Finding out about the portal

The majority of respondents to the English and Spanish surveys have found out about the portal through links from other sites. Although the number of respondents to the French survey was relatively low (56 and thus difficult to generalize to a larger group of users), it is interesting to note that half the users in the French survey reported finding out about the portal through search engines whereas less than a quarter of the English and Spanish respondents found out about the portal this way.

Web statistics do indicate the French version of the portal is used less frequently than the English and Spanish versions. This is more than likely related to lower Internet access in many French speaking countries (many of which are in Africa), but also to the fact that the portal is more likely to be relevant to users coming to the site referred by colleagues or related sites than search engines. It does appear that the portal is linked from many more English and Spanish sites than French ones. More promotion in requesting links to IPFSAPH from related French web sites could increase the use of the French version of the portal.