Please assess this memo-styled paper for content, clarity, and APA 7 errors. I attempting to contrast the two websites for technicalities. One website is technical, and the other is non-technical. I have the document double-spaced in word; however, it is shown in single-line spacing here.

 

 

The University of Texas at Arlington

Memo

To:	David Humphrey
From:	Amanda J.
Cc:	Audience Analysis
Date:	08/26/2022
Re:	Audience Analysis Review

 

 

The NIH website does not have any written inferences or illustrations indicating the website is targeting any gender or cultural background. The occupation of the primary audience for the NIH's website is scientists, researchers, medical students, and healthcare professionals. There are no advertisements or illustrations on the NIH's plasmapheresis website. The navigation list is at the top of the website's only sidebar on the left side of the web page. Along with page navigation, the sidebar offers lists of information about the topic and suggestions for related information.

Secondary audiences for the National Institutes of Health website include the public, patients, and family members looking for advanced information about plasmapheresis.

The National Institutes of Health's persuasive strategies include claims of public advocacy, sponsorship by the U.S. Federal Government, pro-science, the information is based on peer-reviewed science, uses statistical data, and the complete usage of technical language throughout the website.  

In contrast to the National Institutes of Health's technological approach to delivering information, Healthline.com primarily uses user-friendly jargon to convey complex information. The website is user-centered in that it focuses on the user's need to know. The primary audience for Healthline.com is the public, ages eight to ten years and over. The website uses a 13.5 Calibri font size for the body of information. The larger font size aids younger children and visually impaired persons in viewing the website's material.  The average sentence is eight to ten words long and contains no extra wording. The paragraphs are double-spaced and range in length from one to five sentences.  The website uses bullet point lists of three to four sentences to list groups of related information in three to twelve-word sentences. For example, the autoimmune disorders that are treatable with plasmapheresis are listed in bullet point form, as well as a list explaining how the patient should prepare for plasmapheresis treatment to minimize the treatment's side effects.  The website primarily uses jargon to convey information and explains the technological language in simple detail. The website assumes the audience has limited to no medical background, as evidenced by the website's definition of plasmapheresis. Healthline.com defines plasmapheresis as a process in which the liquid part of the blood, or plasma, is separated from the blood cells (Sergent & Ashurst, 2022). In another example, Healthline.com refers to the plasma centrifuge as the machine and instructs the audience to envision the plasmapheresis process as the hemodialysis process. 

The website does not indicate that it is targeting any gender or culture. The information is presented without references or illustrations to any gender or culture. 

The occupation of the primary audience is any occupation that is non-medical.

Secondary audiences for Healthline.com could be healthcare professionals looking for patient information resources, friends, family members, and caregivers.

The website uses several persuasive strategies, such as claims that the content is easy to understand, pro-science, and that all the information is vetted professionally. Another persuasive strategy Healthline.com uses is using the words "you and your" so the audience can envision themselves in the processes. For example, when explaining blood plasma to the reader, the website states in non-technical terms, "Your blood can be separated into four components (Sergent & Ashurst, 2022), " The website claims to ensure the accuracy of each of its 20,000+ articles by having specialized medical professionals like physicians, nurses and therapist review the data before it is published. 

Unlike the National Institutes of Health, which has 100% U.S. Government funding, Healthline.com relies upon website advertisements for its revenue. The website's advertisements are at the top of the page above the navigation bar and on the right-hand sidebar. The rotating ads offer health-related products, such as baby shampoo and men's and women's hygiene products; there's an image of a middle-aged woman vacationing by a large body of water. The advertisements primarily target male and female adult consumers ages 18 and over. Healthline.com uses search engine optimization, so the ads are based on the website's user browsing history.  

 In conclusion, the National Institutes of Health.com and Healthline.com are public health information websites delivering health-related and research content targeting different primary audiences. The National Institutes of Health uses technical language throughout the website without explanations or illustrations. This indicates that the intended audience is males and females 18 years older with some research knowledge, medical training, or scientific training. Healthline.com assumes the audience has little to no medical or scientific training. Concepts such as blood components are explained on a fourth to fifth-grade level using jargon in five-to-eight-word sentences that contain no extra wording. This indicates the primary audience is male and female members of the general public who are non-technical, ages eight years and older.

 

 

 

References

Ashurst, J. & Sergent, S. (2022, July 12). Plasmapheresis - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved August 27, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560566/

Heitz, D. (2018, September 3). Plasmapheresis: Definition and patient education. Healthline. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/plasmapheresis#risks