ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at why the internet can be an effective means of reaching men, how it can be done and introduces some of the concerns and issues that reaching men in this way raises. As the figures cited under 'Internet access in the United Kingdom' above demonstrate, there is a clear 'digital divide' with older, working-class men more likely to be excluded. A dedicated intranet site included access to nurses signed up by the Men's Health Forum to act as lifestyle advisers, answer email questions and provide dietary and fitness advice and other health information. However, structural problems around inequality of access mean that at present the internet can only ever be part of a health communications strategy. However, at the time of writing, internet-based formation is often difficult to find. As a result the information that is found is often inappropriate. Users are also concerned that information is of variable quality and may be out of date.
