Thomas Giacobbi, DDS: Opinions. Everyone Has One. By Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

Opinions. Everyone Has One.



Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director,
Dentaltown Magazine
You have a powerful voice. Thanks to the Internet, everyday people have the ability to influence other everyday people. You don’t need to look very far for user-generated ratings of movies on Netflix.com, or book reviews on Amazon.com. For many years, the greatest purchasing influences came from advertising and conversations with neighbors. Now the Internet allows perfect strangers to make a case for purchasing a book, listening to a song or watching a movie. Internet users share their feedback on every consumer item or service you can imagine.

Dentists are simply consumers of very specialized products and Dentaltown.com is that unique online conduit for sharing. Dentaltown.com was launched seven years ago to provide a forum for dentists to share experiences with each other. Our internal data suggest that for each post on the Web site, there are more than 20 members reading it. Considering that there are currently more than 1.5 million posts on our Web site, we have harnessed a force of influence that is unmatched in our profession. Very few people would dispute the power of personal recommendations and on Dentaltown.com every recommendation is personal. We all belong to the same fraternity of professionals.

Every dentist reading this message has something to share. You might have a technique that works well, or you use products that improve quality or efficiency, or you might have handled a difficult personnel situation successfully. It is time to share your experiences with our community. Too often, members are afraid to post a comment on the Web site out of fear that they will be attacked or ridiculed. I am writing to encourage more members to get off the sidelines and post a comment or post a case.

We recently improved the functionality of all message board threads by adding a “New Case” button at the top of the forum. This new feature allows simplified posting of cases within a thread anywhere on our site. Now you can post cases directly in the forum of your choice, rather than hoping someone will see your case in the Case Presentation forum. If you are not in the habit of collecting photos of your cases, then take 30 seconds to comment on any one of the threads available on Today’s Active Topics, or simply check out one of the threads listed in your e-Newsletter each week.

While posting is important, I will add that positive information is far more helpful than negative commentary. Dentists sometimes have a tendency to focus on the negative – what didn’t work, what can go wrong, or who will complain. Take a moment to share your favorite tip or a new product that works great. Tell your colleagues about a new piece of equipment that has improved your enjoyment of dentistry. Do you have a problem with something? Ask your colleagues what they would do in the same situation.

If you are still too shy to post on the message boards, or you are an active member with something to say, I would love to hear your feedback about our community and the magazine. Please take a moment to send me an e-mail with your comments, suggestions or ideas that will improve the best community for dentists – Dentaltown.com and Dentaltown Magazine. Send your e-mail with “Suggestion Box” in the subject line, to tom@dentaltown.com.


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