Now that we've gone beyond the novelty phase of the Web, it's clear that this technology is living up to its "information superhighway" billing. Web sites have become a primary way people, including paddlers, find information and do business. Although some have been using the Web extensively for several years, today a much broader segment of the public has integrated the Web into their lives.

As proposed in the ACA Strategic Plan, the ACA is responding by making its Internet presence the core of its communication and information plan for the next five years. From now on, the ACA Web site will be a major information and service delivery system for the association. Our goal is to maintain a dynamic Web presence that will continually evolve to meet the needs of the nation's paddlers.

Fortunately, thanks to the new www.acanet.org Web site, this expanded Internet presence has already begun. Members and other paddlers who go to this site will see a new user-friendly design, and find many great new features being added to better serve the nation's paddlers, including:

Online Forms - Instructors and event coordinators can now easily download the paperwork they need such as waivers, registration forms, and report forms directly from ACANET using Adobe Acrobat reader which can also be downloaded from the site.

Secure Transactions - www.acanet.org is supported by a secure server that permits safe credit card transactions. Paddlers can join the association more easily and can purchase ACA merchandise online.

Action Net - Destined to be the most innovative and comprehensive place on the Web for paddlers to learn about and act on conservation and other critical issues that affect paddling. Concerned paddlers can compose and send letters to elected representatives and federal agencies directly from www.acanet.org. Never before has helping protect the places you paddle been so easy.

Online Registration - People can now register online for events such as the Subaru Outback Rendezvous series. Future plans are to integrate online registration into more ACA activities.

More Information - By accessing www.acanet.org, paddlers of all disciplines and skill levels will have access to more useful information ranging from tips for beginners to the latest weather and water level information.

Linkshare Shopping - Through partnerships with REI and wide range of other retailers (such as Officemax, J Crew, Dell Computers, and Amazon.com), paddlers can take care of all their online shopping needs and at the same time be supporting the ACA. When paddlers shop via www.acanet.org, 5 percent or more of the transaction amount goes to support the ACA, at no extra cost to the consumer.

Beyond these new features, visitors to www.acanet.org will see improvements to traditional ACA Web features such as instruction schedules, event schedules, news, clubs, and program information. The site is also more visually appealing and designed to load quickly. Visitors will also be able to reach the best of other paddling-related sites via a wide offering of links. From ACA's site you can access Paddler magazine online (www.paddlermagazine.com), manufacturer and retail sites, club sites, outfitter sites, and other independent sites. The ACA is constantly creating new relationships with partners in the paddlesports community who have an informative and enjoyable online presence.