by James Laughlin
I've long been active in web-based communities, where I meet and talk with people and both gather and share information. I especially enjoy frequenting sites that are somehow linked to my various hobbies and my professional interests. I've learned a lot while visiting such websites, and I hope that I have helped others in return by sharing my experiences.
I now have the chance to help manage just such a website. WaterWorld has established a new community web page designed to serve as a gathering spot for people in the global water industry. The page can be found at http://community.waterworld.com. You can also reach the community page by visiting www.waterworld.com and clicking on the "Community" link.
Once you've joined the WaterWorld Community, you can create your own personal webspace, join in on water related discussions, post Blogs, videos and pictures, and interact with other professionals in the industry.
There is no cost involve in joining the community. Registration is quick and simple.
The WaterWorld Community is designed to be a social networking tool. You can join existing discussion groups or start your own. Current groups on the site include Drinking Water, Wastewater Operators, Industrial Water Professionals, Urban Water Management and Rural Water Operators.
Groups can be built around any topic related to water and members are encouraged to create their own groups of friends and associates. Groups can be as focused or as broad as you like. Drinking water, of course, is fairly broad topic. If you're interested specifically in medium pressure UV disinfection for wastewater and want to focus on that topic alone, you can establish a group and ask other system operators, engineers or equipment specialists to join.
The WaterWorld Community will serve as a gathering place and as a professional network. The goal is to help people working in the water industry advance professionally by finding, connecting and networking with others.
The traditional way to interact is face-to-face. That's not always possible in the busy world of water, and community websites such as this make it possible for people to network with their peers from anywhere, at anytime.
The site is sponsored by the Water Group at PennWell Corp., which includes WaterWorld Magazine, serving the municipal water and wastewater market in the US and Canada; Industrial WaterWorld, which serves the heavy industrial/commercial water market in North America; and Water & Wastewater International, which serves the global water market. Information on the publications can be found at www.waterworld.com.
After reading articles on the website or in the magazines, you're welcome to post comments on the Community page and discuss the articles in detail.
While we're sponsoring the site, it's the users – the water "community" – who will decide how the site evolves. We encourage you to stop by, sign up and begin a discussion. If you read an article in WaterWorld that sparks your interest, feel free to post a comment. It doesn't matter if it's negative, positive or you simply want more information. The goal is to start a discussion, share and interact with your peers in the industry.
James Laughlin, Editor
