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Part I — Introduction
Section 1 — Why Put Your Court On-line?
Electronic communications are changing the world, as information can be accessed easily from any location. Barriers to this information are disappearing as the cost of access to the Internet and Bulletin Board Systems continues to drop. As more people are able to obtain electronic information, the ability to make information available becomes more beneficial. Courts also can benefit from electronic communication in a number of ways.
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Benefits
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Serving Your Constituents
There are a number of reasons for putting your court on-line. The foremost reason is that it allows you to better serve your constituency. On-line access to court information allows people to get the information they need without having to come to the courthouse and take time off from work. Instead of listening to information repeated over the telephone, people can save on-line information on their own computer or print out a copy. More and more of your constituents now have computers. A law firm without computers will not be around in five years. Entry-level computers are becoming ever more affordable. Used computers capable of accessing a Bulletin Board System cost as little as $20. As barriers to computer access continue to fall, more of your constituency will be demanding electronic access.
Saving Money
On-line information can be accessed over and over without the court incurring additional costs. Mailing 100 copies of a document will cost approximately 100 times more than mailing one copy. An on-line document can be accessed hundreds, or even thousands, of times without incurring extra costs.
Additionally, an automated process for disseminating information frees personnel to do other work. Simple questions that required dedicated staff now can be answered automatically. Staff time is also saved by having information easily available to them.
Reducing the need for physical visits to the courthouse also helps reduce courthouse traffic and its attendant costs.
Educating Your Community
As part of a community, a court needs to educate people regarding its work. Unfortunately, a trip to the court is not usually a pleasant experience. Limited court hours can make it difficult for those interested in the workings of the court to actually visit. Making educational materials available on-line allows people to learn about the court without having to visit. The more a community knows about the court, the more effectively the court will be able to administer justice.
Preparing for an On-line Future
Finally, getting on-line now will help your court prepare for the future. Like it or not, on-line communications are becoming important tools for people and businesses everywhere. In order to continue to participate in our society, courts will need to become familiar with on-line communications. The sooner your court begins to acquire and develop such expertise, the better able it will be to participate in an on-line future.
Section 2 — About These Guidelines
While there are many guides to accessing electronic information, there are few dealing with making the information available. These guidelines present an overview of how to get your court on-line, either through the Internet or through an electronic Bulletin Board System. Entire books have been written about the subject of each section of these guidelines. These guidelines are intended to give you an introduction to most aspects of on-line communications, not to provide you with every detail. These guidelines are meant to introduce these aspects, give recommendations on how to deal with them, and point towards appropriate sources for the details.
Section 3 — Internet or BBS? Which Should You Choose?
The Internet and BBSs both have their respective advantages and disadvantages. The Internet excels in providing information in an attractive and easy-to-use manner. BBSs, in comparison, can be very cryptic. While users can point and click on a Web page, they must often remember various commands on a BBS. It is very much like the difference between using Windows or a Macintosh and using DOS.
The Internet is also superior in making information available globally. Once a court places information on the Internet, people who have an Internet connection can access it from the other side of the world as easily and cheaply as they can access it from across the street. In comparison, although BBSs do not require an Internet connection, they do require a phone call. The more remote the caller, the more expensive the call. This potential expense limits the effective range of a BBS. In the court context, this consideration may not matter if most of the people interested in a court's information live within the same area code, but can become important for courts encompassing a large area.
BBSs do have advantages of their own. Their primary advantage is cost. Creating an Internet site can be expensive. It requires obtaining fairly powerful computers, a connection to the Internet, and solid technical staff. A BBS may require only an old computer, BBS software, a fast modem, and a normal phone line. The most expensive part of a BBS may be the modem, which is often less than $150. A smaller court that does not need to provide information to a wide geographical region may find that a BBS is a good solution. A BBS can also be a first step toward future expansion.
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