VNN Media Insider
June 3rd, 2010 |
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| Welcome to our newest Certified Veterinary Journalist: Dr. Mitsie Vargas of Florida!
Becoming credentialed through the American Society of Veterinary Journalists is an important step in raising the level of professionalism in animal health news.
Visit ASVJ.org to learn more and to submit your application! |
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| Dear VNN Member: |
 June is Adopt A Cat/Adopt A Shelter Cat Month! This month long celebration of our feline friends is a great way to generate some publicity and increase cat owner knowledge about the importance of veterinary care for cats. Over in Baltimore, MD, a group of rescues and shelters developed the Baltimore 500 in an effort to get 500 shelter cats into forever homes. According to VNN Member, Dr. Jane Brunt, 581 cats were adopted during May! Dr. Brunt's hospital provided free exams for all adoptees and received some great publicity. The CATalyst Council has also provided some helpful resources for cat owners. Reviewing these might give you, or one of your staff members, some ideas on how you can help promote the adoption of cats and gain a little promotion for yourself! At or around July 1st, you will receive another physical mailing from VNN. Like the previous mailing in April, this one will contain updates on VNN projects as well as helpful media tips for the July 15th National Pet Fire Safety Day. Please be on the lookout for a large white envelope splashed with "VNN" during that time. |
| New at MyVNN.com |
 Summer means beach parties, tan lines, trips to the "ole swimming hole" and a lot more outdoor activities. As we are trying to keep ourselves cool in the hot temperatures, it's important to remember our furry friends too!! Heat stroke is a very common problem for pets as the mercury rises during summer's muggy days. Likewise, biting insects and celebratory fireworks also have the potential to cause a lot of stress for our dogs. Before you head out to the swimming pool, read this story for some tips to keep your pets cool this summer!
Next week, we will release our "Season 5" ratings report so that you all can see the impact your blogs, TV segments, print columns, etc are having on the education of pet owners across the US, Canada and the world. (Sneak peek...you all had another tremendous year!)
Then, around June 15th, our next video story will be available. Learn all about Jack the Bulldog and his experiences after rupturing his cruciate ligament.
Finally, if you missed it last week, be sure to check out Dr. Brian Hurley's "Video Blog" using our Lyme Disease story. Our ability to provide these "customized" videos for your use is rapidly approaching! Please contact Dr. Jim or myself if you have any questions about what you will need or how you can take advantage of this upcoming new service from VNN! |
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| Moving Forward...Updates at VNN 2.0! |
NEW TECHNOLOGY GIVES VNN A BREAKING NEWS ALERT SYSTEM!  As everyone knows, the ability to communicate and disseminate information is growing daily.
At VNN, we are striving to stay ahead of the curve for you. We want to provide you with timely animal health information, but, at the same time, we don't want to be intrusive of your time. We know you are bombarded with emails, phone messages and social media contacts every day.
A few months back, we announced our partnership with InTouch Practice Communications. As part of this strategic alliance, we are in the process of creating a "reverse 911" system. This technology will allow us to get urgent news or crisis communications to you without the need to bother your office staff or run the risk of an email getting lost in spam filters or buried underneath other pressing messages. It's been proven that cell phones are an effective means to accomplish this.
Our new "VNN Phone Tree System" will alert you via your cell phone when breaking news or vital announcements are available at MyVNN.com. And, since we know how important your privacy is to you, we are committed to only using this system when the situation calls for it. Looking back over the last 2 years, I can recall less than ten instances of "Urgent" communications from us to our members.
In order for this system to work effectively and keep you informed, we need to insure that we have your correct cell phone number. Please log in to MyVNN.com, click the My Profile tab and verify that your cell phone is correct. If you have ANY difficulty logging into the site, please email me and I will be happy to help.
You will find this service extremely valuable for urgent or breaking news. Further updates will follow!
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| Facebook Privacy Concerns |
 Last newsletter, we showed you how to work with Facebook's privacy policy in order to insure that you weren't sharing too much information with the world. Today, we need to address a different kind of sharing....the kind that happens when you vent about difficult clients or frustrating situations.
Your personal Facebook page is exactly that...personal. You should be able to post anything you want as long as it's not illegal or immoral. BUT...we strongly recommend that you give some thought before you post rambling vents about your "idiot" clients. Remember, what you post on Facebook will be electronically available FOREVER! In sticky legal situations, this passionate display could be used against you!
On your hospital page, we would encourage you to only post positive updates and "take the high road". Another good example would be posting information that could be used as a teachable moment (cats with collars that have grown too tight) but try to avoid demeaning the client. Your goal with your hospital's Facebook page is to grow your business...multiple postings that highlight poor care by clients, regardless of it's truth, will paint your clinic in a negative light.
There is so many positive things that happen in our hospitals on a daily basis...use that as your focus and you will see the return in an increase of activity on your page and, eventually, an increase of activity in your practice. |
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Welcome to our new members from New Jersey, Indiana, Massachusetts and Arizona!
Sincerely,
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