Evaluation of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Website

1. Site Sponsorship

Problem: The MS website is obviously sponsored by a professional organization(s) from the moment the homepage loads but to find exactly where the sponsorship is from is not as obvious. The MS Society seemed careful to provide information about the 4% of the annual budget that is provided by pharmaceutical companies but not about the rest of its annual budget.

Solution: Provide a link, describing in more detail, where the sponsorship money is from in terms of dollar figures similar to the pharmaceutical companies. By providing this in depth look the reader can fully understand (and appreciate) the different sources of income.

2. Information Sources

Problem: There is no lack of information sources within the MS Society website. A reader can probably find the information he or she is looking for at the site, the issue is finding the information with ease. Even using the search feature on the toolbar of the website is not always a clear cut way to find the information one is looking to read.

Solution: Although easier said than done, the web developer should try and consolidate the information on the website into a more "layman friendly" format. Realign information into categories that the common user can access to find information quickly without having to search every time.

3. Diagnosis, Treatment, Medications

This section is not applicable since the National MS Society is not a medical website per se, but an informational and supportive website.

4. Professionals Offering Medical Consultation

This section is not applicable since the National MS Society is not a medical website per se, but an informational and supportive website.

5. Policies and Procedures

Problem: There are no apparent problems with the policies and procedures of this website.

Solution: Not really a solution, the National MS Society, although not a medical website, does a great job of making their policies known on the use of the information the society obtains from the reader. It clearly states what the information will be used for and how it may be shared. It clearly states that personal information will not be shared outside the society and that personal information will only be used for things like invitations to future events or to answer questions or to join a local chapter of the society.