Hey Doc, Your Website is Dead

Remember the Tamagotchi? It was popular with teens and preteens in the late 1990s. Owners of these pocket-sized toys were told, “The Tamagotchi is a tiny pet from cyberspace that needs your love to survive and grow. If you take good care of your Tamagotchi pet, it will slowly grow bigger, healthier and more beautiful every day. If you neglect your little cyber creature, it may grow up to be mean or ugly.”

The question or game of it all was to know, “How old will your Tamagotchi be when it returns to its home planet?” Or, as the kids knew, before it died.  Its survival was up to the owner, or virtual caretaker as the toy manufacturer referred to them. But its death was inevitable. As with everything else that comes into the life of a child, it runs its course. The ecosystem for the pet would change considerably if the owner discovered the opposite sex, lost his backpack, was grounded, joined a cheer or sports team, or otherwise got busy with something more interesting than the digital pet in their pocket.

It’s that way in the real world too.

We live in an always tuned in, on-the-go world where apps own every conversation and Facebook is the Internet. Yet, you have a website that like that forgotten Tamagotchi hasn’t adapted to the changes in the (web) ecosystem. And now? It’s dead.

It’s dead to the referring physician upon whom you rely for business development.

It’s dead to prospective patients who rely on it to determine the role you might play in their care beyond medical jargon and outdated resources.

It’s dead to the caregiver, referring physician or healthcare partner who learns through images and video.

And it’s dead to anyone who might dare expect to connect, gather or interact with you when they’re sitting with an ailing family member or on the bleachers at soccer practice.

It’s dead because five changes occurred within the web ecosystem and you failed to adapt.

The web became about shared experiences. People want to be where their friends are and where people with shared values or common interests and concerns can interact.

The web became about personalization. People want to know that you know who they are.  You have to know what returning audiences find useful, recognize what they need more of and allow them to share what they’ve found useful elsewhere.

The web became about engagement. Users are no longer content to simply look at your info. They want to talk about it. Leave comments. Share ideas. See comments from others. See comments from you regarding their comments.

The web became mobile. Smartphone ownership is a pandemic. Your website has to have meaningful functionality and legible text on the smartphone form factor. For many, it has become the preferred touch point. But at the very least it must be a capable companion to the desktop experience.

The web became more visual. Pictures are still worth a thousand words. And they are among the most valuable assets your website can use to communicate your values, present your service, educate your audience and entice them to share what they learned on your site with others through a variety of sharing utilities.

What happened to the web ecosystem? It became social. You know social, right?

It’s that thing you do every time you share an article, click like, reply to a friend’s comment, upload a photo or subscribe to content from those who engage and inform you. And it’s not just for Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. It should drive your website strategy.

People on social websites feel like somebody. And while you might not have noticed, sites that use social plugins and methods have empowered your patients and their friends. They’ve set an expectation for something more than well, what you’re doing on your website.

The Tamagotchi had a speaker. It was the cyber pet’s mouth, so to speak. Certain tones or beeps would convey the pet’s status – I need water. I need sleep. I need you to play with me – it’s plea that you’d something.

So, consider this your website’s plea for you to do something. The savvy Tamagotchi pet owner knew how to reset the toy when he or she recognized it was near death. I bet I know a kid or two who might be able to reset your website. And now you know what must be done for it to “grow bigger, healthier and more beautiful every day.”