Society Website Offers New Resources

Building Site for Members' Needs

By Mark A. Plostock, CPA

The NYSSCPA's redesigned website, www.nysscpa.org, recently added new sections to provide more helpful technical, business, and informational resources.

The Interactive Online Resource Committee, the member group that oversees the site, and Society staff developed the new features in an effort to build a comprehensive online resource for CPAs. To further this goal, a survey included in this issue of The Trusted Professional asks for ideas on additional services, and members also can respond online at www.nysscpa.org/ survey.htm.

The recent additions include summaries of important professional and technical issues; new Ask the Expert, CPA 2000, and Government Relations sections; upgraded features on the membership section such as timely posting of committee minutes and selected chapter membership directories; a consumer-oriented site called Dollar for Dollar; and links to a wide array of technical, professional, and business sites.

News and Y2K Resources

For late-breaking news in tax, accounting, legislation, technology, practice management, and consulting services, see the home page for quick summaries of issues of interest to CPAs. Categories will appear on a rotating basis and the site will archive many articles.

Check out the CPA 2000 section for resources for the future. The section includes sources and links to help members deal with the Year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem or the millennium bug, which can cause computers to cease working after December 31, 1999, due to programming errors that may not recognize two-number years after '99. Among the features are links to other Y2K sites, articles on the problem, and other helpful information, including hardware and software compliance resources.

The CPA 2000 section also includes a link to the CPA Vision Project (www.cpavision.org), which offers numerous future-oriented resources. In addition, to help accounting students and young CPAs, the section offers links to the CPA Candidates Association's site (www.cpacandidates.com), information about the Leadership Academy, and an online associate membership form.

Online Technical Help

As an online resource for technical questions from members and the public, the Ask the Expert section presents topics in 10 subjects: about the CPA profession (for students and candidates), accounting, assurance services (including auditing), CPA firm management, taxation, emerging technologies, ethics, management consulting and business valuation, NYSSCPA marketing and membership services, and personal financial planning.

The section replaces the former committee and professional forums and presents topics in a more general, user-friendly format. The majority of editors are Society staff who will respond to inquiries in a timely manner.

Enhanced Membership Services

To assure quick posting of committee business, Society staff will take committee minutes and will send a draft to chairs within five business days of the meeting. Chairs will return them within three days for immediate posting on the website. While the NYSSCPA will continue to mail minutes to committee members via regular mail, online access in the Membership Activities section will facilitate quick access for all Society members.

Another highlight of this section is a member directory requested by the Society's Buffalo and Rochester chapters. The website now provides an online version as a pilot program for these chapters and Staten Island. The directory, which is password-protected for access by Society members only, includes member names, firm addresses, titles, professional classes, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail and website addresses.

Outreach to Consumers and Other Sites

A major addition to nysscpa.org is Dollar for Dollar, a personal finance section to help educate consumers about the services CPAs provide. Features include money matters information, worksheets, checklists, and other helpful guides, as well as links to related financial, government, and other related websites. An online bookstore, operated in conjunction with www.barnesandnoble.com, offers personal finance books.

The new Hot Links section offers direct access to numerous websites of interest to CPAs in such categories as accounting and auditing, accountant's liability, the CPA manager, employee benefit plans, federal taxation, state and local taxation, international taxation, the SEC advisor, personal financial planning, Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Internet databases, and other online resources.

The Society wants to serve members by providing what they want, when they need it, and the website helps accomplish this goal. See the accompanying sidebar for an example of another potential feature, a weekly newswire culled from more than 1,400 sources that offers summaries on topics of interest to CPAs.

To continue to build the website and help the Society meet all members' online needs, please complete the survey and visit the site at www.nysscpa.org. *