Welcome to the new WDJ website! I’m excited about it, and here are the top five reasons why:
- All current subscribers who are registered for access to the site (it comes free with your subscription, you just have to register and select a login name and password) can now access ALL of WDJ’s past content. No more paying for that back issue that you loaned to a friend and never got back and now really need!
- When you read a current article in the online version, links are provided for past articles that we reference in the text. So, as an example, in our July 2010 issue, we have an article about the Delta Society’s recent decision to disallow raw-fed dogs from its therapy dog programs. In the article, we mention that feeding dogs coconut oil can help inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in and on that dog, and we reference an exhaustive article we published about the many benefits of coconut oil for dogs: “Crazy About Coconut Oil:How Coconut Oil Benefits Your Dog’s Health,” WDJ October 2005. Voila! In the online version, you can click on a link that will take you to that very article so you can read more about how to find coconut oil, what the best sources are, and more. Links to related items are included with each article.
- Searches for back articles are easier than ever. In the “search” box, type key words from the article you’re trying to find or the topic you are interested in. The results will appear in reverse chronological order – most recent ones first – in a list, with the title and first paragraph of the article, and the issue in which the article appeared. Maybe you are looking for a certain article on calendula. You type in “calendula” into the search box. The search returns 26 different articles that mention calendula… But you are looking for an entire feature on the helpful herb, one that ran within the past few years. Well, because the articles are sorted with the most recent first, you can easily see that we’ve run two feature articles on calendula in the past three years: One in April 2008 called “Calendula: Herb of the Year,” and one in February 2007 about “Calendula and its Ability to Treat Your Dog’s Skin Problems.” Note that searches for more common topics may yield a broader range of results. In such cases, you may get better results by using the “Advanced Search” function, entering your terms in the “Exact Phrase” box.
- Back issue archive is easier to view, especially for the issues from July 2009 forward. For these most recent issues, a thumbnail of each cover appears. I don’t know about you, but I often remember which issue an article is in from just a glance at the artwork on the cover. Under “Resources” (on each page) click on “Back Issue Archive.” You can click on any cover to see what was in that entire issue.
- It’s easier to find the link to the service you need for your subscription, whether you want to know how many issues you have left on your subscription, you need to change the address your subscription is sent to, you need to activate your free online access, or anything else. Click on “customer service,” in the upper right corner, and there are a number of options to click on that should solve any problem you’ve been having.
