- Email: [email protected]
Do you have a satellite office in cyberspace?
ORTHO BYTES The use of computers, computer programs, and other computerized equipment to assist in the orthodontic practice will be reported under this section of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Manuscripts and comments may be submitted to Dr Martin Abelson, 14720 N Shotgun Pl, Tucson, AZ 85737.
Do you have a satellite office in cyberspace? James K. Mah, DDS, MSc, DMSca Los Angeles, Calif
A hallmark of the last decade was the WWW (World Wide Web) aspect of almost anything imaginable. Almost every large company established its presence in cyberspace, and in many, it became an indispensable part of their business. In orthodontics, many offices ventured onto the Internet, but the majority of offices are still without a presence in cyberspace. Therefore, this article addresses some commonly asked questions by orthodontist regarding the Internet. I hope it will help orthodontists decide whether they would like to set up a “satellite office” in cyberspace. WHAT’S IT FOR? A Web site is basically your stake in cyberspace that serves the multipurpose roles of a Yellow Pages ad and a billboard; with e-mail feedback, it can also serve as an answering machine. With advanced features and technologies, it can be much more. The capabilities of displaying text and graphic information as well as audio and video provide for almost limitless delivery of information. Most orthodontic Web sites are currently used to list business hours, give the office location and directions to get there, provide a description of the office and personnel as well as treatment techniques and results and other patient information. Advanced features are limited mostly by bandwidth, that is, the speed over which it is delivered over the Internet. Audio and video files are relatively large and result in relatively long download times. Another limitation is development costs as these features significantly add to the cost of building a Web site. Hidden features such as statistics and tracking allow you to follow how many visitors have visited your site, how long they stayed, and where they looked. WHO SEES IT? Basically anyone in the world with Internet access can view your site. However, your target audience is prospective and current patients, parents, and referring dentists. In many cases, it is the first impression of your office. Therefore, professionalism, ease of navigation through the site, organization, and clarity are a must. Think of it as the entryway into your office. aAssistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Southern California. Reprint requests to: Dr James Mah, Department of Orthodontics, University of Southern California, 925 W 34 St, Suite 312, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0641; email, [email protected]. Copyright © 2000 by the American Association of Orthodontists. 0889-5406/2000/$12.00 + 0 8/1/107638 doi.10.1067/mod.2000.107638
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WHAT’S IN A NAME? In real estate, it is location, location, location, but in cyberspace, it is domain name, domain name, domain name. With the recent sale of loans.com for $3 million and the asking price of America.com at $30 million, it is clear that an extreme premium is placed on the name of a Web site. In 1998, 1.8 million domain names were registered; in 1999, 5 million domain names were registered with a cumulative total of 8.1 million currently registered. In choosing your domain name, consideration should be given to one that best represents your office, is easy to remember, and not too lengthy. Longer names are usually more difficult for people to remember and increase the chances of typographic error. The first step is to think of several suitable names for your office Web site. The three letter terminal extension should be one of the top-level extensions (.com, .org, and .net) and would most likely be .com that represents a commercial Web site (Table I). Specific country code extensions also exist such as .ca (Canada), .de (Germany), .fr (France), and .uk (United Kingdom). Once you have produced a list of possible names for your office, you need to check if it is available. Unless your name is very specific, it is most likely that it has already been registered. You can check availability at www.networksolutions.com, the Internet registry of domain names. Even if your office has no immediate plans to build a Web site, it is advisable to at least register your domain name. This stakes your claim in cyberspace and prevents someone else from registering the name before you do. It also prevents a cybersquatter from simply registering your name or office name and trying to sell it to you for profit. Although the government has passed legislation (Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act) to prevent cybersquatting, it has clout only with trademarked names. In addition, it may be troublesome to even locate the offender. The fee for registering is $70 for the first 2 years and $35/year thereafter. At these low costs, you may choose to register permutations of your domain name to prevent cybersquatting or confusion later on if someone else registers a similar name. WHAT IS THE COST? Aside from the registration costs, there are 2 basic costs associated with a Web site. The first is for designing and building the Web site. The second is for hosting, maintaining, and updating the Web site. The costs of designing and build-
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American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Volume 117, Number 5
ing your Web site can range from nothing to several hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on its size and features. If you want a Web site for free, you can choose to do it yourself with off-the-shelf software or opt for a free service on the Internet, however, the latter will likely be built from lookalike templates and contain advertisements and other links from your Web site. If you choose to do it yourself, be prepared for a steep learning curve ahead and diagnosis and management of technical problems. Having gone this route, I would suggest that your time is better spent doing orthodontics. Did I mention the time and aggravation? The other option is to have your Web site done professionally. The bottom line is you have spent thousands of dollars on your office, your Web site should be representative. Professional web designers can work with you on everything from logo design to colors and layouts. Keep in mind you still have to supply the text content and photos of your office or patients if you choose. A professional web author should also be able to show you good examples of their work. You can find bad examples with your own Internet search. Costs associated with hosting, maintaining, and updating your Web site vary greatly depending on the size of your Web site, the number of changes, and a number of optional features you select. Therefore, it is important to obtain estimates in advance to better plan your budget. Per month costs may range from a low of approximately $30 per month to several hundred dollars per month or more depending on your choices. TRICKS OF THE TRADE The single most important rule of the Internet is that download times must be acceptable; webpages must load in 10 seconds or less on a modem operating at 28.8 kb/s. This may seem incongruent with the fact that almost all modems sold today are rated at 56 kb/s. However, they almost never run at this speed because of several limitations with the connections, lines, routers, hubs, concentrators, etc. The rate-limiting step is not the modem but all these other links that collectively make up “bandwidth.” The bottom line is you are lucky to get a consistent transmission speed of 3 to 4 kb/s unless you have a DSL (digital subscriber line) or a cable-modem. Therefore, most visitors to your site will be downloading pages in much longer than 10 seconds. Internet surfers as a group are impatient, and
Table I. Domain Extension .com .org .net .edu .gov
name extensions Entity Commercial Organization Network Education Government
you have little time to keep their attention. Professional web authors are well aware of this and use several tricks of the trade to avoid violating this rule. First, the layout should be kept simple and efficient; avoid excessive web effects such as animations, clutter, long pages, and large graphics. Second, web graphics should be of small size and lower resolution compared with print versions (72 dpi resolution is recommended because this is the same as the screen resolution). Use of thumbnail images is recommended. Thumbnails are small images that load very quickly but hold a link to a larger image. Use of vector-based graphics is desirable for faster download times. Keep in mind that a significant portion of your audience is most likely children and adolescents so the presentation should be fun and at a level they can understand. FUTURE As more and more people are being connected to the Internet in the future, they will likely see your Internet site before they see you. Therefore it is important to make a good first impression with your Web site. Your Internet presence may become more important than any other single referral sources. Depending on your Web site design, links from other sites and advertisements, traffic to your site could be substantial. There may even be a time when office valuation takes into account the number of clicks (visitors) on its Web site. This is standard valuation (although imperfect) for Internet businesses where market capitalization per click (each visitor) is calculated. For example, Lycos is worth $244/click and Schwab is worth $4562/click.1 How much is your office worth per click? REFERENCES 1. Schonfeld E. How much are your eyeballs worth? Fortune, Feb 21, 2000; p. 197-204.
CONTRIBUTORS WANTED! The possibilities for computers are limitless, as is our job. Our research team is the world of clinicians who try new ideas and concepts. To grow, we must share. If you do not have time to write a formal paper, submit an outline with all pertinent facts and findings. We will complete the job. MA, DH, & RS.
Do you have a satellite office in cyberspace? James K. Mah, DDS, MSc, DMSca Los Angeles, Calif
A hallmark of the last decade was the WWW (World Wide Web) aspect of almost anything imaginable. Almost every large company established its presence in cyberspace, and in many, it became an indispensable part of their business. In orthodontics, many offices ventured onto the Internet, but the majority of offices are still without a presence in cyberspace. Therefore, this article addresses some commonly asked questions by orthodontist regarding the Internet. I hope it will help orthodontists decide whether they would like to set up a “satellite office” in cyberspace. WHAT’S IT FOR? A Web site is basically your stake in cyberspace that serves the multipurpose roles of a Yellow Pages ad and a billboard; with e-mail feedback, it can also serve as an answering machine. With advanced features and technologies, it can be much more. The capabilities of displaying text and graphic information as well as audio and video provide for almost limitless delivery of information. Most orthodontic Web sites are currently used to list business hours, give the office location and directions to get there, provide a description of the office and personnel as well as treatment techniques and results and other patient information. Advanced features are limited mostly by bandwidth, that is, the speed over which it is delivered over the Internet. Audio and video files are relatively large and result in relatively long download times. Another limitation is development costs as these features significantly add to the cost of building a Web site. Hidden features such as statistics and tracking allow you to follow how many visitors have visited your site, how long they stayed, and where they looked. WHO SEES IT? Basically anyone in the world with Internet access can view your site. However, your target audience is prospective and current patients, parents, and referring dentists. In many cases, it is the first impression of your office. Therefore, professionalism, ease of navigation through the site, organization, and clarity are a must. Think of it as the entryway into your office. aAssistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Southern California. Reprint requests to: Dr James Mah, Department of Orthodontics, University of Southern California, 925 W 34 St, Suite 312, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0641; email, [email protected]. Copyright © 2000 by the American Association of Orthodontists. 0889-5406/2000/$12.00 + 0 8/1/107638 doi.10.1067/mod.2000.107638
622
WHAT’S IN A NAME? In real estate, it is location, location, location, but in cyberspace, it is domain name, domain name, domain name. With the recent sale of loans.com for $3 million and the asking price of America.com at $30 million, it is clear that an extreme premium is placed on the name of a Web site. In 1998, 1.8 million domain names were registered; in 1999, 5 million domain names were registered with a cumulative total of 8.1 million currently registered. In choosing your domain name, consideration should be given to one that best represents your office, is easy to remember, and not too lengthy. Longer names are usually more difficult for people to remember and increase the chances of typographic error. The first step is to think of several suitable names for your office Web site. The three letter terminal extension should be one of the top-level extensions (.com, .org, and .net) and would most likely be .com that represents a commercial Web site (Table I). Specific country code extensions also exist such as .ca (Canada), .de (Germany), .fr (France), and .uk (United Kingdom). Once you have produced a list of possible names for your office, you need to check if it is available. Unless your name is very specific, it is most likely that it has already been registered. You can check availability at www.networksolutions.com, the Internet registry of domain names. Even if your office has no immediate plans to build a Web site, it is advisable to at least register your domain name. This stakes your claim in cyberspace and prevents someone else from registering the name before you do. It also prevents a cybersquatter from simply registering your name or office name and trying to sell it to you for profit. Although the government has passed legislation (Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act) to prevent cybersquatting, it has clout only with trademarked names. In addition, it may be troublesome to even locate the offender. The fee for registering is $70 for the first 2 years and $35/year thereafter. At these low costs, you may choose to register permutations of your domain name to prevent cybersquatting or confusion later on if someone else registers a similar name. WHAT IS THE COST? Aside from the registration costs, there are 2 basic costs associated with a Web site. The first is for designing and building the Web site. The second is for hosting, maintaining, and updating the Web site. The costs of designing and build-
Ortho Bytes 623
American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Volume 117, Number 5
ing your Web site can range from nothing to several hundreds or thousands of dollars depending on its size and features. If you want a Web site for free, you can choose to do it yourself with off-the-shelf software or opt for a free service on the Internet, however, the latter will likely be built from lookalike templates and contain advertisements and other links from your Web site. If you choose to do it yourself, be prepared for a steep learning curve ahead and diagnosis and management of technical problems. Having gone this route, I would suggest that your time is better spent doing orthodontics. Did I mention the time and aggravation? The other option is to have your Web site done professionally. The bottom line is you have spent thousands of dollars on your office, your Web site should be representative. Professional web designers can work with you on everything from logo design to colors and layouts. Keep in mind you still have to supply the text content and photos of your office or patients if you choose. A professional web author should also be able to show you good examples of their work. You can find bad examples with your own Internet search. Costs associated with hosting, maintaining, and updating your Web site vary greatly depending on the size of your Web site, the number of changes, and a number of optional features you select. Therefore, it is important to obtain estimates in advance to better plan your budget. Per month costs may range from a low of approximately $30 per month to several hundred dollars per month or more depending on your choices. TRICKS OF THE TRADE The single most important rule of the Internet is that download times must be acceptable; webpages must load in 10 seconds or less on a modem operating at 28.8 kb/s. This may seem incongruent with the fact that almost all modems sold today are rated at 56 kb/s. However, they almost never run at this speed because of several limitations with the connections, lines, routers, hubs, concentrators, etc. The rate-limiting step is not the modem but all these other links that collectively make up “bandwidth.” The bottom line is you are lucky to get a consistent transmission speed of 3 to 4 kb/s unless you have a DSL (digital subscriber line) or a cable-modem. Therefore, most visitors to your site will be downloading pages in much longer than 10 seconds. Internet surfers as a group are impatient, and
Table I. Domain Extension .com .org .net .edu .gov
name extensions Entity Commercial Organization Network Education Government
you have little time to keep their attention. Professional web authors are well aware of this and use several tricks of the trade to avoid violating this rule. First, the layout should be kept simple and efficient; avoid excessive web effects such as animations, clutter, long pages, and large graphics. Second, web graphics should be of small size and lower resolution compared with print versions (72 dpi resolution is recommended because this is the same as the screen resolution). Use of thumbnail images is recommended. Thumbnails are small images that load very quickly but hold a link to a larger image. Use of vector-based graphics is desirable for faster download times. Keep in mind that a significant portion of your audience is most likely children and adolescents so the presentation should be fun and at a level they can understand. FUTURE As more and more people are being connected to the Internet in the future, they will likely see your Internet site before they see you. Therefore it is important to make a good first impression with your Web site. Your Internet presence may become more important than any other single referral sources. Depending on your Web site design, links from other sites and advertisements, traffic to your site could be substantial. There may even be a time when office valuation takes into account the number of clicks (visitors) on its Web site. This is standard valuation (although imperfect) for Internet businesses where market capitalization per click (each visitor) is calculated. For example, Lycos is worth $244/click and Schwab is worth $4562/click.1 How much is your office worth per click? REFERENCES 1. Schonfeld E. How much are your eyeballs worth? Fortune, Feb 21, 2000; p. 197-204.
CONTRIBUTORS WANTED! The possibilities for computers are limitless, as is our job. Our research team is the world of clinicians who try new ideas and concepts. To grow, we must share. If you do not have time to write a formal paper, submit an outline with all pertinent facts and findings. We will complete the job. MA, DH, & RS.