Questions about VIN (message boards)

[No Imagination]

So, I assume most of us are on VIN - or at least occasionally, but this week was the 3rd time I've tried to use their message boards (not to post, but to lurk, perhaps learn something).

Is it me, or are they VERY under-utilized and pretty useless?
- If its me, say so, and I will give it another go (I am pretty computer savy, but had a difficult time navigating around it), but just spend an hour on it, and it seems like mostly unanswered questions dating back to 2008 with little substance.

PS - Obviously, VIN is amazing for all the official content; I guess I was looking for something more like a 'professional' SDN

Just curious about your thoughts

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[cuitlamiztli]

Which of the message boards have you been looking at? In my experience the most active ones are under Vet-to-Vet; most of the folders I look at there have new posts/comments on open threads daily.

And I agree that it's a rather clunky setup.

 

[No Imagination]

the most active ones are under Vet-to-Vet;

Hmm, I will have to take a look at that (and that is probably what I am interested in). I think the problem (or at least my problem with VIN is there are WAY TOO many sub-directories.

thanks

EDIT: 4th time is a charm... I had it set to only show messages from last 3 days (not sure why super old stuff showed up) - thanks again cuitlamizt

 

[aretoo]

I personally find it really good for SA topics, and some specialties. Whenever I read the equine folder, I find lots of questions from small animal vets about their own horses, or random horsey questions they may have, and fewer interesting discussions about tough cases than in the other sections. But that may just have been the few times I've looked at it? Haven't looked at the food animal section either.

 

[BeagleOne]

You can personalize the boards so you are only searching areas in which you are interested. On the left side of your screen, under "select board/folder", you can click on "my boards" and it will show you what boards you have chosen.

To choose a board, say dermatology, go to "vet-to-vet" and select derm on the pull-down menu. Then go to "find since" and click on that; doesn't really matter what time period you use, so long as there has been discussion in that folder during that time period.

When you click on "Find Since" the derm folder should come up. Below the window showing the discussions within your chosen time period should be an option, "add this folder to my boards". Click on that link and derm will be added to "my boards".

You can add folders from any of the boards...so if you want to add your vet school's folder, or a business' folder, along with vet-to-vet board folders, you can do that.

Then when you want to search, just click on the circle next to "my boards" and whatever time period you choose, and it will only give you results from the boards you've chosen.

The VIN search engine isn't great; you will get some good results, but some of the most useful stuff may be buried several pages back. If you have a specific question, it might be better just to post it and someone will get back to you pretty quickly. If you post in the "From the Trenches" folder, you will probably get more responses than on a specialty board, but they might not be from specialists. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing!

You can also cross-post questions to multiple folders if you want wider exposure.

 

[No Imagination]

Thanks for the update.

I have been playing around more and more with VIN; so much useful information. Its also nice to see so many vets as actual human beings (in vet school, they all have on their 'game face', so to speak.)

 

[twelvetigers]

I prefer 'poker face'...

My p-p-p-poker face, my...

I'll stop.