The changes actually came about after reviewing the results of an online reader survey conducted at the end of 2003.
Please know that whenever we conduct a survey, we take the results very seriously. When you take the time to speak (e-mail, etc.), we take the time to listen.
There are actually a number of reasons for the new design, beginning with readability. As you can see, the new design allows us to list every article in each issue on the front page. This means that you can easily scan the contents of the entire issue from the front page and move directly to the specific news, columnists and features you're interested in reading. The new design also includes type fonts that make the newspaper easier to read.
As you review the first column directory (on the left side of the front page), you will notice that we are now focused on five areas of information:
News |
Practice Success |
Art of Chiropractic |
(Clinical Content) |
Chiropractic Science |
Chiropractic Philosophy |
These topics are foundational to the profession and the focus of every issue. Each of these five topics has its own theme color, making it easier to identify the articles you want to read the most.
The second most important reason for the new design is to integrate the printed presentation of DC articles with the online presentation. A highly sophisticated, dynamic online database structure will ultimately allow readers to follow news and information according to multiple criteria. This will make the more than 40,000 articles on ChiroWeb.com much more accessible according to your needs and interests.
Because of the vast amount of information that comes through our office every day, it has become virtually impossible to publish every article that should be published through the print media. To rectify this and make more information available to you, Dynamic Chiropractic will soon begin publishing certain articles "online only." The title of each article, along with the corresponding URL, will be listed in a special section of the printed version of DC.
The new design also includes a move toward publishing the articles you want to read. In response to the reader survey results, you will see more articles on those topics you most want to read about, and less of those you don't. All topics have been ranked according to the survey results; this ranking helps determine how many articles on each topic are published each year. Another survey will be conducted at the end of 2004 to verify our initial results and make any necessary adjustments for 2005.
Finally, you will notice more articles in each issue of Dynamic Chiropractic. This is in response to your request for more concentrated articles. By making articles more concise, you can read more articles on more topics in the same amount of time you spend now. This provides you with more useful information, while respecting the limited time you have to read the publication.
Dynamic Chiropractic will continue to strive for excellence in all areas. More improvements are on the horizon for ChiroWeb.com, using the latest technology to provide you (and the hundreds of thousands of other monthly visitors) with the best experience possible. Please accept our open invitation for suggestions on how we can continue to enhance the best publication (and Web site) in the chiropractic profession.
DMP Jr.
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.