ASEPNewsletter
July, 2006; Vol. 10 No. 7.
Editor: Dr. Lonnie Lowery Free ASEP-Newsletter email updates What's New: BOD Editorial A Letter from the President Pittsley, J. JEPonline The Exercise Physiology Mindset (18th on page) Boone, T. PEPonline Where Did the Fun Go in Sports? Basham, E. ADVERTISEMENTS Ask the Professor Have Your Question Appear Online! with the ASEP Board of Directors Why join ASEP? Download the free PowerPoint presentation the ASEP Board of Directors Editorial ASEP: A Letter from the President Jesse Pittsley, Ph.D., EPC, ASEP President The Internet is ASEPs primary means to communicate its mission and services to the public. Fortunately, in its short history, ASEP has been very successful in establishing a strong presence on the web. A quick search using a variety of search engines demonstrates how easily one could find himself/herself reading something on the ASEP. In fact, I would argue ASEP is well ahead of the curve in regards to the information it offers for free over the web. Since the ASEP home page is so important to the organization I consider one of my first goals during my presidency of ASEP is to implement a standard webpage format through the entire ASEP web presence. Before I go further, I feel the need to state that there is nothing wrong with the current web page. The site is clean, wonderfully functional, and easy to use. This is all very amazing considering it was made and has been maintained by a man who taught himself HTML code in his late 50s and early 60s! Those who design and manage websites with todays sleek and efficient web-design programs know how far those software programs have evolved and simplified. Despite the clear quality of the current webpage, I feel it is time to implement a new look and diffuse this design through the entire ASEP website. Making a new logoThe first step in changing the look of an organization is to create a new logo. Since March I have been working with a graphic designer to modernize the ASEP. I knew I wanted the logo to look classy, dynamic, and professional. The graphic designer started by showing me about 20 pencil drawings of the letter ASEP in different forms and formats. We knew we needed the image to be functional in both black/white and color forms to anticipate letterheads and copying. Once we narrowed this down to about 4 potential winners, it was time to look at different colors. After tossing around different greens, shades of burgundy, and blues the designer took those ideas and presented three designs based upon a blue/orange color scheme. I knew this was going to be a significant change from the present theme, but the organization was ready for a change. The final three designs were sent to the ASEP Board of Directors for a vote and the logo shown here was selected. Making a HomepageOnce the logo was selected we took those colors and started evaluating new formats for the web page. The new design needed to look professional and be very functional. There is too much information on the ASEP site, (e.g. the Newsletter, two major journals, a forum, and numerous other documents), that needs to be easily accessible for the page to be difficult and cumbersome. For functionality, one of the best web designs is a three column format that displays the primary content in the middle and has links on the sides and across the top. This format has become very common over the past couple of years. It allows for the sides and top to be permanent links, news items, and potential spaces for sponsors regardless of where the consumer has traveled in the site. Furthermore, it promotes branding by always reminding the reader of which site they are using. After kicking around these ideas, the graphic designer presented several ideas with slight color differences and the Board of Directors voted on which it preferred. The chosen design is pictured here. A Consistent Look: This has been a lot of work. Unfortunately, the migration to a new ASEP look has only begun. Scaling for the future is always a challenge for web designers. Organizations must plan for the increased growth and use of their websites. When ASEP was formed, almost a decade ago, it was hard to imagine the page accumulating issues of journals and newsletters every month. Over the past few years, to deal with this problem, different individuals began to edit and monitor their respective sections of the site from remote locations. From a functional perspective, this kept ASEP above water! But, from an aesthetic perspective, this caused the different sections to gradually morph in color and format. Different parts of the site were housed on different servers and this was exaggerated when the organization switched from being nestled on the College of St. Scholastica server to the www.ASEP.org that we know today. I remember spending the summer of 2001 back in Duluth, MN probing Dr. Tommy Boone to switch from the St. Scholastica server to ASEP.org. Each time I mentioned the idea he would grumble, shake his head, and remind me of how much work that would be for a 60 year-old man who was doing this all for free. After about 20 gallons a diet coke and a lot of headaches, most of the task was completed. Now, it is time to finish the job. The ASEP of today no longer belongs on several servers. Space is cheap and secure access is too convenient for ASEP not to be on one consistent site hosted by a single service. The newsletter, journals, and other documents, need to have a consistent format and color scheme. This is the most important goal of the early phase of my presidency. The future of the web: Keeping ASEP ahead of the times. In this section I would like to take a few paragraphs to write about where I think the ASEP page could go in the future. I want an ASEP page that can anticipate the progression of the internet. As I have admitted before, I am a bit of a techie and I love to follow the evolution of hardware, software, and the new web-based applications. The web is transforming from a passive place to retrieve information to a place where one is actively involved in the information. Sites of the future (and some of the present) will allow the user to tailor the content for their particular preference. Imagine if you wanted the title and short description of each new article from the Journal of Exercise Physiology to appear down the right-hand column of the web page. But, another user wanted the titles and short descriptions of the newest articles of the journal The Professionalization of Exercise Physiology there instead. This would cause a problem with the web of the past. But the web of the future will allow this form or user modifications and much more. Another trend common with web 2.0 is having material sent to your browser without having to visit the source site. Podcasts and blogs are great examples of this technology called RSS feeds. Imagine if you subscribed to the Journal of Exercise Physiology RSS feed and the new articles of JEP were sent directly to a drop-down menu on your Firefox web browser. You could simply click the link of the title from the menu and be brought directly to the article without ever having to surf through the ASEP page. Furthermore, imagine if that feed also included a five-minute audio interview with the first author of that paper. You could simultaneously listen to the interview and scan the article. Or, imagine little audio files describing the different tables and figures in the article! All of this would enhance the understanding of the article and are all very possible today. Finally, after reading the article you could write your comments in a thread on a discussion board regarding the article. Or there could be discussion board threads following each section of the paper (e.g. Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusions). Some traditionalists think this is a bad idea. But they are failing to see the future where research articles are no longer static but instead include video clips, interactive figures and tables, and direct links to the raw data gathered for the report. I have heard these same people talk about how online journals will never catch on. These same people will gradually watch as our newspapers be replaced by single sheet of e-paper and every textbook of that semester will be on a single electronic tablet. The purpose of a scientific article is to disseminate knowledge and to initiate a critical analysis of its findings. This type of interactive format promotes and facilitates critical thought far more than the stationary and static journals of today. ASEP could lead the way in this evolution. Summary With that rant for the future aside, it is time for the ASEP site to evolve to its next phase. This phase is about centralization and consistency. The ASEP site should look the same and have consistent urls through entire site. The ASEP site is one of the primary sites for Exercise Physiology. For the ASEP web presence to keep pace with future changes of the internet, the site needs to move to a single server and have an agile, professional, and clean format. Ask the Professor: Your Inside Scoop on Tough Questions Note: Ask the Professor is intended for informational purposes only. It is not to be taken as healthcare advice. Please do not submit questions of a personal nature (e.g. fitness programs, nutrition advice solicitation, etc.) Thanks. Q.) Based on some recent comments from my family, I feel like there's some confusion among the public as to what an Exercise Physiologist actually does. I've read the ASEP definition but how do we avoid being confused with other wellness professionals? A.) This is a common question and one that's more difficult to answer than you may know! In truth, practicing EPs are currently intermingled with other wellness professionals regarding scope of practice (what they do). So much so that the American Medical Association (AMA) has been approached to participate in a national summit for healthcare professions to openly discuss scope of practice, among other issues. According to a professional communiqu from the American Dietetic Association: "The action [proposal of a Summit] came after ADA completed a set of discussions with associations representing both physicians and a variety of non-physician practitioners on issues related to the AMA's Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) and its Resolution 814." The SOPP is not new. It is involved with funding the investigation of several issues that ASEP has championed for years, including: education, accreditation issues, ethics, licensure, certification and other aspects of professional groups operating within allied health. The potential concern for some associations is that SOPP could lead to physician advocacy among state governments to (further) limit the scopes of practice among non-physician professions. For more information, here's a link: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/471/bot24A06.doc Members of the ASEP Board of Directors are aware of these events and are discussing how to best act. It is important to know that ASEP has very clear definitions and scope-of-practice guidelines that you can access by visiting www.asep.org. For now, the best approach in dealing with the public is to be familiar with the ASEP definition of Exercise Physiology (-ist) and its scope-of-practice guidelines. It's also important to show your competency and professionalism by your actions as an EP. Most "lay persons" are impressed to experience the vast difference between the true you and some naive initial perception that you are a semi-educated "personal trainer" or "sports injury guy" or the like! Why ASEP? ASEP offers a downloadable PowerPoint presentation you should see: "Why Join ASEP?" (just click the link!) Don't forget to get on the free ASEP email list! ASEP Contact Information Please use this web page (click above) and new email address: contact@asep.org ASEP is a member of the Health Profession Network Check out the HPN Links! And keep in mind: For more information on professional scope of practice, professional standards and code of ethics for exercise physiologists, accreditation of academic programs, board certification examination, and other important tasks already completed by ASEP in establishing a profession, visit: www.asep.org Copyright ©1997-2006 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights Reserved. All materials posted on this site are subject to copyrights owned by the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP). Any reproduction, retransmission, or republication (in whole or in part) of any document or information found on this site is expressly prohibited, unless otherwise agreed to by ASEP and expressly granted in writing to consent to reproduce, retransmit, or republish the material. All other rights reserved.
Free ASEP-Newsletter email updates
What's New:
BOD Editorial A Letter from the President Pittsley, J.
JEPonline The Exercise Physiology Mindset (18th on page) Boone, T.
PEPonline Where Did the Fun Go in Sports? Basham, E.
Ask the Professor Have Your Question Appear Online! with the ASEP Board of Directors
Editorial
ASEP: A Letter from the President Jesse Pittsley, Ph.D., EPC, ASEP President
The Internet is ASEPs primary means to communicate its mission and services to the public. Fortunately, in its short history, ASEP has been very successful in establishing a strong presence on the web. A quick search using a variety of search engines demonstrates how easily one could find himself/herself reading something on the ASEP. In fact, I would argue ASEP is well ahead of the curve in regards to the information it offers for free over the web. Since the ASEP home page is so important to the organization I consider one of my first goals during my presidency of ASEP is to implement a standard webpage format through the entire ASEP web presence. Before I go further, I feel the need to state that there is nothing wrong with the current web page. The site is clean, wonderfully functional, and easy to use. This is all very amazing considering it was made and has been maintained by a man who taught himself HTML code in his late 50s and early 60s! Those who design and manage websites with todays sleek and efficient web-design programs know how far those software programs have evolved and simplified. Despite the clear quality of the current webpage, I feel it is time to implement a new look and diffuse this design through the entire ASEP website.
Making a new logoThe first step in changing the look of an organization is to create a new logo. Since March I have been working with a graphic designer to modernize the ASEP. I knew I wanted the logo to look classy, dynamic, and professional. The graphic designer started by showing me about 20 pencil drawings of the letter ASEP in different forms and formats. We knew we needed the image to be functional in both black/white and color forms to anticipate letterheads and copying. Once we narrowed this down to about 4 potential winners, it was time to look at different colors. After tossing around different greens, shades of burgundy, and blues the designer took those ideas and presented three designs based upon a blue/orange color scheme. I knew this was going to be a significant change from the present theme, but the organization was ready for a change. The final three designs were sent to the ASEP Board of Directors for a vote and the logo shown here was selected.
Making a HomepageOnce the logo was selected we took those colors and started evaluating new formats for the web page. The new design needed to look professional and be very functional. There is too much information on the ASEP site, (e.g. the Newsletter, two major journals, a forum, and numerous other documents), that needs to be easily accessible for the page to be difficult and cumbersome. For functionality, one of the best web designs is a three column format that displays the primary content in the middle and has links on the sides and across the top. This format has become very common over the past couple of years. It allows for the sides and top to be permanent links, news items, and potential spaces for sponsors regardless of where the consumer has traveled in the site. Furthermore, it promotes branding by always reminding the reader of which site they are using. After kicking around these ideas, the graphic designer presented several ideas with slight color differences and the Board of Directors voted on which it preferred. The chosen design is pictured here.
A Consistent Look: This has been a lot of work. Unfortunately, the migration to a new ASEP look has only begun. Scaling for the future is always a challenge for web designers. Organizations must plan for the increased growth and use of their websites. When ASEP was formed, almost a decade ago, it was hard to imagine the page accumulating issues of journals and newsletters every month. Over the past few years, to deal with this problem, different individuals began to edit and monitor their respective sections of the site from remote locations. From a functional perspective, this kept ASEP above water! But, from an aesthetic perspective, this caused the different sections to gradually morph in color and format. Different parts of the site were housed on different servers and this was exaggerated when the organization switched from being nestled on the College of St. Scholastica server to the www.ASEP.org that we know today. I remember spending the summer of 2001 back in Duluth, MN probing Dr. Tommy Boone to switch from the St. Scholastica server to ASEP.org. Each time I mentioned the idea he would grumble, shake his head, and remind me of how much work that would be for a 60 year-old man who was doing this all for free. After about 20 gallons a diet coke and a lot of headaches, most of the task was completed. Now, it is time to finish the job.
The ASEP of today no longer belongs on several servers. Space is cheap and secure access is too convenient for ASEP not to be on one consistent site hosted by a single service. The newsletter, journals, and other documents, need to have a consistent format and color scheme. This is the most important goal of the early phase of my presidency.
The future of the web: Keeping ASEP ahead of the times. In this section I would like to take a few paragraphs to write about where I think the ASEP page could go in the future. I want an ASEP page that can anticipate the progression of the internet. As I have admitted before, I am a bit of a techie and I love to follow the evolution of hardware, software, and the new web-based applications. The web is transforming from a passive place to retrieve information to a place where one is actively involved in the information. Sites of the future (and some of the present) will allow the user to tailor the content for their particular preference. Imagine if you wanted the title and short description of each new article from the Journal of Exercise Physiology to appear down the right-hand column of the web page. But, another user wanted the titles and short descriptions of the newest articles of the journal The Professionalization of Exercise Physiology there instead. This would cause a problem with the web of the past. But the web of the future will allow this form or user modifications and much more. Another trend common with web 2.0 is having material sent to your browser without having to visit the source site. Podcasts and blogs are great examples of this technology called RSS feeds. Imagine if you subscribed to the Journal of Exercise Physiology RSS feed and the new articles of JEP were sent directly to a drop-down menu on your Firefox web browser. You could simply click the link of the title from the menu and be brought directly to the article without ever having to surf through the ASEP page. Furthermore, imagine if that feed also included a five-minute audio interview with the first author of that paper. You could simultaneously listen to the interview and scan the article. Or, imagine little audio files describing the different tables and figures in the article! All of this would enhance the understanding of the article and are all very possible today. Finally, after reading the article you could write your comments in a thread on a discussion board regarding the article. Or there could be discussion board threads following each section of the paper (e.g. Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusions). Some traditionalists think this is a bad idea. But they are failing to see the future where research articles are no longer static but instead include video clips, interactive figures and tables, and direct links to the raw data gathered for the report. I have heard these same people talk about how online journals will never catch on. These same people will gradually watch as our newspapers be replaced by single sheet of e-paper and every textbook of that semester will be on a single electronic tablet. The purpose of a scientific article is to disseminate knowledge and to initiate a critical analysis of its findings. This type of interactive format promotes and facilitates critical thought far more than the stationary and static journals of today. ASEP could lead the way in this evolution. Summary With that rant for the future aside, it is time for the ASEP site to evolve to its next phase. This phase is about centralization and consistency. The ASEP site should look the same and have consistent urls through entire site. The ASEP site is one of the primary sites for Exercise Physiology. For the ASEP web presence to keep pace with future changes of the internet, the site needs to move to a single server and have an agile, professional, and clean format.
Ask the Professor: Your Inside Scoop on Tough Questions
Note: Ask the Professor is intended for informational purposes only. It is not to be taken as healthcare advice. Please do not submit questions of a personal nature (e.g. fitness programs, nutrition advice solicitation, etc.) Thanks.
Q.) Based on some recent comments from my family, I feel like there's some confusion among the public as to what an Exercise Physiologist actually does. I've read the ASEP definition but how do we avoid being confused with other wellness professionals?
A.) This is a common question and one that's more difficult to answer than you may know! In truth, practicing EPs are currently intermingled with other wellness professionals regarding scope of practice (what they do). So much so that the American Medical Association (AMA) has been approached to participate in a national summit for healthcare professions to openly discuss scope of practice, among other issues. According to a professional communiqu from the American Dietetic Association: "The action [proposal of a Summit] came after ADA completed a set of discussions with associations representing both physicians and a variety of non-physician practitioners on issues related to the AMA's Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) and its Resolution 814."
The SOPP is not new. It is involved with funding the investigation of several issues that ASEP has championed for years, including: education, accreditation issues, ethics, licensure, certification and other aspects of professional groups operating within allied health. The potential concern for some associations is that SOPP could lead to physician advocacy among state governments to (further) limit the scopes of practice among non-physician professions. For more information, here's a link: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/471/bot24A06.doc
Members of the ASEP Board of Directors are aware of these events and are discussing how to best act. It is important to know that ASEP has very clear definitions and scope-of-practice guidelines that you can access by visiting www.asep.org. For now, the best approach in dealing with the public is to be familiar with the ASEP definition of Exercise Physiology (-ist) and its scope-of-practice guidelines. It's also important to show your competency and professionalism by your actions as an EP. Most "lay persons" are impressed to experience the vast difference between the true you and some naive initial perception that you are a semi-educated "personal trainer" or "sports injury guy" or the like!
Why ASEP?
ASEP offers a downloadable PowerPoint presentation you should see: "Why Join ASEP?" (just click the link!)
Don't forget to get on the free ASEP email list!
ASEP Contact Information Please use this web page (click above) and new email address: contact@asep.org
ASEP is a member of the Health Profession Network Check out the HPN Links!
And keep in mind: For more information on professional scope of practice, professional standards and code of ethics for exercise physiologists, accreditation of academic programs, board certification examination, and other important tasks already completed by ASEP in establishing a profession, visit: www.asep.org
Copyright ©1997-2006 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights Reserved. All materials posted on this site are subject to copyrights owned by the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP). Any reproduction, retransmission, or republication (in whole or in part) of any document or information found on this site is expressly prohibited, unless otherwise agreed to by ASEP and expressly granted in writing to consent to reproduce, retransmit, or republish the material. All other rights reserved.