Interactive Web-Based Activities and Information
SAMHSA hosted a Recovery Month interactive Web site, making information on Recovery Month accessible to local communities and the general public either online or through downloadable files. Visitors could view and order materials, distribute news, and post events by locality. From January through December 2004, the official Recovery Month Web site received more than 8 million hits (an indicator of Web server traffic), and logged in 464,207 "unique visitors" (an indicator of new visitors) to the site. This is a 232 percent increase from 2003, when 139,846 unique visitors visited the site.
The site experienced tremendous growth over the previous year, especially during the month of September. In September 2004, there were 105,924 unique visitors to the site, compared to 24,233 unique visitors as of September 2003, a 337 percent increase. Overall, there were 168,705 visits during September 2004, compared to 52,242 visits during September 2003, a 223 percent increase. An even more impressive growth rate occurred in hits to the web banners area in 2004, which experienced a 944 percent increase compared to 2003.
This significant growth indicates a consistent, loyal, and continuously growing audience.
Features on the Web site for 2004 included an interactive events counter and event photos. An electronic flyer was also made available each month for organizations hosting events. In 2004, 417 events were posted on the site, an increase of 44 percent over the previous year. The Web site also included the virtual Recovery Month toolkit, an option for contributors to automatically receive future Recovery Month toolkits, and on line ordering capabilities. In addition, visitors were able to access SAMHSA press releases, additional resources and publications, the proclamations, event listings, archived web chats and Webcasts - including new "Ask the Expert" forums, English and Spanish versions of television and radio PSAs produced in 2001, 2002, and 2003 along with the Recovery Month 2004 spots. New features on the Web site for 2004 included the Road to Recovery listserv, optimized enhancements to text on the Web site's "e-mail this page" feature, a custom 404 error page, and other content areas such as Voices for Recovery.
Recovery Month Web Site Hits Compared to Previous Years
| Month |
2004 Hits |
2003 Hits |
2002 Hits |
2001 Hits |
2000 Hits |
Prior to June |
2,415,654 |
2,533,370 |
633,187 |
114,413 |
- |
June |
533,355 |
683,796 |
228,496 |
127,852 |
17,507 |
July |
693,215 |
767,676 |
284,609 |
629,657 |
37,655 |
August |
1,169,034 |
1,231,059 |
375,530 |
212,043 |
45,988 |
September |
1,140,801 |
1,157,533 |
452,433 |
176,016 |
51,235 |
October |
764,454 |
614,676 |
243,100 |
85,975 |
27,983 |
November |
878,528 |
474,020 |
240,932 |
57,167 |
22,033 |
December |
715,477 |
337,088 |
150,957 |
55,373 |
16,238 |
Total |
8,310,518 |
7,799,218 |
2,609,244 |
1,458,496 |
218,639 |
Webcasts
SAMHSA developed 10 Webcasts in a talk and magazine show format, with a host and four guests. All Webcasts were aired on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:00 p.m. EST, beginning in February and running through November. Viewers had an opportunity to send in topic related questions, prior to each Webcast via the Recovery Month Web site. These questions were addressed during the program. The ten monthly Webcasts logged 12,918 views. (These figures indicate the number of times a viewer accessed the web page, but do not necessarily reflect the number of times the supporting graphics/files were viewed.) In addition, more than 160 cable stations throughout the country are currently airing the Webcast series. Archive copies of the Webcasts were made available on the web immediately following the aired program and VHS video cassette tapes could be ordered via the Recovery Month Web site. With the sale of 358 tapes in 2004, these have become NCADI's most widely distributed video series. The Webcast "Addiction by Prescription" received the largest viewership. The 2004 Web cast are listed below:
- Road to Recovery (2/1/04)
- Addiction by Prescription (3/3/04)
- Alcohol and Drug Use Screening, Intervention, and Referral (4/7/04)
- Helping Older Adults Find Recovery (5/5/04)
- The Individual and Familial Dynamics of Recovery (6/2/04)
- Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders, STDs, and Other Infectious Diseases (7/7/04)
- The Role of Faith- and Community-Based Systems in Addiction Treatment and Recovery (8/4/04)
- Mutual Support Groups: What Everyone Needs to Know (9/1/04)
- Witnessing With Anonymity: Dispelling the Misconceptions That Silence the Voices of Recovery (9/15/04)
- A Nation Unites for Recovery (11/3/04)
Web Chats/"Ask the Expert"
SAMHSA developed two web chats that aired on the third Wednesday of the month at 3:00 p.m. EST, in March and April. That feature was later transitioned to "Ask the Expert" forums, which ran in May, June, July, and August and twice in September. This addition allowed for a longer window of time for visitors to key in their questions and get expert advice from SAMHSA-approved experts. There were a total of 45 chat logins and 26 simultaneous users for the 2004 web chats and the new "Ask the Expert" segment captured and successfully answered all visitor questions.
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