Ecmweb 8851 Opinion
Ecmweb 8851 Opinion
Ecmweb 8851 Opinion
Ecmweb 8851 Opinion
Ecmweb 8851 Opinion

Let’s Talk

March 19, 2014
I believe one of the best ways for me to learn new skills and enhance my knowledge on a specific topic is to discuss it with an expert, or at least someone that’s got some experience with the task at hand.

I believe one of the best ways for me to learn new skills and enhance my knowledge on a specific topic is to discuss it with an expert, or at least someone that’s got some experience with the task at hand. Don’t get me wrong, I do my own research first by reading whatever I can get my hands on. But there’s something special about interacting with another person. Many times, no matter how much I think I know about certain topics, I almost always learn something new through one-on-one interactions. But what happens when no one is available for you to meet with? Recently, while working on a personal project, I learned the incredible value of online discussion forums.

Not too long ago, I purchased a 1964 AMC Rambler Ambassador 990 2-door hardtop. My plan is to strip the car down completely and rebuild it from the ground up. I’m fairly confident I can do a lot of the work myself, but as the project moves along I’ve found myself stumped a few times. Because none of my friends are car guys, I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of or learn any tips or tricks from.

After doing a little surfing online, I ran across a wonderful AMC-focused forum. A quick review of the site revealed a bounty of information on all kinds of topics. The community participants are passionate individuals with an amazing set of skills and a wealth of knowledge. Best of all, they’re more than willing to welcome other like-minded people into the group and help them solve problems. I’m happy to report that I’m now a member of this special community, and I’m learning new skills from my home office (i.e, my garage). But online forums aren’t just limited to hobbyists or do-it-yourselfers. There are a number of discussion forums in the business sector that were built specifically for professionals. I’m happy to report we’ve built one of these special online communities specifically for our EC&M family members.

On March 10, we officially launched our own professional electrical forum on the EC&M website. EC&M Talk is meant to connect our online users with other ‘like-minded’ individuals in the electrical design, construction, operation, and maintenance industry. Much like my car forum, we want this electrical forum to blossom into a place where passionate individuals like you share your knowledge with others, seek out expert advice on problems you’ve run into, discuss rules and regulations you must abide by, and post photos of high-quality work and amazingly bad installations that make us wonder what the installer could have been thinking.

In the short time since our launch, it’s exciting to already see some lively interaction taking place in this community. For example, my post on expanded AFCI requirements in the 2014 NEC quickly heated up. Some users blame the manufacturers for these expanded rules. Others tell us that homeowners aren’t willing to pay the premium for installation of these devices. Another post focused on the new GFCI requirement for dishwashers in dwelling units revealed a lot of confusion on how to meet the new rule. A third post on arc flash labeling requirements and the use of NFPA 70E tables revealed both good and bad news from the field. Some users reported their employers are labeling everything and making sure employees are trained. Unfortunately, others are saying they have to provide their own protection from these dangers.

So consider this your formal invitation from me to join our new online electrical community (EC&M Talk). The forum is located at ecmweb.com/forum, and registered users are free to post new discussion items or comment on others posts any time of day. And if any of you out there happen to be a Rambler man like me, then I’d love to hear from you.

About the Author

MIKE EBY | Senior Director of Content - Buildings

Mike received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering in 1986 and an M.S. degree in engineering management in 1994 from the University of South Florida. He is currently a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), and American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE).

Prior to joining EC&M as Editor-in-Chief in September 1999, Mike served as the Executive Editor of Transmission & Distribution World magazine for five years. Before joining Penton Media, Mike held various engineering titles within the Substation and Transmission Engineering Groups at Florida Power & Light Co., Juno Beach, FL.

Mike was awarded the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE) Excellence in Engineering Award in 1993 and has received numerous regional and national editorial awards for his reporting and writing work in the electrical market.

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