Regardless of how tech savvy you are, it’s likely that you’ve
noticed the rise of social networking from a niche, college-based pastime to a
full-fledged cultural phenomenon.
It seems like nowadays everyone from your 12-year-old niece to your
retired parents can be found blogging or tweeting, and there’s no doubt that,
while a lot of this online activity can be categorized as pure entertainment,
the complex web of contacts and status updates can be a valuable tool. For example, during the recent Mumbai
terrorist attacks, family and friends were kept up to date on the status of
loved ones via Twitter posts and Facebook updates.
The
basis of social networking is the creation of an online community where users
can share interests and activities.
By creating new ways to communicate and share information—via e-mail,
instant messaging, and status updates—social networking connects far-flung individuals
with similar interests, while providing up-to-the-minute news on a particular
topic or event and—ultimately—facilitating the free and easy
transfer of information and ideas.
But what does any of this have to do with water efficiency
and conservation? The potential of
social networking dovetails nicely with our commitment to providing
an easy and accessible forum for everyone concerned about, or interested in,
water efficiency and conservation issues. At Water Efficiency,
we’re constantly working towards creating an interactive community
where water efficiency professionals can communicate in real
time. We’ve always strived to
provide a place that allows our readers to voice their opinions, pose their
questions, and reach out to other water conservation professionals.
With those goals in
mind, we’ve decided to branch out into an new online medium by creating a
Water Efficiency presence on Facebook. There are several ways to connect with
Water Efficiency via Facebook.
If you’re already a member, you can “friend” the magazine (listed under
“ED Cutright”) or join our Water Efficiency group. We’ve also created an events page for
WaterEC, our first annual water conservation and efficiency conference that will
kick off next week in Newport Beach, CA.
We’ll be twittering and sending status updates from the event, as well as
providing real-time news from the exhibit floor. If you’ve managed to resist the siren’s
call of social networking, now might be the time to get your feet
wet.