Dave Gainer is here today from the state of Texas, IT director for the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Before they implemented their Internet strategy, they had a typical physical process. Parents who were interested in adopting children had to go to a physical office and look at a book that listed the information available about the children. Citizens had to go to a physical office to find child care provider information. Now these Rainbow Room listings are available online, and you can take a virtual tour 24 hours a day.
Parents can enter their ZIP codes and get information on nearby child care providers.
And now parents can start the adoption process online, where they can see pictures, backgrounds, and videos of the children available. Clearly this is a massive improvement in experience and efficiency. In addition, the adults using these services are used to this process in the commercial world. So there's a tremendous pull for these kinds of online services. The second stage is commerce.