My Pages

As discussed in my last post, my website will be focusing on health care on the internet. Mainly I'll be looking at health provider sites and health care sites but I will also be taking a look at medical journal sites and possibly health club sites such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and others alike.

My first page will obviously be my homepage basically outlining what I have just described above.
My second page will be the Health Providers Page. I will go into detail on how people can log into their providers website and check on their medical history, email their physician, speak to a pharmacist, etc.
My third page with be the Health Care Sites Page. I will discuss the new trend of websites like WebMD and IntelliHealth. These pages have much to offer so I will include a few sub-pages to touch upon each aspect of the sites. Such aspects as symptom checker, articles, news, ask the expert, message boards and so on.
My fourth page will be the Medical Journals Page. Here I will discuss how effective these sites are to doctors and medical students.
My last page will be the Health Club Page. I will look at online weight-loss clubs and reasearch a little bit more into other sites similar to these.

I think that would just about cover it all. Of course as I am making this website there will be some additions and possibly reductions to this current layout but I will most likely follow this outline as much as I can.

Individual New Media Website Project

When I first thought about this project and had to think of new media forms online my mind immediately thought of health care and the Internet.

My mother works for a health care organization who just got their website online and now as a member of this health care facility I have the ability to log in, schedule appointments, check my medical history, see if I am up to date with my shots and contact my doctor. I never had this before and up until a few years ago no one did.

Not only am I interested in these types of health care websites but others like WebMD and IntelliHealth where people can log on and find breakthrough medical news, articles on weight loss or pregnancy. People can diagnose themselves by typing in their symptoms and email experts for advice.

Also, medical journals can be found online now as well. Students and doctors with access can go online to find information on a new drug or recent clinical trials.

However I also see a downside to all this as well. Having people diagnose themselves without seeing an actual doctor is not the best idea. Also, it's nerve wracking to know that your whole medical history and your family's could be online, available to hackers. There's two sides to every coin and I am interested in looking at both sides for this project.

My Internet Use

When asked how often, why and how I use the internet it didn't take me long to answer: All the time and for everything.

I would definitely say I grew up in the generation of the internet. It all started back when I was in middle school, I had an AOL account and talked to my friends through instant message. Once I went away to college that was my number one source of communication with my friends and family. Having a screen name was a big deal, I think most people asked for that before asking for phone numbers.

Once I graduated though most of my internet use was at work and through email. A big part of my job was to reseach different vendors and companies and I did it all online. Socially I also, sad to say, use Facebook quite a bit. It's a great way to keep in touch with friends from school and to see what everyone is up to. My friends and I also post pictures so we can share photos.

I of course also online shop, catch up on news and entertainment gossip, and sometimes watch television shows that I missed.

However, email is definitely my number one use for the internet, I do that more than anything now. I really don't know what I'd do without the internet!