What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 14:20:04 GMT

Francisco Gomez thank you so much, it really is especially helpful coming from someone who uses both formats.

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]1. In FB groups, you usually see the latest post only. Unless you scroll.

When you get to Forum Home, you can see a few threads where to click.[/quote]

Staring me in the face, and I hadn't thought of that! That strikes me as quite an important difference, and also ties in with the restructuring of information on this site by interest (so you'll be even better able to see latest content by subject area as well)

[quote user="Francisco Gomez"]2. The linear style of the thread with the button: 'Continue reading' you can start where you left.[/quote]

And again ... you reminded me of a feature that I'd forgotten about (we built 'continue reading' so long ago now). I've always found following fb discussions really hard work, because each one is 'threaded' (as opposed to our linear, one post after another, format). Also makes it very hard to find something someone said when you want to refer back.

Thanks again Francisco

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Francisco Gomez — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 22:26:16 GMT

Things that makes it different (and I like):

1. In FB groups, you usually see the latest post only. Unless you scroll.

When you get to Forum Home, you can see a few threads where to click.

2. The linear style of the thread with the button: 'Continue reading' you can start where you left.

3. The exclusive ability to talk about 'off duty' and 'In practice' in the same forum.

4. Can edit posts if you made a mistake.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Julian Earl — Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:26:10 GMT

Surely the best thing about the site, apart from the incredibly useful sharing of experience, is the restraint, wit and charm of the moderators?

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 11:38:17 GMT

A bit of an update, following a lot of thinking over the last few days.

The most important thing is that I have decided it is time to upgrade the platform. This is going to be probably the biggest upgrade in the history of the site, and it will:

a) be on a platform designed from the outset to work well on mobile devices (where this one predated the widespread use of mobiles, so has been tweaked to make it work as best we can).

b) probably include a major restructuring of content, so that whilst it will look very similar to the untrained eye, it will curate information by interest far better than it does now. So for example, if your thing is cardiology, you'll be able to visit / subscribe to a cardiology section which contains all content from around the site which relates to that subject: News stories, forum discussions, gallery posts, and so on.

c) as we rebuild, we'll also be concentrating on improving the 'user journey', so that (as I mentioned before) things like claiming CPD become a part of it, rather than something you might or might not notice. We'll also be consolidating: removing stuff that we don't think adds value and focussing on the stuff that does.

More news as it happens ...

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Rob Davis — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 09:49:10 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]As regards the VIN functionality ... I don't rule it out, but I do like the existing model being all about the free sharing of information (and the motivation for specialists to help being either altruistic, or to help spread the word about their services).[/quote]

I tried VIN a while ago and didn't like it. Questions posted tended to get one answer from a specialist and few other responses (at least this was the case in the dental/oral surgery section, I didn't look much at the rest). I did attempt to stimulate discussion on a couple of occasions and was roundly ignored.... I much prefer the discussion style which vetsurgeon has developed and encourages people to offer different opinions.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Arlo Guthrie — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:32:36 GMT

Thank you everyone for your thoughts, really helpful.

[quote user="vs0u "]I find the job section very good, it has plenty of details and useful features like the map showing all the jobs.[/quote]

That was a particularly nice comment to start my day. Thank you.

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]I'd love to see it have a functionality like VIN but that takes a lot of money and a lot of experts

The Gallery evolving to an information resource?[/quote]

Neil Wheadon As regards the VIN functionality ... I don't rule it out, but I do like the existing model being all about the free sharing of information (and the motivation for specialists to help being either altruistic, or to help spread the word about their services). Would take a lot of development and big up front cost, so in any event I there are other things which would have to come first.

Galleries evolving into an information resource? That is EXACTLY what we are working on right now. One technical hurdle is that we need to make it easier to upload images. Working on that now.

[quote user="robloxley"]I guess I like that the forums have a good breadth of members, from Specialists to GP vets (old and new); there is moderation where needed (and the overall tone has improved - less adversarial on the whole).[/quote]

Rob Loxley nice to hear you say that (improved tone), because, well, I had to fight quite hard for that! Sometimes worry the less adversarial tone has made the site less compelling, but I remain convinced it was scaring people away, and it will take time to gain a reputation for being welcoming, rather than 'scary'.

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]I can only see that you could increase traffic to the site with extensive (and no doubt expensive) advertising in other media. I wondered how much benefit you gained from your sponsorship of the drinks at 2017 BSAVA congress or from CITS this year? [/quote]

Martin Atkinson Not a significant enough benefit of sponsoring things that I have actually noticed any difference

[quote user="vs0u "]I'm in some discussion groups on facebook and the format there makes threads disappear very quickly (within a day).[/quote]

vs0u That's really interesting to find that's your perception too. I've always thought facebook (and many other social medja) is a bit transient for a professional discussion. In other words, if you spend time and effort sharing info on FB, it has a very short shelf life. Over here, things you share are much more likely to be found (and help) colleagues much longer into the future. If that makes sense.

[quote user="vs0u "]But, I don't think you can enforce people to complete their profiles. Nothing on the internet is private and things can be taken out of context. I do feel this site is more private/secure than Facebook though. [/quote]

Don't worry, I didn't mean to imply that I was going to force anyone to complete profiles.

In fact, I see very little risk in sharing profile info on VS, because it is all professional stuff, which is far less likely to land anyone on hot water than the photo of oneself at the annual christmas shindig, necking a bottle of red wine. I think with profile information, it is always better to give people a decent reason for doing it, and let you make up your own minds. On VS, for example, it really is a no-brainer for referral practitioners to share their profiles, because they are effectively a free advert for their services!

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

vs0u — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 11:12:15 GMT

I find the job section very good, it has plenty of details and useful features like the map showing all the jobs.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]What else, especially those of you who use other discussion formats (ie other forums or things like facebook or linkedin)?[/quote]

I'm in some discussion groups on facebook and the format there makes threads disappear very quickly (within a day). Also there are a lot more people on there, and it tends to get swamped with Americans, so clinical and client care aspects can be quite different.

Also because it tends to be the same few people posting here you get a feel of who they are (even without needing to look at their profile) which is nice. The opinions here tend to be quite measured - you get fewer people spouting off randomly (good moderation combined with only vets?) and also much less of the fake nice/fluffyness which can make discussion meaningless. There has been quite a bit of discussion on this site about how people should interact to be honest and helpful. You don't get any of that on Facebook. I see this site as a relaxing quiet place to be rather than the chaos of facebook!

I much prefer the current agree/disagree etc options to the stars.

But, I don't think you can enforce people to complete their profiles. Nothing on the internet is private and things can be taken out of context. I do feel this site is more private/secure than Facebook though.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 16:52:23 GMT

Same as most others have said. I really only use the forum, I was alerted to it by an existing member and use the site for little else. I'm aware of the other sections but I have no use for the jobs section, there is already an overwhelming amount of CPD bombarding us every day and I've never really thought about using the galleries but having been tempted to have a look by this thread I can see it is something I might use in the future. Overall I find it very difficult to know how to get members to use the other features once they're here, they are already obvious. I can only see that you could increase traffic to the site with extensive (and no doubt expensive) advertising in other media. I wondered how much benefit you gained from your sponsorship of the drinks at 2017 BSAVA congress or from CITS this year? Sadly for the latter as Vet Times didn't publish my report that message didn't get out to a wider audience.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"] I was thinking about moving it so that there is a button on each forum post, alongside the tangent and reply.[/quote]Good idea.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]What else, especially those of you who use other discussion formats (ie other forums or things like facebook or linkedin)?[/quote]Don't use them much if at all so can't compare. The only other forum I frequent is a cycling forum and that seems to run along similar lines.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]For example, is anyone thinking the ability to express a range of more professional reactions (agree/disagree/like/thank you) is useful?[/quote]It is OK as it is.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Are the stats that appear next to people's names in the forums helpful to the discussion (perhaps less so to regulars, because you already know each other so well). [/quote]Not really.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Do you think member profiles, when completed, which are visible to all members (unlike facebook, where you really don't know anything about people's professional lives unless they are a friend, and even then ...), are useful to put clinical advice in context.[/quote]Yes but most give a very limited profile, if any at all.

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Is this something you think I should shout about. [/quote]What, shout at people for not making a profile?

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

bob lehner — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 11:10:22 GMT

[quote user="Joyce Whitehead"]For me the forums are the main areas I visit, and I love the broad range of knowledge available very quickly if I have a query.[/quote]

Yes - I'm just the same.

Useful tips - and I sometimes see something that's so obvious - but I've never met before.

It's rather fascinating to see how different people deal with the same problem or procedure. Very little consistency on anything done in veterinary practice it seems.

It's also reassuring to read of other peoples' problems and concerns - which so often match one's own.

Agree - less aggressive these days - some of the bad guys have shuffled off into the ether.

Still a bit tedious when the same stuff crops up over and over again ...steroids...!

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Arlo Guthrie — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 07:09:58 GMT

[quote user="robloxley"]I find that 'claiming' CPD in the forums gets forgotten - if there was a claim CPD button at the bottom of the page (where one ends up having read the thread) then I might remember to click it![/quote]

Great minds. Actually, I was thinking about moving it so that there is a button on each forum post, alongside the tangent and reply. Then perhaps some other notification when you hit cpd milestones. I perhaps an email to let you know you've hit 5 hours or ten hours cpd, or perhaps user configurable.

What else, especially those of you who use other discussion formats (ie other forums or things like facebook or linkedin)?

For example, is anyone thinking the ability to express a range of more professional reactions (agree/disagree/like/thank you) is useful? Are the stats that appear next to people's names in the forums helpful to the discussion (perhaps less so to regulars, because you already know each other so well).

Do you think member profiles, when completed, which are visible to all members (unlike facebook, where you really don't know anything about people's professional lives unless they are a friend, and even then ...), are useful to put clinical advice in context. Is this something you think I should shout about.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Joyce Whitehead — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:50:52 GMT

For me the forums are the main areas I visit, and I love the broad range of knowledge available very quickly if I have a query. I also often find myself thinking I’m sure I’ve read about.... xyz and I like being able to search for what o vaguely remember reading.

So i have a dog with a bleeding nasal tumour and remembered reading that one contributor‘s own dog had been treated with tranexamic acid. So I searched, found the thread and dose, and so I was sorted.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Rob Loxley — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 16:13:59 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]You've got to be quite a committed member to find some of this stuff![/quote]

I agree (RSS feeds, iCal links etc.)

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]I'd like to ask what it is about this website YOU think I should shout about more[/quote]

I usually navigate straight to the forum page, rarely go via the homepage. I guess I like that the forums have a good breadth of members, from Specialists to GP vets (old and new); there is moderation where needed (and the overall tone has improved - less adversarial on the whole). Maybe you need some specific forums for other interests, e.g. new grads maybe?)

I never visit the galleries unless something is linked to from a forum post

I've never really looked at the CPD calender.

I find that 'claiming' CPD in the forums gets forgotten - if there was a claim CPD button at the bottom of the page (where one ends up having read the thread) then I might remember to click it!

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 14:31:24 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]Personally the forum[/quote]

[quote user="Nicola M"]Personally the forums are my favoutite part as well![/quote]

I didn't really mean at that level (ie do you think I should be shouting about the gallery section, the news section or the job or the forum section for example). I meant what features (of whatever section), you think are most useful.

How about if I rephrase the question and ask what is it about the forums you think makes ours better than others?

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Nicola Cole — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 14:23:43 GMT

Personally the forums are my favoutite part as well! I’m not aware of all the extras but not show how much I would use them anyway-not really a tech person!

The clinical content is the most important aspect for me and is the bit I would shout about.

RE: What are the best things about VetSurgeon?

Neil Wheadon — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 13:41:37 GMT

Personally the forum

I'd love to see it have a functionality like VIN but that takes a lot of money and a lot of experts

The Gallery evolving to an information resource?

Neil