ongoing staff training and support programs, if they have not done so already.
CAAs that have developed Web sites, are developing them, or plan to do so, should look at CTI’s committee model (described above) as something they might emulate. The CTI committee model is a way to solve two problems in building and maintaining agency Web sites in-house: it brings together the requisite talents and skills few single staff possess; it also offers a mechanism for collection and refinement of internal information on an ongoing basis for broadcast to external audiences on the Web site—audiences that are unlikely to become frequent visitors to the site unless it contains new, useful, and even entertaining information that is presented in language they understand.
CAAs may want to consider building Web sites for internal access only—especially agencies that want to strengthen communications across sites, programs, and departments.