Thanks to the good old Internet, I have found countless ways to pass the time in between patients. Without question, most of what the Internet has to offer is a complete waste of time. For example:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J—aiyznGQ[/youtube]
But there are several “Islands of Awesome” to be found in the “Sea of Distraction” that is the Internet. After taking a tour of these sites, I’m willing to bet that you will enjoy spending many hours learning and becoming inspired as I have.
(1) Excursives
Excursives
Ryan Dulde is quickly becoming a leading member of the dental profession.
He and I have met as fellow speakers at a few dental conferences. Due to unfortunate timing, I’ve always missed seeing him speak by a day or so. However I have heard from audiences that his presentations are nothing short of mind-blowing.
To get a feel for his eclectic style, check out his blog, Excursives. He writes about dentistry and leadership development with a healthy dose of humor. He collects hilarious and fascinating items from around the Internet and shares the best of the best. More than just a dental blog, Ryan has his fingers on the pulse of the latest innovations in technology and philosophy. It is the compendium of cool.
(2) Valitics
Valitics
I’ve written about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and web analytics on this blog a few times. You may have seen a couple of guest blogger spots by Dan Bruce. Dan is a dentist who truly understands the complex process of creating and maintaining a successful website. On valitics.com, he and his compatriots break down that complex process into digestible pieces.
Dan and the other authors write practical and provocative posts about the internet and your business. If you’re curious about social media, SEO, and marketing, you’ll want to check these guys out on a regular basis.
(3) Mouthing Off
Mouthing Off
For the dental students that read this site, you will do well to check out Mouthing Off, the official blog of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA). This is an excellent summary of the key political issues that face dental students, young dentists, and our profession as a whole.
If you’re interested in starting a website and/or blog for your practice, you can learn a lot from Mouthing Off. Since ASDA’s members are dental students, they have to work hard to quickly engage them before they graduate. ASDA is years ahead of other organizations in terms of using social media to recruit and maintain interest.
(4) Dental Town
Dental Town
Okay, technically Dental Town is a forum, not a blog. Whatever. Sometimes controversial, the Dental Town boards are a great way to poll your fellow dentists on a specific topic. You can ask for guidance on a case that is troubling you, get advice on how to handle drama with your office manager, or even just chat about travel.
A minor complaint is that you will have to sign up for an account to access the good stuff. It doesn’t cost anything, but I hate being forced to give an e-mail address and remember yet another password.
(5) DMDstudent
DMDstudent
As a dental student, Ben Johnson started this blog to offer advice to his fellow students about techniques and balancing life and work. He also lead the way in creating content for pre-dental students to tackle the challenging application process.
Now in Oral Surgery residency, Ben hasn’t stopped blogging. Along his journey, he has been quite candid about his experiences. Clinically speaking, he has great pictures and descriptions on several procedures that may confound dental students. He has a few more years ahead of him for residency. Hopefully Ben keeps blogging into the future.
UPDATE: Apparently Ben let his blog fade into the ether. Some group bought the URL address and has a “place holder” site up until someone else comes along to purchase it. Thanks to Tammy for the update!
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