you.com, Part 1
Editor's note: This article is Part 1 in a series dubbed "you.com," which will focus on plastic surgeons and the Internet. Several subjects will be covered - your Web presence, use of social networks, contacting your patients through the Internet and more. Part 2 will address methods through which to manage your "webutation."
Everything has gone the way of the World Wide Web: your main practice website, as well as social networking, advertising, physician rating and listing websites, and educational portals - the list goes on. You and your patients are on the Web, surfing or being surfed. Being aware of what's on the Web regarding the "professional you" is extremely important.
The vast online universe is expanding daily, and along with it information about - and access to - you. Whether it's your own website, a listing you signed up for, a rating site about you or a transcript of a talk you delivered as a resident, more and more information is on the Web and easily searchable. There's a lot of collective information about you, and that which is easily found is considered to be your "Web presence."
Web presence
Generally, your Web presence is your main practice website, listings you have with other websites, physician rating websites, professional social networking websites, online advertising, YouTube videos and more. Through sophisticated search engines, sophisticated patients will have accessed an unprecedented amount of information about you and your practice before they walk through your office door. Some patients may have already made up their minds about choosing you as their surgeon before even meeting you, based solely on what they've found online.
On the contrary, and much worse, some patients may have made up their minds not to see you before even meeting you, based solely on what they've found online - some of which may not be accurate. Some of your Web presence is under your control and some isn't; control what you can and be aware of any information that isn't under your direct control. This information can be benign - like an old office address listing - but it also can be damaging (for instance, a negative or malicious review).
Some of it is up to you
There are plenty of companies - website hosts, listing services, search engine optimization managers and patient referral services - that are vying for your business and hard-earned money to help increase your Web presence. You'll need to determine the footprint of that presence, and one part of that decision should involve the amount you want to spend. The other part is personal.
Your workhorse is your main practice website. It should be attractive, functional, easy to use, up-to-date, contain plenty of photos and be optimized for search. In a major urban setting, a single website isn't enough, no matter how good it is. This is where a whole host of other services come into play. Listing and referral websites (these list your practice on their website) are quite common and used by most plastic surgeons. They can range in annual fees from $500 to more than $5,000. Also, there are often start-up or "insertion" fees that most listing services charge. In the current economic climate, there's negotiating room with most of the Web services.
When considering a service, ask several questions. Do you need to be on all the listing sites? Probably not. Do you want to be that person with a listing on every single plastic surgery-related website? Do you want to be that person whose Google ad comes up on a search 200 miles from your own office? Maybe yes, maybe no. Make a decision on how much you want to spend and how much of a presence you want to have.
Furthermore, consider the company you keep on a listing service. Do you really want to be listed next to the OB/GYN who's advertising vaginal rejuvenation along with liposuction and breast augmentation? In life, you're sometimes judged by the company you keep. This is also true on the Web, so choose wisely.
Social networking
Professional use of social networking websites is an area somewhat newer to most of you reading this article. We're all familiar with the king and queen of social networking websites, Facebook and LinkedIn, in addition to the networking/microblog that is Twitter. Many other examples exist of networking websites, but the aforementioned are the principles. In addition to a personal listing on Facebook (used by many of us to reconnect with old school friends), you can create a professional "fan page." This can serve as a mini-practice website, with the benefit of creating an online conversation with your patient base.
Admittedly, I've yet to pursue this in a meaningful manner, but to quote another surgeon when asked why one should be on Facebook: "Because your patients are on Facebook." By placing the professional you on Facebook, you have an opportunity to increase your overall Web presence and your search recognition - but the precise benefits you will reap are unknown. Keep in mind that it can be quite labor-intensive to keep a Facebook page with updated posts and relevant content. For this reason, some surgeons (and many others, including professional athletes, celebrities and businesses) hire a ghost writer to post and manage social networks for them. This will incur an expense and places at risk the authenticity and genuineness of your site.
That being noted, there's significant potential for a Facebook business site that essentially could cost you nothing. LinkedIn is much more professionally oriented, and while I don't believe patients will necessarily find you through this website, it can be a great way to keep in touch with your peers and learn about or find potential staff.
One final caveat: Without question, never share information about patients on a social network unless you are given specific consent to do so - and even then I would recommend caution.
In summary, there's a lot about the "professional you" on the Web, but you have the opportunity to control much of that content. Be thoughtful about the websites with which you associate yourself, and consider social networks to be a unique means by which to introduce yourself to your patient population and keep in touch with them.
Farzad Nahai, MD, Atlanta, can be reached at frnahai@gmail.com.
Visit the YPS Forum on the ASPS website.
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