Health Internet sites : a linguistic perspective on health advice columns

In this paper health Internet sites are discussed with a special focus on advice, and in particular advice columns. It is argued that health educators can exploit the potential of the Internet to reach a large audience by making use of the popular format of an advice column. This text type is already well established in the print media and offers the advice-seekers anonymity and an archive to search for solutions to their concerns. At the same time, the interactive format allows health educators to find the genuine concerns of their target audience, as depicted in the "problem letters". The paper discusses the intricacies of the linguistic act of advice-giving and the linguistic challenges that health providers face in creating and maintaining an online advice platform.