Public Health Widgets

Tool: Widgets
Widget Site: http://www.widgetbox.com/home/

Review of Site: 

WidgetBox office a variety of different widgets both for free and those you have to join/pay to have access to. Widgets are offered over a wide range of topics from health to widget pets! The site also offers the ability to create your own widget. 

Getting started is not hard. Just click on Widget and enter a search item. THIS is where it gets tricky. Finding exactly what you want takes a little work sifting through things that sound or appear similar to what you searched for. There is a right sidebar that allows you to browse my categories. However, again you must sift through various widgets until you find what you are looking for. 

Recommended use for public health messaging: 

Public health widgets can be utilized to enhance content on websites, blogs, or social media sites. These widgets are great tools to link to health care centers, STD information, complete risk assessments, and much more. Public health professionals can be creative and make their own widgets or link to reputable sources. Most widgets do not require any updating on the user's end.

Additional Public Health Widget Sites:

CDC Widgets [http://www.cdc.gov/widgets/]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/widgets.aspx]

Screen Capture Tools

Tool: Jing (http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)

Review of Tool: 
Jing is a screen capture tool that allows users to capture images and videos and share them with others.

Upon installation of the Jing software, the user gets an 8 page powerpoint designed to provide step by step instructions on how to use the tool. I found this to be invaluable for first time users of screen capture tools. It was difficult to navigate the tool without first looking through the guide. The screen shots provided in the guide was helpful in pointing out the exact button to use. I would strongly recommend going through the guide even if a user is familiar with screen capture tools. 

Screencast is an additional feature of Jing. This site allows the users to upload captured images and videos to save for future use. The content is private and will not be deleted unless the user deletes it. 

Here is a capture I took of my desktop background image using Jing!

Recommended use for public health messaging: Public health officials can use Jing for a variety of different ways including sharing documents, showing the public step by step picture instructions, sharing public health videos, or collaborate on design projects within the community.

Similar Tools:
Duck Link [http://www.ducklink.com/p/free-screen-capture-tool/]
TNT Screen Capture [http://www.tntscreencapture.com/]

Public Health Website Resources

Website: NPIN Web Tools (http://www.cdcnpin.org/scripts/webtools/index.asp)

Review: The National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) website offers information regarding communicable diseases, social marketing, and communities at risk to name a few. This website also offers web tools called "widgets" to incorporate on your own website/blog etc. The site itself stays with varying shades of blue and similar layout per page. This allows for simplicity and ease of navigation. Cool features include a search bar located at the top of the page. This allows viewers to search for particular topics that are not highlighted in the side bar. The major flaw is with the results. Unless specific the search results could take a long time to go through to find the information a viewer might be looking for. Another cool feature is the social media apps. NPIN links with twitter, facebook, linked in, and with a click of the more button one can find several more. 

To navigate through the website viewers have a left side bar that leads to the topic. Once there, viewers rely on the top menu to navigate to the specific information they are looking for. At the end of each section, there is a "back to top" link that allows for easy navigation back to the main headings. 

Example of an HIV promotional tool

Recommended use for public health messaging: Public health officials who want to add specific logos, and disease specific widgets will find this site appealing. This site offers HIV, STD, and TB widgets. These widgets offers different background images with the similar message encouraging testing. Results are displayed within the widget allowing viewers to stay on the original website. Additionally, the widgets are automatically updated. This website offers public health officials a great way to promote testing and testing sites without having to list all of the information themselves. 

Similar Websites:

CDC: Health Communication Social Media Toolkit:[http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/ToolsTemplates/SocialMediaToolkit_BM.PDF]

[Usability.gov: Writing for the Web] [http://www.usability.gov/methods/design_site/writing4web.html]

Public Health Messaging: Cartooning / Comics

Tool: MakeBeliefsComix (http://www.makebeliefscomix.com)

Review of Tool: This site offers both an online creation tool to make your own comics as well as a printable section, which features over 350 printable templates. Another great addition is the ability to create comic strips in multiple languages such as Spanish, French, German, and Italian just to name a few.

This tool was easy to navigate. Using the online feature is Free and does not require a log-in. You have a choice of two, three, or four frames to create a unique comic strip. The site provides five basic background colors, talk and thought balloons, background objects, characters with a range of emotions, and the ability to scale items and/or characters to your own preference. After completing the comic strip the site gives you the choice to email it yourself and/or a friend. Making sharing your comic as simple as knowing email addresses. 

Click on the link below to see an example of how a comic strip can be used to promote health behaviors if the comic below is hard to read:




http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=17462625C1015673

Recommended Use for public health messaging: Using comic strips offer public health workers the ability to deliver health messages in a different form, such as humor, while still delivering a powerful health message. Comics offer a broad appeal in that they are colorful, have cartoon-like graphic, and with just 2-4 frames the message is delivered in less than a minute. The design and ease of reading makes comic a great tool to use in public health messaging. The drawback is knowing how to pick out the most important points to get the message across to the public. 

Similar Tools:
Pixton [http://www.pixton.com/]
Read*Write*Think [http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/]