What makes the web work? You do!

If you have given any attention to the World Wide Web since its explosion in 1994, you surely have seen countless articles telling what makes a good website.

By Staff May 1, 1998

If you have given any attention to the World Wide Web since its explosion in 1994, you surely have seen countless articles telling what makes a good website. Organizations, magazines, and even websites exist for no other reason than to educate web publishers on everything from proper interface design to effective search capabilities. And while it would not make sense for us at Plant Engineering Online to ignore these basics of web publishing, it makes even less sense for us to ignore what really makes the web work…you!

If it were not for you, the user, those of us responsible for websites and the information they provide, would never know if our design was intuitive, if our graphics were bringing your PC to a standstill, or if our search engine did little to help you find that needle in the haystack. Even more importantly, without your demanding voice, the web would be filled with useless content (or no content at all), and the sense of community that Plant Engineering Online strives to provide would have a population of zero. That’s why Plant Engineering Online believes in the need to treat you as the E.F. Hutton of customers: When you speak, we must listen.

The goal of Plant Engineering Online is to provide you with the foremost online information resource for plant engineers. A major initiative in achieving this goal is developing the website into a gathering place for effective two-way communication, which means more than you telling us about a broken link. What it means is you playing an active role in the never-ending development and improvement of Plant Engineering Online and the content that it provides to help you do your job.

Heard of some big industry news? A great new product? An upcoming tradeshow? Let us know by sending an e-mail to planteng@cahners.com. In other words, if you encounter holes or hurdles that lessen your motivation to use Plant Engineering Online the way it is meant to be used, then we want to work with you to ensure these holes are filled and hurdles are removed.

So while we continue to provide the usual content — online versions of the print magazine, web exclusives, industry news, etc. — and spend time on those little things that make Plant Engineering Online a good website, a large effort will be dedicated to keeping up our end of the two-way communication formula that makes a website successful. This approach means getting to know you better by keeping tabs on your needs, what you value, and where you and the industry are headed. Plant Engineering Online is determined to be on top of its game so you can be on top of yours.