Interactivity in Web Sites of Medical Support Organizations in Finland

Abstract

Traditionally, the activities of medical support organizations are largely based on face-to-face meetings and events as well as telephone services. The Internet has brought new possibilities for communicating both with members and between members. This study analyzes the web pages of seventeen support organizations and examines the views of the communicators of the organizations on the philosophy of constructing web sites. The web pages provide a wealth of information as well as many kinds of interactive services. There are two levels of interaction, one quasi-interactive and the other truly interactive. The communicators emphasize collaboration in the construction of web sites. They are aware of segmentation in their members (e.g., young and old) and of the challenges in using computer-based means of communication.

Key Words:

• Finland
• health communication
• interactivity
• Internet
• medical support organization
• organizational communication
• web services