From Trisha's Desk By Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

Trisha E. O’Hehir,
RDH, BS
Editorial Director,
Hygienetown Magazine

As you read each issue of Hygienetown, it’s obvious that our feature articles revolve around breaking news in the profession, pioneering research, or new and intriguing products that have just been released. For example, see page 10 for a different perspective on polishing, and be sure to read our interview in the May issue with hygienist Jeri Starrett from Ultreo, makers of the newest power toothbrush to enter the market.

But do you ever wonder how message board discussions are selected for this magazine? Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just randomly pick discussions; it’s actually a rather scientific process. We select message board discussions based on two factors: topic popularity and a balance between section topics.

When it comes time for us to consider which message boards would be a good fit for the magazine, we look under the “Big Threads” section of the Web site. Here is where we find the most popular message boards of the moment. The number of posts on a board is important criteria, but even more valuable is the amount of views a message board generates. Those of you who don’t add your comments still provide us with input by simply reading the discussions. Each time you read a discussion, it counts as one “view.” We’ve started including these numbers in the introduction for each message board in the magazine.

Along with popularity of message boards, we select a balance of topics. Every month, we like to make sure that you’re receiving well-rounded material that isn’t too heavy in one aspect of the profession. That’s why the magazine is broken up into three sections, Research, Clinical and Business, to provide the framework for keeping each issue as balanced as possible.

Hygienetown is your Web site and your magazine. We select discussions and stories for publication based on what your participation on the message boards tells us. You guide us. Keep visiting and posting in the discussions that interest you. Start discussions on your favorite dental hygiene topic (in my next column, I’ll show you how easy it is!).

See you on www.hygienetown.com and perhaps in the magazine as well!