Staff Works
Developments in Digital
Communications
BY CONNIE PARADISE, AIHA® DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
In recent months, AIHA staff have put
special emphasis on transforming AIHA’s
online presence. Because the changes
have been more gradual than radical, it’s
understandable that some members may
not have noticed all that AIHA has to
offer in the digital realm. Below, I’ve
summarized some recent developments
and coming changes.
Coming Soon: Digital
Synergist Log-in
In February 2010, AIHA introduced the
digital edition of The Synergist. Created
by Texterity and sponsored by Spiramid
and SiteHawk, the digital edition offered
a convenient new way for readers to access Synergist articles.
While print is still the preferred format
for many readers, the digital edition has
developed a steady readership since its
debut. With its robust search capabilities,
easy-to-use interface, and ability to incorporate multimedia, Texterity’s product
is a quality complement to the printed
Synergist.
Until now, the digital Synergist has
been accessible to anyone visiting the
AIHA website. That is about to change:
beginning May 15, only AIHA members
will have complete access to this valuable information.
Here’s how it will work. When readers
click on a link to the digital Synergist,
either from the monthly e-mail an-
nouncement or from a web page, they
will be taken, as usual, to the www.
aihasynergist-digital.org domain. There
they will have free access to a portion
of the current issue. After a certain
number of pages, visitors will be asked
to log in to see the rest of the issue.
Conveniently, members’ log-in informa-
tion will be the same as for the mem-
bers-only pages on www.aiha.org. Once
they’ve logged in, members will have
complete access to the current issue, as
well as back issues (The Synergist’s dig-
ital archives date to June/July 2009).
The Synergist was
always intended to be
a member publication.
Safe & Sound
Launched in 2010, AIHA’s weekly Internet radio show has strung together over
60 quality episodes featuring knowledgeable guests from the occupational and
environmental health and safety professions. Recent episodes have covered new
developments in portable gas detection;
the controversy surrounding Brazilian
Blowout, a hair treatment that can potentially expose salon workers to
formaldehyde; the Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study of workers who helped
clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill; and concerns over carbon monoxide levels in indoor ice rinks.
Hosted by Craig Sorrell, project coor-
dinator for AIHA Scientific and Techni-
cal Initiatives, a new episode of Safe &
Sound is released every Friday. Look for
it on the AIHA home page.
AIHA.org
AIHA.org is AIHA’s primary means of
communicating with members. Through
the website, members can access the
AIHA member directory, the Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Health,
and free podcasts of AIHce and PCIH
presentations—not to mention the digital
Synergist and episodes of Safe & Sound.
In recent months, AIHA staff have
made the AIHA.org home page a must-visit for anyone who wants to stay current with news affecting industrial
hygienists and OEHS professionals. Staff
update the home page at least once a
week with news from OSHA, NIOSH, EPA,
the National Institutes of Health, the U.S.
Chemical Safety Board, and other agencies related to OEHS. News from government, industry, and AIHA is archived in
the Synergist section of the website.
But perhaps the best reason to check
out AIHA.org is the launch, this summer,
of a complete site redesign. While the redesign entails a cleaner look for the
home page and landing pages, the
changes go deeper than mere aesthetics.
Staff are reorganizing and simplifying
the entire site. Of course, members will
need some time to get used to the new
navigation, but we trust that the changes
will make the site easier to use and more
pleasing to the eye. As always, please
don’t hesitate to share your comments
and suggestions for improvement with
me and other AIHA staff.
ConnieParadise,CAE,isAIHA’sdirectorofcommu-nications and marketing and editor in chief of The
Synergist. She can be reached at cparadise@aiha.org
or(703)846-0742.
