- Email: [email protected]
Non-US web use rising fast
DISSECTING ROOM
Webwatch
Creative connections
Contributed by Marilynn Larkin [email protected]
UK arts-in-health network grows exponentially n Oct 27, the UK’s National Network for the Arts in Health (NNAH) holds its official public launch. It is also relaunching its website (www.nnah.org.uk)—with a new look and significantly more resources—because the organisation has grown so quickly in its first 6 months of operation that its rudimentary site does not meet the needs of an expanding membership, says NNAH director Lara Dose. “We never envisioned Excellent links library that our website would be serving as a resource list at this point of the game. The amount of interest generated surprised us all.” NNAH had anticipated enrolling members in segments over 3 years, but while the groups that were targeted for membership in the 1st year joined the organisation, “everyone from the next 2 years also joined”, says Dose. “We now have every type of member, from individual artists to a theatre company,
O
including GPs and ward sisters interested in starting an arts in health care initiative within their own Trust, or who simply want to learn more.” And although NNAH was determined to establish itself as a UK national organisation before seeking international members, “we’ve already had so much international interest that I don’t think it will be long before we have that component, as well”. The network emerged out of research conducted by the King’s Fund, which identified a need for a national organisation that would help bring together disparate groups and individuals who share a common mission, but would not otherwise have opportunities to communicate with each other, explains Dose. “People working in the field of arts and health have felt very much like islands in a vast sea, very alone, without a public forum in which to
Non-US web use rising fast State of the Internet 2000 www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet2000/intro.html nternet use outside of the USA may be rising much faster than predicted, according to the State of the Internet 2000 report, available free of charge in .pdf format on the website of the United States Internet Council (USIC). Reading the report will give physicians “a much greater appreciation of how fast the Internet is growing, and a better understanding of the opportunity and potential for patients to become much more sophisticated than in the past”,
asserts USIC vice president Mark Rhoads. In addition, today’s web users are apt to follow their “real-world interests” rather than simply seeking “hot” websites. Thus, says Rhoads, “research accounts for the largest amount of time spent online”. The report, issued last month by USIC and International Technology and Trade Associates, Inc (www.itta.com), documents the rapidly growing number of Internet users in Europe and Asia, and the growth of websites in languages other than English Web’s global reach (also see The Lancet * The web doubled in size during the first 6 months of 2000. 2000;356:83). It is * Internet users soared from 171 million in 1999 to 304 divided into sections: million as of March 2000. The Global Net pro* North America has 136·86 million of the world’s Internet vides details on web users; Europe has 83.35 million users; the Asia-Pacific use in North America, region has 68.9 million users. Europe, Asia-Pacific, * Slightly more than 50% of all Internet users are native and developing English speakers; 78% of all websites are in English; 96% of countries; Social e-commerce sites are in English. Trends covers the * By 2003, Asian users will surpass North American and “digital divide”, virtual European users and exceed 200 million. communities, educa* By 2005, the number of Internet users is likely to pass the tion, governments one-billion mark, and more than 700 million users will live online, and mobile outside of North America. Internet use;
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THE LANCET • Vol 356 • October 21, 2000
Art in Hospital www.elec.gla.ac.uk/~mal/aih.htm Arts and Healing Network www.artheals.org Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre www.common.sign.dial.pipex.com Drake Music Project www.drakemusicproject.com/ Hospital Audiences www.hospitalaudiences.org King’s Fund www.kingsfund.org.uk
engage with others.” The web is a natural and cost-effective venue for information sharing that could help people grow from each other’s experiences, she says. The new site will have a public area with resources to help individuals interested in starting arts in health programmes. The members-only area will feature sub-forums (eg, visual arts and health, creative writing and health), as well as membership and funding directories, news, a calendar of events, and other resources. Eventually, a research evaluation and education forum will permit members to publish their dissertations or research articles on the web. All in all, the NNAH is an exciting project, and its progress will be well-represented on its website. Technology addresses standards, security, wireless web devices, and broadband technologies; and Electronic Business covers business models, market penetration, and e-commerce trends. In sum, the report provides a coherent and fascinating overview of today’s web and a cogent look into the near future. Also available from the USIC home page (www.usic.org) are last year’s report and information on USIC and its activities.
Click of the Week Wrecks worth viewing “If you like history and scuba diving, this is for you. The Baltic Sea, in Northern Europe, is a cold brackish sea where wood is preserved for centuries. Many sunken ships still wait to be discovered.” So begins the introduction to an engaging site, Nordic Underwater Archaeology, developed by certified diver and technical writer Per Akesson with support from the Swedish Underwater Archaeology Society. Highlights include a virtual museum of maritime archaeology and shipbuilding, comprehensive glossary, lots of links and photos, and a behind-the-scenes look at wreck investigations. www.abc.se/~m10354/uwa/
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For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.
Webwatch
Creative connections
Contributed by Marilynn Larkin [email protected]
UK arts-in-health network grows exponentially n Oct 27, the UK’s National Network for the Arts in Health (NNAH) holds its official public launch. It is also relaunching its website (www.nnah.org.uk)—with a new look and significantly more resources—because the organisation has grown so quickly in its first 6 months of operation that its rudimentary site does not meet the needs of an expanding membership, says NNAH director Lara Dose. “We never envisioned Excellent links library that our website would be serving as a resource list at this point of the game. The amount of interest generated surprised us all.” NNAH had anticipated enrolling members in segments over 3 years, but while the groups that were targeted for membership in the 1st year joined the organisation, “everyone from the next 2 years also joined”, says Dose. “We now have every type of member, from individual artists to a theatre company,
O
including GPs and ward sisters interested in starting an arts in health care initiative within their own Trust, or who simply want to learn more.” And although NNAH was determined to establish itself as a UK national organisation before seeking international members, “we’ve already had so much international interest that I don’t think it will be long before we have that component, as well”. The network emerged out of research conducted by the King’s Fund, which identified a need for a national organisation that would help bring together disparate groups and individuals who share a common mission, but would not otherwise have opportunities to communicate with each other, explains Dose. “People working in the field of arts and health have felt very much like islands in a vast sea, very alone, without a public forum in which to
Non-US web use rising fast State of the Internet 2000 www.usic.org/papers/stateoftheinternet2000/intro.html nternet use outside of the USA may be rising much faster than predicted, according to the State of the Internet 2000 report, available free of charge in .pdf format on the website of the United States Internet Council (USIC). Reading the report will give physicians “a much greater appreciation of how fast the Internet is growing, and a better understanding of the opportunity and potential for patients to become much more sophisticated than in the past”,
asserts USIC vice president Mark Rhoads. In addition, today’s web users are apt to follow their “real-world interests” rather than simply seeking “hot” websites. Thus, says Rhoads, “research accounts for the largest amount of time spent online”. The report, issued last month by USIC and International Technology and Trade Associates, Inc (www.itta.com), documents the rapidly growing number of Internet users in Europe and Asia, and the growth of websites in languages other than English Web’s global reach (also see The Lancet * The web doubled in size during the first 6 months of 2000. 2000;356:83). It is * Internet users soared from 171 million in 1999 to 304 divided into sections: million as of March 2000. The Global Net pro* North America has 136·86 million of the world’s Internet vides details on web users; Europe has 83.35 million users; the Asia-Pacific use in North America, region has 68.9 million users. Europe, Asia-Pacific, * Slightly more than 50% of all Internet users are native and developing English speakers; 78% of all websites are in English; 96% of countries; Social e-commerce sites are in English. Trends covers the * By 2003, Asian users will surpass North American and “digital divide”, virtual European users and exceed 200 million. communities, educa* By 2005, the number of Internet users is likely to pass the tion, governments one-billion mark, and more than 700 million users will live online, and mobile outside of North America. Internet use;
I
THE LANCET • Vol 356 • October 21, 2000
Art in Hospital www.elec.gla.ac.uk/~mal/aih.htm Arts and Healing Network www.artheals.org Common Ground Sign Dance Theatre www.common.sign.dial.pipex.com Drake Music Project www.drakemusicproject.com/ Hospital Audiences www.hospitalaudiences.org King’s Fund www.kingsfund.org.uk
engage with others.” The web is a natural and cost-effective venue for information sharing that could help people grow from each other’s experiences, she says. The new site will have a public area with resources to help individuals interested in starting arts in health programmes. The members-only area will feature sub-forums (eg, visual arts and health, creative writing and health), as well as membership and funding directories, news, a calendar of events, and other resources. Eventually, a research evaluation and education forum will permit members to publish their dissertations or research articles on the web. All in all, the NNAH is an exciting project, and its progress will be well-represented on its website. Technology addresses standards, security, wireless web devices, and broadband technologies; and Electronic Business covers business models, market penetration, and e-commerce trends. In sum, the report provides a coherent and fascinating overview of today’s web and a cogent look into the near future. Also available from the USIC home page (www.usic.org) are last year’s report and information on USIC and its activities.
Click of the Week Wrecks worth viewing “If you like history and scuba diving, this is for you. The Baltic Sea, in Northern Europe, is a cold brackish sea where wood is preserved for centuries. Many sunken ships still wait to be discovered.” So begins the introduction to an engaging site, Nordic Underwater Archaeology, developed by certified diver and technical writer Per Akesson with support from the Swedish Underwater Archaeology Society. Highlights include a virtual museum of maritime archaeology and shipbuilding, comprehensive glossary, lots of links and photos, and a behind-the-scenes look at wreck investigations. www.abc.se/~m10354/uwa/
1451
For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.