Patterns of E-Mail Requests by Users of an Internet-Based Aging-Services Information System

Patterns of E-Mail Requests by Users of an Internet-Based Aging-Services Information System* Many government agencies and non-profit organizations have begun to publish elder care information on the World Wide Web. Most of this information is intended as static reading material, however, web sites also have the capability to serve as a conduit for the public to contact the agency whose site is being visited. The objective of this investigation was to describe e-mail contact made by the public through one such site, the Michigan Aging Services System (http://mass.iog wayne.edu), for the purposes of requesting services and/or information on behalf of an elder. Key Words. electronic mail, ininformation requests, service requests, World Wide Web. With the recent phenomenal growth of the World Wide Web, new opportunities have arisen for the dissemination of information. A recent New York Times article estimated that there are at least 320 million web pages on the Intemet (Kolata, 1997; http://search.nytimes.com/books/search/bin/ fastweb? getdoc+cyber-lib+cyber-lib+20754+0+wAAA+giles). Those individuals who have access to the Internet are able to empower themselves with information on every conceivable topic. Many organizations have begun to publish information on the topic of elder care. Sites such as the Mining Company (1998; http://seniorliving.miningco.com/) and GeroWeb (Ellis, Jankowski, Jasper, & Abdul, 1996; Wayne State University, 1998, http://www.iog.wayne.edu/geroweb/) have cataloged many of the Internet resources specifically available to those who care for an elder. There are literally hundreds of Internet sites available to families caring for an elder in need, including several hundred local Area Agencies on Aging, over 40 of the State Units on Aging, and many other organizations, including both grass-roots volunteer groups and commercial entities. Typically, these sites provide static information (i.e., reading material for individuals seeking information on elder care). A lesser examined role of these Internet information services is their potential to serve as an interactive communications conduit from the user community back to the agency. One such site is the MASS (Michigan Aging Services System; http://mass.iog.wayne.edu), the official World Wide Web site of Michigan's State Unit on Aging, the Office of Services to the Aging (OSA). Online since early 1995, the MASS content and organizational structure were developed using a process called "participatory design" (Ellis, Jankowski, & Jasper, in press). Using this process, four top-level categories emerged: (a) news and current events, which provided information and links to information on current events in aging, news, announcements, and other timely issues; (b) general information, which provided information including the Michigan Senior Resource Directory and instructions for the Eldercare Locator Service; (c) policy and program information, which provided information on OSA policies and programs as well as those of other state agencies; and (d) population data, which was comprised of research-oriented information such as census data. The first step in the Ellis et al. (in press) process focused on opening lines of communication between the MASS developers and intended users. Communication with users was initiated through focus groups and surveys. However, when the MASS went online methods were developed to allow public users to communicate directly with the MASS staff. First, an e-mail address for the MASS staff was added to every page on the WWW site. Communication was further enhanced with an online feedback form that allowed users without an e-mail account to communicate with MASS staff. This was particularly important for users who access the MASS from Internet-connected public computers, such as those commonly found in public libraries. The e-mail account information and feedback form were initially included to give the public a voice in development of further MASS content. …