GAWDAwiki: Keeping You Connected

Have you heard about GAWDAwiki? It is the most informative Web site on the Internet for the gases and welding industry. Featuring an online encyclopedia of industry terminology, videos, white papers, spec sheets and daily news stories, there is something for everyone at www.GAWDAwiki.org.

What Is a Wiki?
A wiki is defined as a Web page or collection of Web pages that can be edited by anyone. What does that mean to you as a GAWDA member? It means when you are browsing through GAWDAwiki’s 1,300-plus entries and you notice one that should be corrected or expanded, you can make the change yourself. Or, if you don’t see the entry you are looking for, you can quickly and easily create a new entry to share your knowledge with other GAWDA members. And, better yet, we want you to!

Not a techie? Not to worry. GAWDAwiki editors are constantly monitoring the site to confirm the accuracy of postings and help with coding and formatting of entries. Dive right in—it’s easy!

Wiki for Salespeople JR Espinoza of Best Welders Supply (Tulsa, OK), says, “I visit GAWDAwiki almost every day to look up information and get the latest news. The site is a great source of education for someone who is new to the industry like me,” he says. “In fact, I’m setting up a meeting with all of our salespeople to walk them through the site and show them how they can use it with customers and prospects. I think we should all be checking the site at least once a day. Every business needs an edge, and GAWDAwiki can help us stay connected.”

More Than a Wiki
We call the whole site GAWDAwiki, but in reality there is much more to it than an online, interactive encyclopedia. GAWDAwiki is your source for the latest industry news and innovations. View videos of the latest technologies in action. Read white papers addressing shared business concerns. Browse spec sheets to search for the perfect product for your operation. Read news stories submitted by your business partners and headlines updated Monday through Friday. There is even a blog providing commentary on the latest gases and welding news from GAWDAwiki editors and your fellow GAWDA members.

Wiki Value Gunnar Ennerfelt, CEO of Arcon Welding Equipment (Salisbury, MD), sees value for suppliers as well as distributors. “Contributing to GAWDAwiki positions us as part of the community and shows users that we are a serious player,” says Ennerfelt. “As the information on the site continues to grow and deepen, I can see GAWDAwiki becoming an important source of knowledge for the industry.”

Easy To Use
GAWDAwiki is viewable by anyone, but an easy login process is required for those wishing to create and edit wiki entries. Simply provide a user name, password and e-mail address to create an account and start sharing your knowledge right away. Logging in makes it possible to attribute your contributions to your company and yourself, improving both GAWDAwiki and your company’s visibility.

Buyers Directory
The GAWDAwiki Buyers Directory is a quick and easy way to find distributors and manufacturers. Search for manufacturers by name or category, click on the interactive map to search for distributors by location or find distributors by selecting the suppliers they represent. Distributors can even provide links to news items, line cards, brochures and videos in their directory listings. Call 315-445-2347 to discuss this option.

GAWDAwiki has proven extremely popular in its first few months of operation, averaging nearly 2,000 page hits per day since its introduction at the Chicago SMC. See for yourself what the buzz is about. Visit www.GAWDAwiki.org today.