By Katherine Bonfante, Managing Editor, Digital Media
In 2009, technology was good to us. I can’t complain. Technological advances made digital jobs more fun and interactive, and applying these technologies to Machine Builder Nation turned out to be a fun ride.
At the beginning of this year, we went through a digital makeover. Our cyber home, ControlDesign.com, unveiled a stylish welcoming page, making it easier and more intuitive for our visitors to access the latest articles, multimedia files, white papers and news stories. Our new and improved home screen captures our visitors’ attention with attractive images and headlines.
If you want to read more on our redesign, check "Website Gets a Face-Lift" at www.ControlDesign.com/face-lift.
Not only did we get a face-lift, but we integrated social media outlets that allow us to reach a younger machine-nation audience and keep up with our techno-savy loyal readership.
Our first technological interactive approach was our Machine Builder Forum (MBF). Here, we post questions, comments, concerns, news and even some entertaining industry-related news. This past year, we discussed vision systems, industrial integration approaches and machine safety issues, among other subjects, on MBF. To follow up on our previous conversations or to start a new one, log on to www.ControlDesign.com/mbf.
2009 was the year for our editors to become viral movie stars. Our video library grew in video numbers with the production of our 2009 video releases, such as Machine Builder Spotlight videos and Market Intelligence Report videos. I even had the opportunity to work on-set and behind-the-scenes on many of our "webisodes," and in a few opportunities I landed the leading role.
Check our 2009 videos by visiting www.ControlDesign.com/multimedia. You can also catch these videos on our YouTube Automation channel. Log on to www.youtube.com/controlcontroldesign and watch us in action.
The technological release I enjoyed the most this year was the minute-by-minute news update, or what most of you know today as "tweets." Control Design made its mark on Twitter and kept its machine-builder tweeters up to date. Do you want to join the flock? Follow us at www.twitter.com/control_design.
If you are more of a Facebook fan, don't worry. You can find us there, too. Become a ControlDesign fan at www.facebook.com/pages/ControlDesigncom/30330916537.
Now, with these technological advances, I can only wonder how technology will affect us in 2010. Maybe you will catch us on the Google Wave, as the latest iPhone app or as another application on the Droid. All I can suggest is to stay tuned to ControlDesign.com. We will keep you current with technology changes that affect this industry. See you next year to learn where 2010 will take us.
