By Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD 
Many articles on optometric practice management are devoted to return on investment. And rightly so. We all want to help ensure that the money we spend, whether it be on equipment, advertising or staff, is going to translate into increased profit for the practice. And while we often talk about ways to use the internet for marketing–ways to help get our message out to patients–it is important to remember that the reverse is true. There are many excellent, and free, online resources for optometrists. The cost of this optometric content is entirely covered by sponsors, ads, donations, individual content contributions or a combination of these.
Here are a few types of online resources that I personally use:
Stay Efficient: Online Workflow
To ensure you are using your time efficiently, develop a daily system. The goal is to get the most information in the shortest amount of time.
Daily
Check e-mail: Briefly respond to anything urgent, skim newsletters, archive or delete anything inessential, highlight info for sharing. Check e-mail only a few times each day at most.
Forums and social media: Skim and share, but do not feel the need to read and respond to everything. Set time limits. Do not get engaged in emotional discussions unlikely to have any significant resolution.
Weekly
Blogs: Skim Google Reader or your blog reader of choice, read and share quickly, mark the rest as read. If it is an important topic, it will be covered again.
Online publications: When you have uninterrupted time, choose a few of your favorites, then pick one or two articles to really read and process. Don’t try to read everything.
Professional Publications
Examples: www.reviewob.dev, OptometricManagement, VisionMonday
Professional publications may be solely online, like Review of Optometric Business, or a combination of print and online publications. Because they are professional, the content is top-notch, well-researched and highly edited. However, all of this takes time and the content will not be as up-to-the-minute as those below. I read these to get ideas for improving the practice and to stay current in areas that are not my specialty.
Optometry Networks
Examples: Optcomlist, ODWire, ODsonFacebook
These are social, dynamic, private networks for optometrists. Although the groups are closed to the public, keep in mind that it is still on the internet and you should be careful what you post. People often favor one group due to platform: e-mail (Optcomlist), forum (ODWire), or Facebook (ODs on Facebook). I use these to keep on top of the pulse of optometry. They are also excellent ways to crowd-source answers to either clinical or business-related questions. Among the thousands of doctors out there, the chances are good that many have found answers to the same question you have. Tip: If you are new to the group, it is perfectly acceptable to “lurk” a while and get a feel for the group before posting messages.
Curated News
Example: OptcomDailyNewsDigest
I love this. I am frequently looking for interesting content to share online, but I don’t have the time to read everything. Fortunately, Walt Mayo follows 120+ newsfeeds each day and picks the best ones. While the majority of posts are purely optometric, he does include tech and visual arts posts that he thinks would be of interest to ODs. Nearly every day, I can find a link to share on social networks from the e-mail.
Blogs
Examples: VisionHelp, OpticalVisionsite, Tips4Eyedocs, RetinaEyeDoctor
Nowadays, I think everyone knows what blogs are and probably has their favorites, written by companies, doctors and patients. They are great for finding out what thought leaders in any industry (including eyecare) are doing and picking up trends early. The challenge with blogs is remembering to read them. I recommend using a blog reader such as Google Reader, including the blogs you want to follow. Then periodically skim it and read and share posts as you see fit. If you like, I can e-mail you my list of eyecare blogs for Google Reader. Just e-mail me.
Social Media
Examples: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Social media can provide the most real time information, but can also be overwhelming. Do not try to follow everyone, just the ones you are actually interested in. And even then, only read and respond to posts that are worth your time. However, I use use social media the most at conferences like this week’s AOA meeting. By following the #om2012 hashtag, I can keep track of events, announcements and changes during the meeting.
Non-Optometric Resources
Examples: MarketingOverCoffee, DuctTapeMarketing, Mashable
There are non-optometric resources that are free and useful as well. There are many podcasts, blogs, e-books, and more that are directed toward small business owners and marketing specialists. I can tailor to my practice what cutting edge leaders in social media and small business are doing.
Cost of Time
What about time? The doctor has only a finite amount of time to spend online. Is taking advantage of the above sites a good use of time? That obviously depends on the doctor’s needs. Generally speaking, time spent thinking and learning about how to improve one’s practice is well-spent, whether it be in improving clinical knowledge or practice management. And for those who are comfortable online (which must include you since the very magazine you are reading is an online-only publication), few sources are more efficiently and easily accessed than on the internet.
It is possible to spend too much time online, especially on social networks, which were built to be time-consuming. Try to interact with a given piece of content only once. Decide if you are going to ignore it, read it and/or share it, and then move on. As with all activities, having a protocol or workflow established to ensure that your time is most efficiently spent is important. As long as you do, these abundant sources of free optometry-specific information can be enormously valuable to you and your practice.
Nathan Bonilla-Warford, OD,of Bright Eyes Family Vision Care in Tampa, Fla., is a graduate of Illinois College of Optometry. He is a member of the American Optometric Association, and is past president of the Hillsborough Society of Optometry, as well as chair of the Children’s Vision Committee of the Florida Optometric Association. To contact him: Doc@BrightEyesTampa.com.
