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6.
The dissemination of the SHARED
Futures
materials
An important aspect of the success of the SHARED Futures project and its materials
is the extent to which they reach their intended audience.
So far, there have been
two main conduits for dissemination
of the materials:
the SHARED Futures website
the launch events.
In addition
to these, reviews on other websites and publications
and the distribution
of publicity leaflets have helped to make people aware of the project.
The website was set up in the early part of 2007 and now includes six pages. It is
easy to find through internet search engines. It is user-friendly
and navigation
around
the website is clear and uncomplicated.
The website contains information
about the
background
to the project, the research reports (which are downloadable
in pdf
format), information
on forthcoming
training events, downloadable
application forms
for ordering the DVD and resource book, and links to other websites.
Figure 1 (below) indicates that there was a steady growth in visitors and ‘hits’ since
its inception until
April 2008, when the number of hits more than quadrupled.
This
growth in hits was sustained in the third quarter of 2008.
25000
20000
15000
10000
website
hits
5000
0
Ist Quarter
2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter
2007
2007
2007
2007
2008
2008
2008
Figure 1: SHARED Futures website hits between January 2007 and September
2008
It is difficult
to compare
the popularity
of the website
with other similar websites,
but
the figures indicate that it is attracting
a
substantial
number of visitors given that it is
a
very specific website focused on professional
practice.
The first SHARED Futures launch event took place in June 2008
in London. This
was followed by an event in Portsmouth
in July 2008. Launch events initially took
place in cities where partner organisations
who had been
involved
in the filming are
located. Subsequently,
events have taken place in other locations and future events
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