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