Web MD Vs. Mayo Clinic

The two websites I have chosen to compare are Web MD, http://www.webmd.com/, and Mayo Clinic, http://www.mayoclinic.org/. These two websites are speaking towards the same subject, which is medical reasoning. However, they both may seem to aim toward the same audience, but one is for a professional audience and one is for a non-technical audience. People who want information about medical issues are going to view these sites.

Web MD is aimed to a more non-technical audience where the Mayo Clinic is aimed to a more professional audience. The primary audience for Web MD would be the general public looking for information on a health issue, drug facts, or living a better life style. The secondary audience for Web MD would be nursing students

or college students such as us for this class doing a project, or wanting information on a certain topic. The Mayo Clinic’s primary audience would be a medical field audience such as Doctors, nurses, scientist, people who understand the medical terms and ideas. Their secondary audience would be a general audience such as moms, students, patients of the mayo clinic. The first thing I noticed about the Web MD website compared to the Mayo Clinic website is it just looks unprofessional in a way. Web MD is loaded with images and bright pictures to draw in a person looking on their website, and make it look like their website is the correct one to be on for answers. When it comes to the knowledge of the people viewing Web MD the individual most likely knows little to nothing about the subject they are trying to find information on. The age group for Web MD ranges from people old enough to use a computer to people too old to even know what they are doing. That as well goes with the education level. Middle school to Nursing home, and they are the people around us. Our average Americans. Their occupations would be anyone who works or does not work, and wants information. The Mayo Clinic has a more professional outlook when you first view it. It is not loaded with images right off the bat, and it explains what their clinic is about. The knowledge of the Mayo Clinic’s audience would be people who know their medical terms, and are specialized in the medical field. That age group and education level ranges most likely from college and above. Occupations would be scientist, nurses, and doctors. Anyone who knows the field well.
Web MD makes a huge effort to connect with their audience by providing everything they may want or need.

The bright pictures and the easy to read tabs. They even have tabs that pop up asking the viewer to subscribe to them to get even more information. Web MD has claims that were made on their website, but they are not backed up by a professional personnel on the subject. The Mayo Clinic serves a different outlook with their website. They are still connecting with their audience, but they do it in a more professional way. The Mayo Clinic has pictures on their home page of how they were voted the best of the year. It states, “Mayo Clinic ranked #1 in more specialties than any other hospital in the nation.” http://www.mayoclinic.org/ . They don’t really have any images on the home page, instead they have topics you can click on. Such as, research, Patient care and Health information, and medical education. They have made claims on their website, and have it backed up by a professional doctor or scientist. For example, if you click on the health information tab and click diseases. You choose one at the top of the page it will list the doctor’s name, or say “by mayo clinic staff”. Jargons are present with the Mayo Clinic website as they use medical terminology with their research and information. Examples include, “Behcet's (beh-CHETS) disease, also called Behcet's syndrome, is a rare disorder that causes inflammation in blood vessels throughout your body.”

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/behcets-disease/basics/definition/con-20027549 . This is just one of many. They use the correct medical term for the condition and they explain it. Web MD does not use jargons. They occasionally use the correct medical term, but most of the time they use the easier term for it.
The sentences Mayo Clinic gives out are well written and proper grammar sentences.

The paragraphs are multiple and multiple ones, and they are grammatically correct. Compared to Web MD who has fragmented sentences and some paragraphs are short, and not grammatically correct. This just shows that Web MD is focused toward a non- professional out for anyone audience. As for the Mayo Clinic website is for a professional audience aimed toward science and medical degrees. The advertising for the Mayo Clinic is strictly about the Mayo Clinic. Web MD just has random medical and drug related ads on their website. That also hints what audience it is for. It just shows how more “Mature” one website is from the other just by ads. Web MD will use graphs to explain their symptoms or certain aspects of the body. They are normally filled with a lot of information, and are very in your face. Mayo Clinic rarely uses graphs. They instead use lettering graphs. You click the letter of whatever your need starts with, and from there an organized set up pops up and leads you to what you need. Web MD is very informal when it comes to information, and it isn’t always trust worthy. The Mayo Clinic is very formal and you can trust it

100%.
These two websites accomplish the same thing. They are both trying to accomplish giving out information about medical and drug related issues. Yet, they are both totally different. In a way they aim toward the same audiences, but one is toward a more mature audience than the other. One is professional and one is not, and it comes off obvious just by the website set up. Web MD will continue to be used, but sometimes it is better to use the websites addressed to a more professional audience.