August 2000

'Ask an Expert' Grows in Popularity

By Cori L. Gabbard

The Ask an Expert page on www.nysscpa.org, which provides a medium through which users can obtain advice on a variety of topics ranging from accounting and tax issues to ethics rules to personal financial planning advice, is increasing in popularity.

According to recent statistics, Ask an Expert received an average of 61 questions per month from the end of March 1999 (when the Society began monitoring site traffic) through mid-June 2000. From April through September 1999, Ask an Expert received an average of 37 questions per month. The number of questions posted began to increase in October and peaked in February with a high of 84, raising the average to 66.6 for November 1999 through March 2000.

February's peak is perhaps a sign that tax season motivates visitors to seek as much information as possible about their respective specialties and that Ask an Expert can expect an increase in traffic volume during tax season. In addition, there are signs that the page has attracted an increase in visitors overall: Users posted 56 queries in May 2000, representing a 43.5 percent increase compared to May 1999.

With respect to content, queries pertaining to taxation accounted for 43 percent of total questions posted, while accounting queries constituted an additional 37 percent. Other topics included questions about Society marketing and membership (5.6 percent); assurance, including auditing (5 percent); management consulting and business valuation (4.25 percent); recruitment (3 percent); ethics (.7%); and emerging technology (.55%).

Ask an Expert, located in the Sound Advice category on the homepage, also allows users to view any published question along with its response. For more information about Ask an Expert or another area of www.nysscpa.org, contact Website Manager Kyle Booth at (212) 719-8324, (800) NYSSCPA (697-7272), or kbooth@nysscpa.org.