On February 12, 2010, I announced the introduction of the Wibiya toolbar for Next Generation Chiropractor’s site. For more on its background, please see How to Engage Your Chiropractic Blog Readers Through the Wibiya Toolbar.
After taking the toolbar through its paces, I must confess that the results have been satisfactory. The bottom line is that the toolbar did increase engagement with my content and helped boost awareness through both Facebook and Twitter.
However, even though I’ve been pleased with its results, I’m constantly trying new things and services. Therefore, I’ve uninstalled Wibiya and installed Meebo to see what all the hype has been about.
Why?
Well, because remember it’s not about me, it’s about you!
I use my blog as a science lab. In other words, I test things that work, pass along the results, and then move on to other things that may be better for chiropractors in engaging and converting prospects into quality new patients.
Besides, why should you have to go through this type of trial-and-error? You’ve got enough on your plate as you focus on growing a chiropractic practice. 
So, as I took Next Generation Chiropractor through a complete redesign, I decided to install new functionality as well.
Enter Meebo
As their site states, Meebo enables over 100 million users to instantly connect, share, and communicate with all of their friends.
Because Meebo integrates all social network and communication channels into a single, simple-to-use interface, users can easily share content and communicate in real time with the people who matter to them. Meebo connects people to their friends on the thousands of websites that have installed the Meebo Bar, on mobile devices, and through Meebo Messenger.
Sharing
Intuitive drag-and-drop sharing integrates elegantly with the content of your site. For an example of this, simply hover your mouse over the following image:
Benefits
One of the nice features of Meebo is that its toolbar is optimized for the social graph. What does this mean?
Well, it allows you to keep track of the following:
- Traffic growth
- Increased site engagement
- Access to over 100 social networks
- Compatible with Facebook Connect
Plus, the Meebo Bar works on all major blogging platforms.
Analytics
Another nice feature is Meebo’s built-in analytics. By logging into your account, you can easily track site visitors and sharing from the Meebo Bar Dashboard.
Customization based off of YOUR needs!
Once you sign up for an account and install the software, you can log into your Meebo dashboard to customize what you’d like featured on the toolbar.
For example, I choose Recent Activity, Twitter, Facebook Fan Page, Digg This, and the Facebook Like functions.
Bring on Chat!
Another neat feature is its built-in chat capabilities. Just click on the Chat with your friends tab located to the far left-hand side of the toolbar and you can instantly connect with friends and family who utilize chat service from the following companies:
- Meebo
- Facebook Chat
- AIM
- MySpace IM
- GoogleTalk
Meebo is NOT the new kid on the block!
If you’re thinking,
“Yeah, Dr. MacNamara, this all sounds great but how long have these kids been around the Internet?”
Well, in Internet terms, they’ve been around long enough to earn the respect of big sites like Mashable.
Matter of fact, Mashable introduced their services over nine months ago and even wrote a blog post about it titled New Mashable Features: Meebo Chat, Drag to Share on Twitter and Facebook.
But, as I said, their longevity is based off of Internet terms. In other words, since technology changes so quickly, I could easily changes things up as early as next week if a more stellar product or service comes along.
Bottom line: If you’ve been looking for another way to engage readers of your chiropractic blog, then give Meebo a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Question: What other toolbar have you used besides Wibiya and Meebo? What results have you seen in terms of engagement?
Let us know in the {comments} section below.
About Dr. Patrick MacNamara
Hey Patrick,
We actually offer a toolbar as well called the Apture Magic Search Bar. It’s branding, social sharing and the most insane search experience to your site. Check it out on http://chirocentre.co.uk/ just scroll down the page a bit.
Andrew
Thanks, Andrew, for recommending Apture. It looks and works great on your site! I’ll have to check it out again. The last time I used it, it kept causing PHP errors. It looks like it runs smoothly on your site so I’ll give it another whirl in the future.
Dr. MacNamara,
Thanks for “testing” out Meebo, I have heard about it but I didnt think it was going to improve traffic and communication compared to Wibiya. I have found that Wibiya is a nice add-on and improved my traffic some. Thanks again and I will have to give it a try.
Todd P. Sullivan, DC
If my readers recall it was you, Dr. Sullivan, that introduced me to Wibiya. And, for that, I’m grateful. Since it did increase engagement, I still highly recommend it.
But, with all the other changes to my site, I figured it’d be nice to try something new. I’ll keep you posted on how it does compared to Wibiya with both engagement and content sharing.
seems like you’re not using a toolbar now? and neither is Mashable. Has it gone out of fashion?
Actually, I’ve tested numerous toolbars and have enjoyed each one. However, I’m constantly testing new ways for engagement. So, I’m don’t think it’s a “gone out of fashion” thing as much as it is looking for newer technologies that will help chiropractors with lead generation.
By the way, thanks for stopping by the site. I do appreciate it!