The First Word
www.modernwoodworking.com 9 JULY 2009 By Je Crissey jcrissey@rrpub.com [ [ [ [ [ T H E F I R S T W O R D ] Join our very own social experiment The business side of Facebook provides real networking opportunities A er months of sco ng at its meteoric rise and being harassed by family and friends to sign up, I nally broke down and did something I swore I'd never do: I joined Facebook. Once the initial fascination wears o of touching base with far- ung friends and knowing what every one of them is doing at every moment, Face-book reveals its potential to be much more than a way to rekindle old rela-tionships and keep tabs on relatives. In less than two years since Facebook emerged on the Web, it has morphed from a social networking site for col-lege-age students into a viable tool for the business-to-business community. When you consider the thousands of B2B groups sprouting up in the last year alone and Facebook's 276-percent growth rate in the 35-54 age group the last six months of 2008, it's a commu-nication medium that's hard to ignore. According to Facebook's own press room, as of last month there are more than 200 million active users. So the question is, what are you waiting for? With that in mind, we've decided to start a Facebook page for Modern Woodworking. e idea is to create an-other way to stay in touch with you our readers and provide a platform where you can come together and net-work with one another to solve com-mon problems and openly share ideas. You can give us direct feedback on the magazine and request topics you'd like to see us cover in future issues. In addition to our digital edition, industry email newsletter and continu-ous Web site updates, we will use this Facebook page to keep you informed of upcoming events and webinars, provide real-time updates from trade shows and industry events, and o er an ask the experts forum where you can post questions on a number of woodworking industry-related issues such as CARB compliance and green certi cation programs. To sign up, go to www.facebook.com and register. Already a Facebook mem-ber? Look us up by entering Modern Woodworking in the search eld. Log in and let's get the conversation started. Editor Je Crissey, ext. 1244 jcrissey@rrpub.com Executive Editor Brooke Baldwin Wisdom, ext. 1501 bwisdom@rrpub.com Contributing Editors Howard Grivna Ken Rolfes VP/Editorial Linda Longton, ext. 1438 llongton@rrpub.com EDITORIAL PRODUCTION Art/Production Director Tony Brock Art Director Lyndsey Kone Production Designer Kenneth Stubbs Advertising Production Coordinator Ernestine Morgan Production Manager Mary Springer Webmaster Rob Ho man SALES Vice President/Group Publisher W. W. Chip Wisdom, ext. 1222 cwisdom@rrpub.com Associate Publisher Karen Roberts, ext. 1214 kroberts@rrpub.com Account Executives Kendall Crawford, ext. 1063 kcrawford@rrpub.com; Matt Ochocki, ext. 1314 mochocki@rrpub.com; Classi ed Sales Domita Sanders, ext.1250 dsanders@rrpub.com MARKETING Marketing/Research Ginger Love CIRCULATION RANDALL REILLY PUBLISHING COMPANY 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E. Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 (800) 633-5953 Editorial Fax (205) 248-1018 Chairman, President/CEO Mike Reilly COO/VP David Wright CFO/Treasurer Shane Elmore Executive Vice President, Brent Reilly VP/Industrial Media Group Woodrow Wilson Wisdom Circulation Director Julie Puckett Circulation Analyst Tara Lightsey In Memoriam: H. Pettus Randall II H.Pettus Randall III MW Editor's note: Check out our new look coming next month! We're doing some remodeling at Modern Woodworking! Starting with our August 2009 issue, we'll have an all-new look and fresh editorial content to provide you with more of the information you're asking for. From project-oriented case studies to in-depth industry news analysis, we have you covered. M OODWORKING OODWORKING M odern