May 2000

Society Unveils New Website Homepage

A new homepage recently made its debut on www.nysscpa.org. The NYSSCPA website is the gateway to thousands of pages of Society, professional, and public information affecting the accounting profession in New York state and beyond, and the new homepage facilitates quick and easy passage.

"The changes shorten the length of the homepage by half and provide a cleaner, easier interface," NYSSCPA Executive Director Louis Grumet said. "The new look should alleviate the frustration of being presented with too much information at once, without compromising site content."

A streamlined menu with fewer, more logical categories has replaced the former Find It Fast menu. The new menu utilizes automatic pop-up windows for instantaneous viewing of submenus. The Find It Fast menu was designed to locate information quickly; however, some users found its many and sometimes duplicative categories and submenus difficult to navigate. In addition, users had to click a button to view the submenus, sift through their options, and then click another button to reach their destination.

"With so much content on the prior homepage, some users found it difficult to find specific information within the site," NYSSCPA Website Manager Paul Sinegal said. "Even the old Find It Fast menu got lost among the homepage's many categories and subcategories."

The redesigned homepage also features a six-line, vertical ticker that allows readers to view an entire paragraph of news, as opposed to the former word-by-word horizontal ticker. Moreover, the new ticker is fully interactive: Users can click on a specific news item to freeze the ticker in place and rewind or advance the information. For the most recent Society and tax headlines, visitors should view the rightmost portion of the homepage.

The new homepage divides information into the following categories:

* The Society, where users can find general information such as the NYSSCPA mission statement, leadership lists, and bylaws; access to Society committee and chapter sections; a link to The Trusted Professional; and details about member benefits such as insurance programs, automobile rentals, mediation and arbitration services, tax reference guides and software, telephone services, delivery services, professional and consumer magazines, credit cards, and more.

* Continuing Education, which provides access to FAE courses, registration forms, details on CPE regulations, and other information.

* Future CPAs, where high school and college students can find information on becoming a CPA, receiving NYSSCPA scholarships, and participating in the Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession program as well as access to the Society's Career Opportunities Handbook, announcements of pertinent events and news for future CPAs, and links to college accounting club websites and other helpful sites.

* Government Affairs, where CPAs can find the latest news on accounting legislation and the Society's political action committee and links to General Accounting Office decisions.

* Professional Resources, which includes FASB and GASB summaries, AICPA exposure drafts, the Career Opportunities Handbook, ethics and regulatory information, and other resources.

* Publications, which features links to The Trusted Professional, The CPA Journal, Liability and Risk Management Guidebook, and other Society publications.

* Sound Advice, which provides CPAs as well as consumers with financial management tools such as the Ask an Expert section, personal finance advice, a CPA referral service, links to other useful Internet sites, and other resources.

* Tax Resources, which offers access to printable and downloadable state and federal tax forms and instructions, links to New York and other state tax departments, and additional resources.

The homepage's left side also provides direct links to certain site areas, including Society chapters. Visitors can click on a New York state map to obtain information about chapter events, forums, and leadership opportunities. This area also features a search engine, links to article archives, a staff directory, a calendar of events, and links to useful sites.

Users have access to the same information as before, but in a more easily navigated format. All browser bookmarks will continue to work, and the site's address, www.nysscpa.org, remains the same. *