My 100th Post: What I Have Learned, Part II

This is part two of my celebration of my 100th post to this web.

Read Part I.

6.  Google Ranks Pages, Not Web Sites – this was at first hard for me to comprehend, but it now makes sense.  What this means to you, is that you should NOT worry about the whole site, that is, your entire site does NOT have to be perfect!  If you work hard (at the SEO, etc.), you may be fortunate enough to have a few “high-ranking” pages.  This higher ranking will help your other pages as well (especially newer posts).

6a.  A Web Site Should Always Be a Work in Progress – it should never really be completed.  Perhaps the graphics and other artwork are masterfully presented, but at the very least there should always be room for more, or better, content.  Your writing style will change and so will your message.

7.  Use Multimedia – there are so many ways to easily present yourself;  video (e.g. YouTube), podcasts (audio digests, if you will), slide presentations (e.g. Slideshare) and pictures (e.g. Flickr).  All of these media, can be easily used to “find” your web.

Personally, I am hoping to have a short video introduction on the home page of the blog and web site.  There are lots of easy “plug-ins,” or programs, that will easily integrate video into the web.  I have used Slideshare for the 3 presentations that you see in the right column.  They themselves have attracted attention within Slideshare and are as powerful as my writing for another blog (see #8).

8.  Writing for Other Sites – occasionally you may want to consider writing fresh, valuable content to another blog.  You will want to leave your own URL as part of your signature so that you gain a “pingback” from the search engines (you are establishing a connection between another’s page and your own).  This will help your rankings and anything associated with your name.

For instance, I write occasionally for Eye Doc News.  It is a web site on eye disease.  Thus, it is similar to this site.  Each time I write an article, I sign my name along with the URL of this web site (URL  = www.RetinaEyeDoctor.com).  Not only will readers consider checking out this page, but the search engines give me brownie points for contributing.

9.  Social Media Can Revolutionize Medical Care.  The longer I continue to post on this website, the more I realize the value of social media.  Social media empowers the user to reach out and tell others.  While I plan on a few more articles regarding social media in the next few weeks, suffice to say, social media can help others, quickly and in real time, find credible resources on the internet.

10. Doctors Should Not be Afraid of the Internet – with regard to health care, there is a dearth of credible information.  In my opinion, instead of shunning “all things internet,” doctors should embrace the internet.  After all, our patients do.

One could argue (and I do) that doctors have a social responsibility to provide relevant, credible information for the public.  There are possible public health ramifications by creating useful information on the internet.  On a more personal level, a knowledgeable patient becomes an appreciative patient.  It can build your practice.

11.  Have Fun. I have never had this much fun or been as excited about a project before.  I hope you can find the same excitement.

More in another “50.”

“Randy”

Randall V. Wong, M.D.
www.TotalRetina.com
Ophthalmologist, Retina Specialist