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Professional Courtesy: The Tangled Web Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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The Tangled Web
– by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

The parental handbook offers the following explanation for some of the unfairness of life: "Sometimes it's not what you know, it's who you know." This is a universal truth. Everybody knows someone who called in a favor to get their child into the college of their choice, or received a job offer because a friend of a friend worked at the company, or a new patient who simply came to your dental office because he knows your neighbor. This universal truth is not always a bad thing, but you must understand the rapid evolution of interpersonal relationships.

"Who you know" is much more public in 2011. Connections to other people are online currency. In the past, the strength of your connections was only expressed as you fulfilled a favor for one person at a time. Today an individual is measured in some respects by the number of friends he or she has on Facebook, followers on Twitter or links on LinkedIn. Make no mistake about it these connections are powerful and people are paying attention. If you spend any amount of time online you have probably experienced some of the benefits of connecting with others.

Have you visited any of these Web sites: Klout.com, PeerIndex.com or TwitterGrader.com? A recent New York Times article alerted me to their existence and you will not be surprised to learn they are in the business of determining just how influential you are over your "friends" on Facebook and "followers" on Twitter. Using a variety of methods, these sites will evaluate your online networks and score the quality of your network and your potential to influence others. Major companies of all types are paying close attention to these services as they scramble to connect with their most influential grassroots advocates.

What you share is probably the second most powerful aspect of your presence online. In the consumer world this is manifested most frequently as reviews on everything from books to restaurants to local businesses. The most active reviewers on Amazon.com, for example, are provided special rewards and incentives. Sharing useful information with all of your contacts strengthens your position as a valuable friend. On Dentaltown.com one of the yardsticks by which users are measured is their post count. Some of our users with the most posts have influence over the larger community of users that are known as "lurkers."

It is easy to conclude then that those who share will grow the network of who they know and the more people they know the more powerful they become. Our profession has long been dominated by the KOL (key opinion leader) concept. These are the individuals who have relationships with dental companies and provide most of the content at major CE events. Today anyone can become a KOL by virtue of transparent online activity where the value of content can be judged instantly and in depth. On Dentaltown.com, users have the option to subscribe to other members, which is another indicator of influence within our community. There are many methods to judge the quality of what an individual shares online. Dentaltown.com uses the universal option to click "thumbs up" on any post you see that is particularly useful or insightful (other examples include the "like" button on Facebook, the "retweet" function on Twitter and "digg it" on Digg.com).

Dentists who are solely consumed with building their practice still need to pay attention to these principles. It is widely accepted that a dental practice should have an online presence that might include a Facebook page in addition to a Web site. These online properties will be judged by patients and potential patients based on the quality of information provided; the same individuals who are writing reviews on Amazon.com or Yelp.com. These online advocates would certainly be willing to write a review about your practice – have you provided a mechanism for this to happen? Practices that are currently using e-mail appointment reminder systems will often have an option to send electronic surveys to patients following their appointment. These reviews can be published to places like Facebook or your practice Web site for other patients to see. Cultivating this content on behalf of your practice certainly will improve the reputation of your dental office online and in your community.

You can find me at Facebook.com/TomDDS or @DrCDH on Twitter. Post your feedback to this article online at Dentaltown.com or drop me a line: tom@dentaltown.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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