emorandum
To: Ms. Julie Jones
From: Student’s Name
Date: 11/5/2015
Subject: Assignment 1: Audience Analysis Memo
As assigned I have compared the information available from two popular online medical resources to see what audience is targeted and how the information is provided. The chosen topic is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the sources were WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/default.htm) and The National Institutes of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder.html).
The primary target for the WebMD site is the general public with a secondary audience possibly being healthcare professionals looking for more information or just a refresher on what they already have learned. The NIH site appears to be just the opposite in that it targets healthcare professionals first, but non-medical persons could look at it if they wanted more information. Both sites target adults seeking medical information, with race, gender, and occupation (healthcare workers excluded) being largely irrelevant. WebMD, as with most web pages, targets those who could bring in the most money. Assuming that, WebMD is targeting the middle and upper class with the ads on their web page as they have access to the internet and money to spend. The National Institute of Health appears less concerned with attracting an audience and more concerned with allowing a flow of information and data to those seeking it. A possible tertiary audience for both sites would be students in the medical field needing additional information for school. WebMD differs from the NIH site in that it is more visually appealing. It has bright colors, ads, and links to additional WebMD pages. The NIH site is more subdued, almost clinical in its lack of design. It is streamlined to make it easy to locate the information medical professionals need. In short, WebMD is trying to attract an audience for its advertisers while the NIH is providing educational information and research to a built in audience. The claims on both sites are more contextual than stated. They are both available to provide information, not to sway an audience. Taken as a whole, the …show more content…
The WebMD links typically go to other WebMD pages that are similarly designed. This means WebMD wants to keep most of the site traffic to itself without directing readers to other web pages. The most obvious reason is to maintain the volume of readers on their site and allow more of their advertising to take hold. The NIH links cover a much broader basis and often direct traffic away from the NIH itself. Some of the links could be useful to a layperson, but there are also links to research articles, medical journals, clinical trials, and related laws. Some of this information would only be of use to a healthcare worker looking for specific …show more content…
The type of data available from the NIH does not have much meaning to a person attempting to learn the basics of ADHD. WebMD also has a section labeled “Home Remedies” which is obviously for families dealing with this condition. This information can be found on the NIH page, but it falls under nutrition, coping, and alternative therapy. The language on the WebMD page is not medical in nature; it is directed at people with no medical expertise. The NIH site, depending on which sections a reader is in, can go into medical terms the average person may not immediately understand; such as DSM-IV, psychostimulants, epigenetics, and neuroenhancement to name a
To: Ms. Julie Jones
From: Student’s Name
Date: 11/5/2015
Subject: Assignment 1: Audience Analysis Memo
As assigned I have compared the information available from two popular online medical resources to see what audience is targeted and how the information is provided. The chosen topic is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the sources were WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/default.htm) and The National Institutes of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder.html).
The primary target for the WebMD site is the general public with a secondary audience possibly being healthcare professionals looking for more information or just a refresher on what they already have learned. The NIH site appears to be just the opposite in that it targets healthcare professionals first, but non-medical persons could look at it if they wanted more information. Both sites target adults seeking medical information, with race, gender, and occupation (healthcare workers excluded) being largely irrelevant. WebMD, as with most web pages, targets those who could bring in the most money. Assuming that, WebMD is targeting the middle and upper class with the ads on their web page as they have access to the internet and money to spend. The National Institute of Health appears less concerned with attracting an audience and more concerned with allowing a flow of information and data to those seeking it. A possible tertiary audience for both sites would be students in the medical field needing additional information for school. WebMD differs from the NIH site in that it is more visually appealing. It has bright colors, ads, and links to additional WebMD pages. The NIH site is more subdued, almost clinical in its lack of design. It is streamlined to make it easy to locate the information medical professionals need. In short, WebMD is trying to attract an audience for its advertisers while the NIH is providing educational information and research to a built in audience. The claims on both sites are more contextual than stated. They are both available to provide information, not to sway an audience. Taken as a whole, the …show more content…
The WebMD links typically go to other WebMD pages that are similarly designed. This means WebMD wants to keep most of the site traffic to itself without directing readers to other web pages. The most obvious reason is to maintain the volume of readers on their site and allow more of their advertising to take hold. The NIH links cover a much broader basis and often direct traffic away from the NIH itself. Some of the links could be useful to a layperson, but there are also links to research articles, medical journals, clinical trials, and related laws. Some of this information would only be of use to a healthcare worker looking for specific …show more content…
The type of data available from the NIH does not have much meaning to a person attempting to learn the basics of ADHD. WebMD also has a section labeled “Home Remedies” which is obviously for families dealing with this condition. This information can be found on the NIH page, but it falls under nutrition, coping, and alternative therapy. The language on the WebMD page is not medical in nature; it is directed at people with no medical expertise. The NIH site, depending on which sections a reader is in, can go into medical terms the average person may not immediately understand; such as DSM-IV, psychostimulants, epigenetics, and neuroenhancement to name a