New public facing website for the profession

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:37:04 GMT

Thank you everyone for the positive feedback - gives me some confidence in what I'm trying to do!

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"]Hopefully once it gains attention from journalists it will be a way of getting positive veterinary stories and opinions out there.[/quote]

Yes, that's the objective. But also, as the site becomes more visible on Google (which takes time), so it will circumvent the media to some degree, and appeal directly to the public.

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"]( As well as being a good promotional tool for VS once the word gets out in the profession that we can have our say!). [/quote]

Do you know, I genuinely hadn't thought of that. Would be nice if it does happen!

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"]Also, I would change the picture on the site, lovely though it is! I am not sure people not involved in the vet world would realise it is a bunch of veterinary staff. [/quote]

You had me worried there, so I went and showed the image to my wife, and the woman who helps us with our daughter and said: what do you think these people do? They both answered 'vets' - because of the uniforms and the fact that there is a dog in the picture. Plus I hid the name of the website, to hide the obvious clue!

I too am not a great fan of stock photos, preferring something more 'real' (and that photograph is genuine. I know, because I shot it!). In fact, I am waiting for permission to use it, but if the subjects say yes, I think I probably would like to stick with it. Bear in mind that this is just a beta version of the site. If the idea takes hold, then I'll pay a swanky agency to design something completely different.

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]It reads like a press release. What more can I say? I'm just glad you don't feel compelled to put in stupid puns involving "purrfect".[/quote]

In a previous life, before becoming editor/moderator of this site, I probably would have done exactly that (well, perhaps not quite as cringeworthy as 'purrfect'). Being on the receiving end of press releases, rather than the originator has been a real eye-opener for me.

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Bob Russell — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:05:51 GMT

Or input regarding giddy-up burgers? Where is all the OVS input?

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Alison McIntosh — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:44:13 GMT

I like it. Great idea to get a bit of sensible information out there.

(Anyone else notice the glaring lack of GP vet comment on the dangerous dogs story on the BBC news website today? A public facing website might just raise the profession's meedja profile to the point where people realise that asking what we think about things might be a good idea.)

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Cat Henstridge — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:09:53 GMT

[quote user="Evelyn Barbour-Hill"]

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"] A stock photo of an attractive person with a stethoscope cuddling an animal is what you need![/quote]

Aaaargh. I hate stock photos

[/quote]

Maybe you could volunteer then?! Grab an in-patient and get snapping!

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:01:37 GMT

[quote user="Cat Henstridge"] A stock photo of an attractive person with a stethoscope cuddling an animal is what you need![/quote]

Aaaargh. I hate stock photos. I hate the whole stock photo philosophy. (It has even crept into the Veterinary Record, whose editor Martin Alder has up to now been superb).

So you are probably right. What was it somebody said? "Nobody ever lost money by underestimating the taste of the British public"

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Cat Henstridge — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 11:36:49 GMT

I think it is a great idea! Hopefully once it gains attention from journalists it will be a way of getting positive veterinary stories and opinions out there. ( As well as being a good promotional tool for VS once the word gets out in the profession that we can have our say!).

You will have to be quick with the surveys to catch the news stories while they are hot, eg the recent microchip debate, and keeping things as simple as possible would help produce a quick answer (especially as on here even the most benign thread can turn into a never-ending debate!) However, we may be able to create stories as well. The thread on 'Real Life Finances' could be a trigger for the question 'Have you ever euthanased an animal because of lack of funds?' , which, if properly handled and not allowed to descend into a 'heartless vets killed my pets' story, could really be used to highlight the realities of pet ownership.

Also, I would change the picture on the site, lovely though it is! I am not sure people not involved in the vet world would realise it is a bunch of veterinary staff. A stock photo of an attractive person with a stethoscope cuddling an animal is what you need!

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:50:01 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Deafening silence about the press release.[/quote]

P'raps because no-one can find anything to criticise?

It reads like a press release. What more can I say? I'm just glad you don't feel compelled to put in stupid puns involving "purrfect".

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 10:19:34 GMT

Bump.

Deafening silence about the press release. Anyone have any thoughts. Good, bad or indifferent?

Re: New public facing website for the profession

bob lehner — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:11:43 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]"]What vets really think![[/quote]

or, 'What ? Vets really think ?' - get away with you.....

Hmm - the public might be shocked if they knew what (some) vets really think - of (some of) them and their pets...!

But I think it's a good idea.

How about something snappy like 'Vet Views' or 'Vet Net' or 'Vet Q' ?

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:55:03 GMT

OK, finally I have a tweaked draft press release with which to announce the results of this survey. I did post a very early draft a long time ago, which a few of you commented on, and which I have altered accordingly. I haven't yet proof-read the below, so no hauling me up on typos / grammaticals, please!

Thoughts please ...

Vets profile the perfect pet.

A survey of Britain's veterinary surgeons has found that their perfect pet is a mongrel called Poppy, or a domestic short haired cat called Maisey.

As part of the survey, carried out by VetSurgeon.org, this country's vets were asked about their lifestyle and choice of pet. VetSurgeon.org Editor Arlo Guthrie said: "We thought vets' collective choice of pet might prove instructive for members of the public thinking about buying an animal."

Dogs were the most popular pet, owned by 66% of vets, with cats in a close second, owned by 63%. Fish came third at 18%, followed by small furries in fourth (16%), farm animals (16%), horses and ponies (13%), reptiles (7%), and birds (6%).

One remarkable finding was the number of rescue animals owned by vets. 75% of the cats they've given a home to and 44% of the dogs are rescued. Arlo said: "Imagine if doctors were that charitable with their patients. Joking aside, it does highlight the importance of re-homing a rescue animal if you can. Vets don't do it because they're somehow better qualified; they pick family pets for the same reasons as you and I."

Mongrels were by far the most popular choice of dog, accounting for nearly a third (28%) of all those owned by vets. Of the various breeds, Labrador Retrievers were the most popular (accounting for 15% of the dogs owned by vets), followed by Border and Jack Russell Terriers (both at 5%), Border Collies (5%), English Springer Spaniels (3%), German Shepherd Dogs (2%), Cocker Spaniels (2%), Whippets (1%) and Bull Terriers (1%).

Caroline Watt, veterinary surgeon at Blue Cross said: "Different breeds of dog have different traits depending on what they were originally bred for, so it's very important to do some research before choosing which dog to go for to make sure they will fit in with your lifestyle. But it really is worth considering a rescue pet too.

"Many of the dogs at rehoming centres like Blue Cross are crossbreeds and so less likely to have the exaggerated behaviour traits and underlying health problems associated with certain breeds. They can make fantastic pets and you'll be giving a deserving animal a second chance in life."

The most popular names that vets chose for their dog were: Poppy, Molly, Meg, Jack, Sam and Monty.

Amongst cats, the mixed- or cross-breed was again the most popular, accounting for nearly 80% of all the cats owned by vets. The most popular breed was the semi-longhair (5%), followed by the Burmese (2%) and the British Shorthair (2%).

The most popular names that vets chose for their cat were: Maisey, Milly, Charlie, Sid, Molly and Tom.

Caroline added: "Rescue centres are also inundated with fabulous moggies in need for happy new homes, so it really is worth making them your first port of call if you're looking for a cat. If you do go for a pedigree cat, do make sure you find out all about their character traits first - some are much more demanding than others!"

Interestingly, the survey found that those vets who are parents were significantly more likely to own dogs, fish, 'small furries' and farm animals, than cats, birds, reptiles and horses or ponies.

The full survey results, along with the complete list of pet names chosen by vets can be found on www.whatvetsthink.org

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:12:26 GMT

Hi Mark, The idea is that the site will publish results of surveys, and maybe (if it adds something to those results) comments from the forum, provided the author has given permission. The public can submit questions, but I won't necessarily use or publish them. So questions like: why is my vet more expensive? will just be met with a standard reply and not published / used. I'm not worried about insurance companies using it as a badge of honour. Surely that is a good thing (help promote insurance companies that you find it easiest to work with).

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Mark Rowland — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:41:16 GMT

Sorry to be on a downer but I can see some problems... Insurance companies marketing themselves as "the number one choice of vets" pissing others off Clients trolling questions like "why are vets so expensive" and " why does my booster cost x here and y there" I think it's a good idea in principle but could see some practical issues bases on the results. I also assume the results will be in the form of vet surgeon.org surveys and not bits lifted out of threads?

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:55:16 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]What vets really think![/quote]

Love it!

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Bob Russell — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:24:40 GMT

"What do vets really think?" "What vets really think!" as two possible ideas.

Brilliant idea. Your job to get people to visit but I will happily place a link on our website when we 'tart it up'!

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:03:59 GMT

[quote user="Rob Davis"]this strapline feels a bit clunky[/quote]

Oh!

On reflection, yes, you're right.

I was trying to keep it wide open, informal and succinct. Reading the human euthanasia thread, I was thinking that we might stray outside the realms of animal welfare etc. But how about I remove 'about things'? (have a look now).

[quote user="Rob Davis"]I think you need to have more survey results before you go live to the public as there is very little to look at at present.[/quote]

It's not meant to be a site that people visit for any reason other than a response to a search engine query, or perhaps to see the full results of a survey they've heard mentioned on the radio. So whilst I agree that it is thin to start with, I don't think it actually needs a lot more prior to - say - issuing a release about the pet survey.

As regards the UK thing, you are right, we do have some OS contributors to surveys, but by far the majority of votes are from UK vets.

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Jenny Smith — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:31:56 GMT

I like it, think the idea was a good one in the first place, and with all the recent media stuff going on (foxes, horse meat etc) it'll be interesting to see if it gets picked up by the media. Love that my dog's name is on there, which I guess makes me a crazy pet owner!! Jenny

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Rob Davis — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:29:54 GMT

"The place to find out what UK veterinary surgeons think about things" - this strapline feels a bit clunky - I'm sure you can come up with better wording. Are the surveys only open to UK veterinary surgeons given that there are a number of oversees contributers to the forums?

I think you need to have more survey results before you go live to the public as there is very little to look at at present.

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Arlo Guthrie — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:23:45 GMT

Fixed now. Sorry, accidentally added a space to the end of it.

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Jenny Smith — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:22:14 GMT

Ditto :)

Re: New public facing website for the profession

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:18:23 GMT

I think your link doesn't work!