Martha Eaves wanted to get a certified copy of her Birth Certificate. First she had to figure out which entity she had to contact to find it. After a few phone calls to city and county offices, she learned that it was the Clerk/Register of Deeds Office where she had to go.
Living in Ferndale, she had never been to the County's offices in Waterford before. She called for directions and got in her car for the 45 minute drive.
Once she got there, she had to find the right building, the right office, and then the right window in which to stand in line. After her request was processed, she wrote a check for the amount required. The Birth Certificate would then be mailed to her in 2-4 weeks.
What if she could have done all of that from her computer at home or work?
"You bet! I don't have to deal too much with the County, so sometimes it gets confusing when I do."
"I don't remember where I have to go to get things I need, and I don't like having to take an afternoon off work to do it!"
Martha could just go to the Oakland County Web site and click on "Online Services."
From there she could have clicked on "Birth Records and Certificates" and off she would have went! By filling in the form (entirely online) and paying by credit card, the whole process could have taken about 10 minutes -- which is about three hours less than what she spent going in person.
While she was at the Web site, she could've also gotten an Oakland County Parks Vehicle Permit for the year, found out which beaches were the cleanest in the County, paid a parking ticket, and checked out the latest volunteer opportunities at area charities.
"Being able to do my business with the County from my computer rather than coming out in-person is the smartest thing I've seen the Internet used for in a long time!" says Martha.
