VNN Media Insider
August 12th, 2010 |
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We have received many new applications and exams at ASVJ.org! Thanks for the continued interest!
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!
If you need to re-download the exam and study guide, drop us an email for instructions. |
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| Dear VNN Member: |
It's been a very interesting week in animal news. First, the biggest story is the release of an article connecting dry pet food with a Salmonella outbreak from a couple of years ago. While this news is interesting, it is neither unexpected nor earth-shattering. Unfortunately, the viral nature of the web and social media continue to play this story up, especially among sites that have an axe to grind against commercial pet food companies. For you, the best option is to remind people that good hygiene and safe food preparation practices can help to minimize the already small risk of Salmonella with dry pet foods. |
| New at MyVNN.com |
 In our on-going quest to keep all resources as up to date as possible, we have re-released our very first VNN story. Understanding Leptospirosis is a challenge for veterinarians, not to mention the millions of pet owners whose pets might be at risk. This story helps sort a little fact from fiction about this deadly disease.
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| Quick Facebook "Tip of the Day" |
 You probably have a "Find Us On Facebook" icon on your website, but what about a Facebook "Like Box" for your website. This widget actually streams content from your Facebook page onto your hospital's website automatically!!
Before anything else, get your the ID code for your hospital's Facebook page. This is the string of numbers after "id=" in the URL listing for your page. To use a "Like Box", go to your hospital's Facebook page and click edit settings. Over to the right, under a heading of "Promote Your Page" is a link to "Promote with a Like Box". Click this link and you can get started! The next page is the actual widget. Input the ID code into the box marked "Facebook Page ID". Wait for a second and the widget to the right will morph into what the Like Box will look like on your site. Adjust the height, width, and number of connections to suit your needs and hit "Get Code". The shadow box that pops up will give you the code you need to copy and insert into your website (or just email the code to your website provider and they can help you with that!). Now...you have a stream of activity on your website and clients can "like" your Facebook page without ever leaving your site! |
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| Should Your Hospital Website Have a Blog? | |
(Many thanks to VetNetwork for this blog)
Blogs Educate As Well As Increase Your Visibility
A few months ago, we posted an article explaining how to write a good blog article for your veterinary hospital's blog. A compelling reason for adding a blog to your website is that blogs increase your website's Google and search engine rankings. If a potential client finds your blog article through a search, chances are, he or she is going to find your veterinary hospital's website, especially if you include links in your blog article back to your website. In the long run, increasing traffic to your website increases your exposure and ultimately drives visitors to your practice. (Now isn't that why you have a website in the first place?)
Blog Articles about your Veterinary Practice Rank Well in Search Engines
Blog
articles rank extremely well in Google and other search engines. But why do they rank so well? If you read the recommendations published by Google about how to get to the top of its search results, you know that content is key. Providing good content that people want to read attracts visitors to your blog. It also attracts search engines. A blog article provides fresh content and that alone makes it interesting to Google and the search engines.
The structure of a blog page makes it attractive to the search engines, too. After all, the page where your veterinary hospital blog lives is simple. Its function is to deliver content. There is very little navigation, no Flash, and few or no images. In addition, blog text is rich with keywords. (As we advised in an earlier article; if it's not rich with keywords, then go back and add them!) Non-textual content is at a minimum, which enables Google's and other search engine spiders to find, understand and classify your content.
Another aspect of blogs, that makes them rank well in searches, is that posts are descriptively titled. By enriching your title with relevant keywords and repeating the same keywords in the first paragraph of your story, you make the content even more visible to search engines. Simple organization is easier for search engine spiders to "read" than a website with its complex network of crosslinks.
Should your Veterinary Hospital Have a Website or a Blog?
Should you give up on your website and concentrate on your blog? Probably not; however, some law firms use their blogs to answer questions about common legal issues and their websites for more general information about their firms. Veterinary hospital websites and blogs can also have this same symbiotic relationship. Your hospital's website - with information about your veterinary services, location, hospital staff members and photos - is the best way to advertise your practice, and your blog can provide visitors with continuous news feeds and interesting stories. Your blog is the best way to lead visitors to your website and ultimately to your hospital door.
As a side note...any VNN member who helps at PetDocsOnCall.com already has access to blogging software. We are happy to help you set this up if you would like to start blogging and sharing your knowledge with the pet owning public. - TFD
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| Reminders | |
Congratulations to VNN Member, Dr. Jan Strother of Alabama. She has recently been elected to the post of Vice President at the AVMA. Great job, Dr. Jan!
August 16th - 22nd is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week! Are you promoting this through your hospital and your social sites?
And...just in case you feel like sharing some opinions, I would invite you to read my recent blog about rabies misinformation on the Internet. I was a little perturbed that a lawyer saw fit to come just shy of recommending people to not vaccinate their pets for rabies in his blog. Let me know your thoughts and thanks to Drs. Lauren Bowling, Keith Niesenbaum and Cary Waterhouse for their support on the blog. |
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Welcome to our new members from Oklahoma, New Jersey and Texas!
Sincerely,
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