Where to Start? Try an Accounting Portal.

How targeted are your Internet searches? Do you type keywords into Yahoo! and hope for the best? Or are you a more savvy Web user who knows that a good accounting portal can get you to the information you need quickly and with minimal searching?

Portals are Web sites that link to other Web sites. They're a starting point. You may be more familiar with mainstream portals such as Yahoo! or Excite, but fortunately for your professional well-being, accounting portals can provide very targeted gateways to the professional information you need most. Following are overviews of the most popular accounting portals.

CPANET

CPAnet, www.cpanet.com, is a basic news portal that offers news on just about every accounting-related subject, with especially detailed information on specific industries (for example, Media and Entertainment is broken down into 11 separate categories). Information is also broken down into disciplinary topics, such as consulting, tax and law, and financial planning. CPAnet has a number of great resources, such as a bookstore and government information. Learning how to navigate the site can take awhile, but current users value CPAnet for its wealth of information. Finally, CPAnet is not afraid to link or direct you to other sites on the Web where you can find additional information on a subject. This approach provides more thorough information than sites that lock you in to their information only.

ACCOUNTINGWEB

If you are looking for an accounting-only focus, AccountingWEB, www.accountingweb.com, may be the site for you. The Accounting News section is broken down into topics, from AICPA news and the economy to practice management and in-depth industry data. (Note that AccountingWEB charges you for access to some databases.) One fun part of the site lists tips and tricks for Internet use, Excel, presentations and communication skills. Choose this site if you don't want to be bothered by any non-accounting news. The information available is very on-topic and in-depth.

ACCOUNTANTS WORLD

Accountants World, www.accountantsworld.com is more of a news source with a compendium of links than a true portal. Accountants World's Community section is especially useful. Through this section, you can access discussion groups, networking opportunities and event listings. The news on this site hails from wire services and is very up-to-date. Accountants World also offers you free Web sites, which may be useful if you want a simple Web site and don't mind not having your own unique URL.

MY ACCOUNTING PORTAL.COM

My Accounting Portal, www.myaccountingportal.com is a customizable portal that allows you to create the portal you want. Once registered, you can access everything from industry-specific news and regional headlines to television listings and sports scores. My Accounting Portal is set up to be a home page, where you start each Web browsing session. Based on the content modules you choose (through an easy-to-use Personalize My Content page), you can have a Web site that gives you news on your own stock holdings, tells you how the plastics industry is doing and when to update your Palm software. Other useful features include personal bookmarks, online phone books, quick-message e-mail and a UPS tracking service. My Accounting Portal also features a "push" option, through which e-mails are sent to you on topics you choose such as federal tax, technology and AICPA news.

CPA2BIZ

CPA2Biz, www.cpa2biz.com, is the recently launched joint effort of the AICPA and state CPA societies. Created for CPAs and their small to medium-sized business clients, CPA2Biz offers resources such as networking opportunities, state and national CPE offerings and online business tools. It also provides news, niche practice and industry resources, discussion forums and polls, and professional development and career sources, as well as electronic practice management tools. CPA2Biz also will offer a nationwide CPA search function (similar to CalCPA Online's Find a CPA) that will allow users to search through a database of all registered AICPA and state society members for a CPA who most closely meets their needs.

Of course, no one puts up accounting portals out of the goodness of their own hearts. These Web sites have a goal: to make money. On any public, commercial site you will have to wade through a certain number of banner and pop-up ads, special offers, and sponsor messages to get to the "free" information. But just like advertising in other media, the presence of these ads allows you access to a great deal of information, 24 hours a day.

Jane Girard is CalCPA's online manager.