No matter what type of internal magazine or website report I generate to gauge reader feedback on our print and online editorial content, the result is always the same. It’s clear you love anything that relates to the National Electrical Code. You give us high marks for our comprehensive coverage of the “Top 25 Code Changes,” which is associated with the release of each new edition of the NEC. You like it when we regularly test your Code knowledge via our Code Quiz items in our twice-a-month e-newsletter “CodeWatch.” You also pay extra close attention to our “Code Quandaries” Q&A items and “Code Basics” articles, telling us they’re a great way to learn what issues are confusing others in the industry and reinforce the proper ways to apply Code requirements.
But when it comes to our coverage of the NEC, nothing is more popular than our “Illustrated Catastrophes” and “What’s Wrong Here?” departments. These editorial sections consistently rank at — or close to — the top of our popularity charts and page view reports. It’s quite obvious everyone loves to see a bad installation — the worse the better! Unfortunately for the people who live, work, and shop in these buildings, there appears to be no shortage of photos to fill the pages of these departments for years to come. By the way, keep sending us those photos. We love it when you share what you find in the field too!
A few months back, we challenged ourselves to think of new and innovative ways to improve our coverage of the Code. When our passionate Code consultant Joe Tedesco pitched the idea of creating some short videos on botched electrical installations he ran across in the field, I knew we were on to something big. What better way to bring these Code violations to life than to capture them on video? So Joe put on his inspector’s cap, grabbed a video camera, and hit the streets in search of those ever-present non-compliant installations.
Our new “Moving Violations” section on the EC&M website takes our most popular content and morphs it into a short video clip, which clearly explains the infraction and cites Code references where applicable. All video clips are hosted on the “Moving Violations” archive page (http://ecmweb.com/nec/moving_violations/), which is accessible via a link in the right rail of any page on the site. Once a video is selected from this page, it will open in a separate video player.
At press time, we currently have posted six videos to this page. Our future plans call for adding a new video to the site in conjunction with the release of each new issue of “CodeWatch.” To give you some extra incentive to visit the site and watch a few of these videos yourself, we’re also working out the details for a Moving Violations Giveaway Contest. In the tradition of our “What’s Wrong Here?” format, here’s your hint about the contest. Think race cars!