10 years of the aspergillus website 1998-2008. evolution and revolution original summary of purpose...
TRANSCRIPT
10 years of the Aspergillus
Website
1998-2008
Evolution and revolution
Original summary of purpose
“This site is designed to provide information on pathogenic Aspergilli for clinicians and scientific researchers. The site includes DNA sequence data, a comprehensive bibliographic database, laboratory protocols, treatment information and discussion groups.”
Evolution: 10 years ago…
Evolution: 5 years ago…
Evolution: 4 years ago…
Evolved: Now…
Evolution: Statistics
• 1999– Nearly 4000 members– 500 pages per day– 71 countries reached
• 2008– 35 000 members– 12 000 pages per day
Latest figures
• 14 000 page requests per day (up to 5 million per year)
• 26 000 distinct IP addresses per month• 110-120 countries reached each month
(2/3rds of the total number of countries in the world)
• 1975 sites link to website (20th Feb 2008)
Evolution: Sections
Diagnosis: 3800ppm Treatment: 2400ppm
Research: 500ppm Articles:25 000ppm Conferences: 4600ppm
6700 ppm
33 000 images per month
Revolution: new sections and services
21 000 pages downloaded per month
23 000 pages downloaded per month
A search is carried out every 2-3 seconds somewhere in the world
37 000 pages downloaded per month
12 000 pages downloaded per month
The Aspergillus Search Engine
•68 000 readable files indexed by Google(html, php, pdf, ppt, doc)•17 requests per minute•Used twice as much in UK night-time (USA/Asia users)
Search terms – WWW Google
Nova Plantarum Genera
Site structure
•40 indexed sections•5 forums for questions & answers•Patients support group (very active with 539 members and 10-20 messages per day •Technical support group (73 members)•Active collaboration with the Aspergillus Trust (UK patients only)
A. fumigatus sequence release
Doing well so far – what next?
The Way Forward
•Quality and ‘added value’ of content•Newsletters•Better internal searching – better internal navigation•Better external indexing (Domain names, specific pages aimed at improving ranking)
The Way forward•Better public relations•Improve existing sections for existing audiences – Patients (50% of audience)•More sections designed to attract new audiences (Industrial applications)
Acknowledgments
Present sponsors•Schering-Plough •Pfizer Inc•The CGD Research Trust •The Moulton Trust•Biocompare
Past sponsors•Alza•OrthoBiotech•Merck & Co Inc. •AB Biodisk
Patients website – the beginning
•Discussion group – simple email based group allowing group ‘conversations’•Around 100 members•Demanding on moderator & editors
•Bulletin board – 2 subjects (allergic & invasive) Questions & answers•Not popular – 1 or 2 questions a week•No group support
Bulletin Board
Shortcomings
• For me– Repetitive – tending to answer the same or similar
questions– Text only
• For patient– Not easy to find (have to find website, then the right
section)– Not easy to understand – Difficult to find information you want
Improvements
• Patients website– Contains fact sheets on all repeated information, links to
useful websites– Open to all, no membership required– Data gathering to profile users– Aspergillus Support Group
What is Aspergillus?
Non-English page requests
•Italian•Polish•Spanish•Dutch•Chinese•Arabic
Top 6 downloaded ‘What is aspergillus’ in January 2008
Essential Information
Advice
Aspergillus Support Group
Success of Patient Sections
•37 000 website pages requested•543 members of the support group•10-20 messages per day
•Far less time spent answering repetitive questions (Patient moderators)•‘Body’ of information supported by Patients group•The Aspergillus Trust
Public Relations
Patients section is a good potential source of stories for journalists, as well as a good source of ideas for story lines and pictures that will be of interest to wider audiences.
•Patient stories – successful treatment•Flood damage – better ways to clean up•Building work – ways to protect the vulnerable•Composting – sensitivity of siteing
Increased public interest = increased viewing figures
The Aspergillus Trust•Rose out of the Aspergillus Support Group•Led by UK based people suffering from Aspergillus illnesses•Originally envisaged (by me) to be a group offering the patients perspective on what information is given to patients during their illnesses, how to improve that information and even how to improve the treatments offered (ABPA/itraconazole)•A think tank to suggest new areas to cover•But they became so much more…
Trust website