The trouble with many internet sites is they only operate in the short-term.

Information gets put on to a web site and never gets updated. Thus an expensive web site can become useless quite quickly if it is not maintained.

Look at the plethora of sites with out-of-date information littering the web - starting with virtually any ending in .gov.uk.

Given government-funded organisations are constantly short of funding, the idea some of their web sites might be inaccurate will probably not come as much of a surprise.

The only public-funded web site I have seen lately that really comes up to expectations is the East Sussex County Council web site.

This site is something out of the ordinary. It does not sport the latest technology or too many bells, whistles and flashing graphics but it delivers the goods efficiently.

As I searched for the telephone number for the East Sussex County Records office in Lewes, I discovered all kinds of fascinating and obscure departments. In each case, the information seemed appropriate and the telephone number was correct.

Some items were out-of-date simply because the site is so huge but I was impressed. Congratulations to East Sussex County Council's web masters for a job well done.

So how does an organisation make sure its web site is up to date? There is no easy answer. Someone simply has to go over all the information regularly and check it is accurate.

Some organisations call this person their web master, others call him or her a web editor. Whatever their job title, the role is business-critical.

Without regular appraisals and correction of online material an organisation could easily be delivering the wrong messages to its clients, suppliers or backers, which is almost certainly not a good idea.

Other ways a web editor will earn his or her keep include up-to-the-minute provision of marketing information and accurate product data.

How about making your latest price lists available on the web? How about the specifications for a new range of products? What about making it possible to order a catalogue online?

Essentially, anything that can be supplied on a piece of paper can also be supplied through the internet, either as a printable document or as a downloadable file.

A good web master should be able to suggest a dozen ways of improving customer service using the internet and some of these ideas could increase profitability by reducing postage, printing and distribution costs.

The internet is not just about selling. It is about delivering information in a way that is timely and efficient.

East Sussex County Council can do it and, with a little effort, so can you.

www.eastsussexcc.gov.uk