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Welcome to the
Archived History of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association of Northern Virginia |
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Welcome to the
Archived History of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association of Northern Virginia |
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read more at: www.plumbers.org updated 10-26-10 new site for the PDL is www.MyPlumber.com/Plumbers-L/
There is a really wonderful place you must visit. My pal Kathy Love started a Plumbers Discussion List. The people on the list send messages to the group through e-mail. In Kathy's words, the list is "an unmoderated open discussion list for all plumbers and plumbing contractors. The people involved are committed to maintaining the integrity and professionalism of the plumbing trade." Manufacturers and suppliers are welcome to join in as well, as long as the discussion remains non-commercial. "Weekend warriors" and "do-it-yourselfers" are told to look elsewhere for plumbing tips. This is a trade-only group.
And it is a great resource for the small contractor. The information is incredible, and free! As of this writing, 10 countries were represented on the list. Although the list is only a few months old, there are over 200 subscribers. Talk ranges from solving tricky plumbing problems to flat rate vs. T&M dialogs/arguments. I've also learned a great deal about the net and how to maneuver in it from these folks, especially Kathy.
updated 10-26-11 To subscribe to the Plumbers Discussion List, send an e- mail message to listserv@listserv.aol.com In the body of the e-mail type SUBSCRIBE PLUMBERS-L followed by your real name. You can also say hello to Kathy at KLoveO01@aol.com Or if you still live in the stone age, can Kathy at 803/7941399. The list win be limited to 1,000 subscribers, so get busy. (Editors note: for full details please see Plumbers Discussion Listserve on this web site.) Visit www.MyPlumber.com/Plumbers-L/ for info about the new Plumber-L
Another stop on your tour of the Web: The Interactive Plumbing Network. Use the Internet connection on your service. For AOL, click on Internet Connection and then on Webcrawler. Then type in http://www.plumbnet.com. dead link 11-2007 This is a cool forum for pros and homeowners. Bob "Cyberplumber" Allen posts a column there. Good stuff.
When you get back to the Weberawler (or whatever search vehicle you have) type in http://www.nyoha.org. Here the New York Oil Heat Association has put together a web site with information for consumers, facts about oil heat and heating equipment, and profiles of member oil companies. Members of the NYOHA use a password to get further into the web site. Here they find "Hot Issues" in the legislature, membership updates and even an interactive form for registering for the next meeting. What a great way for a trade association to help keep its members up to date.
Rich Rutigliano of Primedia put this site together. Reach him at 800/796-3342.
Future Services: Now that I've taken the world wide web plunge, my mind goes wild with all the possibilities for our industry. You could advertise via a web page. Some say that Internet web pages win replace Yellow Pages entirely in the years to come.
Alex McNeely of George Brazil Services in Seattle, WA put together a web page. Check it out at http://www.georgebrazil.com. 10-26-11 updated to http://www.georgebrazilservice.com/ His customers can schedule service, find out why they would benefit from a service agreement and ask technical questions. Isn't this great?
One word of caution - if you are the obsessive - compulsive type, be careful. I found myself checking my "mailbox" several times a day in the beginning!
Ready, once a day is fine. Figure out the "Flash Sessions" feature on your service. It sends and receives e-mail quickly, then signs off, keeping your online time to a minimum.
At any point in time 1.5 minion people are on the Internet. How about
you? Surf's Up!