CollegeDrinkingPrevention.Gov: Developing a Website as an Effective Tool for Dissemination of Report Findings and a Forum for Your Initiative

Treating Addictions in Special Populations: Research Confronts Reality

October 7 and 8, 2002

Binghamton Regency Conference Center
Binghamton, New York

Joan Romaine, MPH
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Bethesda, MD

Overview

• Website Considerations
• The Home Page
• Target Audiences for College Website
• Reaching Your Target Audience
• Using Research
• Using Interactivity
• Using Links, Search Engines and FAQs
• Using Newsrooms

Website Considerations

• Pre-launch
  • Constraints
  • Time
  • Budget
  • Personnel
  • Creating the Website
  • Architecture (Site map)
  • Design
  • Target Audience
  • Sub-audiences
  • Name/URL Address
• Launch
  • Decision-making
  • Policies
  • Approvals
  • Accessibility
  • Section 508 Compliance
  • Plain Languages
  • Other Languages
• Post-launch
  • Maintenance
  • Usability Testing
  • Ordering Reports/Materials
  • Promotion of site/Marketing Activities
    • Listservs
    • Reciprocal Linking
    • Banner Ads
    • Email to a Friend
    • Awards

The Home Page

• First impression viewer has - make it a good one!
• Branding your "product" - logo identification
• Providing information to identify purpose of the site
• Showcase highlights
• Content driven or highly visual? - keep audience in mind

Target Audiences for College Website

• Campus Health Administrators
• College Presidents
• Community Leaders
• High School Guidance Counselors
• Media
• Parents
• RAs/Peer Educators
• Students

Reaching Your Target Audience

• Visually, graphically (i.e., Who are you speaking to?)
• Language - tone, appropriate level, font style/size (i.e., Use plain language!)
• Providing useful information that is appealing, credible, and also culturally appropriate

Using Research

Task Force Materials Available on Website

• Be credible!
  Have a statistic you want to showcase? - back it up with the research by providing the source information - Make it easy for the viewer to find out more!
• Be innovative and unique!
  Existing College Alcohol Policies - but not previously put together in one place!

Using Interactivity

• Audio
• Video
• Games
• E-cards
• Calculators
• Feedback
• Make it customizable
• Engage the viewer in a format that's fun and easy to use

Using Links, Search Engines and FAQs

• Clickable link, phone and address
• Search engine
• Send this page feature - Easy to refer to someone else!
• Link to online screening tool

Using Newsrooms

• Be resourceful!
• Keep it current
• Helps keep your constituency groups up-to-date with your issue in the press
• Some things to include:
  • Press kits
  • Speaker biographies
  • News articles (or links)
  • Web casts

Contact Information

College Drinking Prevention Website:
www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov

Joan Romaine, MPH
romainej@mail.nih.gov