There’s so much that the editors in PennWell’s Hydro Group want to do, in terms of bringing the best and most useful information to the global hydro market. And just like you, we have a limited number of hours in which to accomplish an overlong list of deliverables.
We need your help!
We do keep track of the overall behaviors of our audience, in as much as we can track that via, for example, knowing the number of people who access the articles posted daily on the HydroWorld website or read Hydro Review each month or engage with the information we post on our various social media channels.
As you know, hydropower tends to be a “mature” market, both in terms of the longevity of the generating resource and the average age of the personnel who work at and with these facilities. At the same time, innovation abounds with regard to technologies and their applications that can make hydropower “young again.” (See the article on page 6 for more information about 10 of these technologies.) And, to replace the large amount of people who have retired or who soon will be retiring, a concerted effort is under way to attract “the next generation” of engineers to hydropower.
This situation offers us both opportunity and challenge.
The opportunity lies in meeting the needs of our audience by delivering editorial content in “new” methods. One example of this would be video. Of course video is not new, but its use by companies that have traditionally led their offerings with print content (like PennWell) to deliver information and education is a bit of an unexplored frontier. After all, we’re not broadcasters. We’re editors, purveyors of the written word, very comfortable crafting and editing and massaging a message for our audience to read, to take in at their own pace. Video is so very different. It’s instantaneous and interactive and engaging. It’s a bit like the “CliffsNotes” version of the story. It is also how some people, especially those of the younger generation, prefer to learn their news and consume their media.
Therein lies our greatest challenge. We’ve got a diverse audience mix, reflecting the breadth of the global hydro market. We have people who are 30+ years into their careers and people in the first five years of their jobs. Our “readers” range from people who prefer long-form technical articles to those who want to get their data in small bites.
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And how are we to meet the information needs of this changing audience?
I am inviting you to come with me on a journey. A voyage of discovery if you will. Where we will explore not some exciting new land or some exotic destination but, rather, the wants and needs of people working in all areas of hydropower worldwide.
But in fact, this is less of an invitation and more of a challenge. I need you to tell me what you want. At this moment in time, how do you engage with the information PennWell’s Hydro Group delivers? How would you prefer to engage with it in the future? Are we delivering the type of information you want, in the way you want to receive it?
If you take no other action after reading this magazine, please email [email protected]. Tell me your opinion. Make your voice heard so we can meet your needs in a way that makes sense for you. We need your help.
Managing Editor
