New Website Features and Review

To:All DIAC Member Companies
From:Jamie Matera, Vice Preseident & Marketing
Date:September 8, 2009
Subject:New Website Features and Review

DIAC has been revamping its web site in order to incorporate our new logo and some new features which we are sure you will grow to appreciate.

As a marketing tool for our members, the DIAC web site at www.diac.ca is designed to be the “go-to place” on the world-wide web for people looking for information on the Canadian dental industry.  As such, it represents a real opportunity for your company to extend its marketing reach with a unique blend of promotional opportunities, and the ability to cross-link those opportunities back to your own web site.  Although this is not an earth shattering event, it does give you access to a variety of tools to promote and grow your business. Promotion on the DIAC web site is exclusive to DIAC members, there is no charge for any of the features, and they are all easy to activate. 

The information below details all the features of the revised web site and shows you how to maximize their value. The information is in the form of a manual so members can save, print out or distribute the information they need without creating clutter.  If you have forgotten or misplaced the Member Number and Password that you will need to access the Member (Input and) Home Page, please contact Bernie Teitelbaum using the contact information below.

We hope you will make use of the DIAC web site to help grow your business.

New Features – Authorized Dealer Listing for Manufacturers

                        -  Industry News Page (Press Releases)

DIAC Website Manual – Table of Contents

  1. Home Page www.diac.ca
  2. Membership Page
  3. Product Locator
  4. Event Calendar
  5. Bulletins
  6. Cross Links
  7. Industry News Page
  8. Photo Gallery
  9. About Us/Contact Us
  10. Technorama
  11. Classifieds
  12. Member Home Page  

My Member Number ___________________      

My Password __________________________ 

Section 1 – DIAC Home Page Features

Visitors to the home page see the site map with all the web site features. On each visit and on each page change a different member is highlighted.  Also on the Home Page:

  • Latest Bulletins with links
  • Upcoming Events
  • A link to a panel discussion on Grey Market dental materials 

DIAC members cannot edit this page. 

Section 2 – Membership Page Features

  1. Member List – Visitors to the Membership Page see an alphabetical list of DIAC members together with their logos and a link to their own web site.  

You will be asked once every year to review your name listing and your logo to ensure that they are accurate. These are your trademarks, so make sure that we use them properly. You will also be asked to test the link to your web site to ensure that we have the current link. 

 To edit names, logos and web links on the Membership Page, Members must contact the DIAC office. 

  1. Authorized Dealers (NEW) – Manufacturing Members can list their authorized dealers on the Membership page. The list will appear as a drop-down menu beside the name and logo of the manufacturing member. 

Authorized dealers can be listed by visiting the Member’s Home Page, entering the Member Number and Password, and clicking on “Manage Your Authorized Dealers”. 

  1. Membership Application – Prospective members visiting the DIAC web site can download an Application for Membership. 

Section 3 – Product Locator Features

The DIAC Product Locator is divided into 6 Sections. 

  • Dental Laboratories/Services 
  • Dental Laboratory Equipment
  • Dental Laboratory Sundries 
  • Dental Operatory Equipment
  • Dental Operatory Sundries 
  • Dental Services/Providers 

Each section of the Product Locator is broken out into very specific products and services. Each company listing for each product is linked back to that company’s web site. 

All DIAC members are required to list their products and services on the Product Locator as a condition of membership. This will be monitored. 

Members (only) can list their products and services by visiting the Member’s Home Page, entering their Member Number and Password and clicking on “Add/Remove Your Products”.  Because the categories are already in the Product Locator, in most cases the whole exercise takes less than 10 minutes.  Each year, Members are reminded to check their listings to ensure they are up to date.  Members may suggest new categories, changes in category names and category deletions directly to the DIAC office. Members cannot edit categories on their own.   Only commercial dental laboratories may use the “Dental Laboratories/Services Section”.

Section 4 – Event Calendar Features

The Event Calendar is designed to show Upcoming Events of interest to dental professionals.   Members (only) may list their own events by visiting the Member’s Home Page, entering their Member Number and Password, and clicking on “Submit an Event”. 

Only DIAC members in good standing can list a company sponsored event, although the DIAC staff will be entering the major dental exhibitions and other dental events of general interest.   All submissions for the Event Calendar are reviewed by our Executive Director – to ensure they are appropriate – before the event is posted.  Companies that have used the Event Calendar have all reported positive responses to their seminars and other educational events.

Section 5 – Bulletins Page Features

DIAC Bulletins that are approved for public dissemination are posted to the Bulletins Section of the DIAC web site under 5 categories 

  • Board of Directors
  • Business & Employee Development
  • Industry Relations
  • Market Research
  • Regulatory affairs 

The cover page for this section contains the latest Bulletin from each category. However, by clicking on a category tab, a visitor can see all the Bulletins that have ever been posted to that category in reverse chronological order. 

For DIAC members, this is a “read only” section.

Section 6 – Cross Links Features

To help DIAC become a “go to” web site, it is important for us to cross link to other stakeholders in the dental industry.   The cross link section of the web site contains three categories

  • Associations
  • Regulatory Colleges
  • Teaching Institutions

A fourth category called “Other Important Links” will be added to the web site when we have enough links to include. Members are encouraged to advise the DIAC office of any cross links they would like to see included. 

Each of the three categories links to four more sub-categorie 

  • Dental Hygienists
  • Dental Technicians
  • Dentists
  • Denturists

Each sub-category will lead to a list of all related cross-links

Section 7 – Industry News Page Features (New)

This new section to the web site will contain press releases, product introductions and other company specific and timely information that our members wish to publicize. Members (only) can list their news by visiting the Member’s Home Page, entering their Member Number and Password and clicking on “Submit News”.  All submissions for the News Page are reviewed by our Executive Director – to ensure they are appropriate – before the event is posted. The news item will appear under a headline which the visitor clicks to read the whole story.   Postings are maintenance free. All postings to the Industry News Page will automatically be removed from the web site 60 days from the day they first appear.

Section 8 – Photo Gallery Features

DIAC is now taking digital pictures at all of its events. These pictures will be posted to the DIAC Photo Gallery in albums – one album for each event.  DIAC will not allow albums to become stale. They will be deleted as the events fade from memory.

Section 9 – About Us / Contact Us Features 

These two sections help visitors not familiar with DIAC to learn something about the organization.

The “About Us” section contains four tabs as follows, all of which will be updated shortly

  • Mission Statement
  • Board of Directors
  • Code of Ethics
  • DIAC Services 

The “Contact Us” section lets visitors to the web site know how to contact the DIAC offic

Section 10 – Technorama Features

The main page for Technorama contains five tabs as follows

  • Guest Information is the advertising page that tells delegates to the Technorama Convention the details of dates and hours for the annual show
  • Exhibitor Prospectus (downloadable
  • Technical Seminars is a list of all the sponsored seminars at Technorama including date, time and speaker
  • Business Seminar contains the promotional material for the half-day business program on the first morning of Technorama and includes a Registration Form. Though technically not part of Technorama, the Business Seminar is designed to attract participants who will then go to the Technorama show

Section 11 – Classified Ads Section

This section is not administered by DIAC. It is part of a national network of classified ads – managed by Dentropolis – that appear in various dental web sites.  All classified ads that are posted on any of the participating web sites then appear on all the participating web sites and are open to all visitors.

Section 12 – Members’ Home Page Features

The Members’ Home Page is where DIAC Members only go to post their data onto the DIAC web site.   After entering their Member Number and Password, DIAC members are taken to a page where they may enter data for

  • The Product Locator
  • The Event Calendar
  • Industry News Page
  • Authorized Dealer Listing
  • DIAC Downloads (DIAC staff only)

The last section (DIAC Downloads) will contain information for “members’ eyes only” such as the financial statements of the Association.

Members are cautioned to ensure that they “logout” of this section before closing their web browser to ensure that their access cannot be misappropriated.