WorldWide Drilling Resource

17 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JULY 2014 Ways Your Life Would be Ruined Without Gas and Oil Adapted from Information Provided by Drillinginfo ® In case you were looking for some literature to hand out at the next anti- fracking rally, here you go... Keep reading to discover how much your life depends on the gas and oil industry. First, try to imagine what beautiful U.S. countrysides would look like with- out trees. After all, how long would our forests last if all 316 million of us only used wood to heat our homes in win- ter? The absence of gas and oil would also mean the absence of the following items from your life: k Polyester - Polyester is an im- portant component of modern cloth- ing. Without it, we would also have no groovy shirts from the 70s. k Sofa Pillow Material - Lazy Sunday afternoons...brought to you courtesy of fossil fuels. k Cameras - Al l those captured moments you can hold on to for a lifetime - gone. k Lifejackets - Not having a life- jacket when you need one could definitely ruin your life. k Water Guns - Taking away a child’s water gun is a great way to Photo courtesy of onearth.org ruin their life. k Tents - Say goodbye to afford- able housing at your next campout. k Sleeping Bags - While you’re at it, get rid of your sleeping bag too. k Tires - You won’t need them any- way without gas in your car. k Trash Bags - Could we survive without them? I don’t want to know. k Hearing Aids - If your hearing is enhanced by them, thank gas and oi l. Whi le you’re at it, thank the industry for contact lenses and heart valve replacements too. Social Media Site Specifically for HDD Industry Adapted from Information by Vermeer Corporation Vermeer Corporation unveiled its new Navigator ® NationWeb site designed to be a social media channel where hor- izontal directional drill (HDD) profession- als can share information and enhance the industry. The new Web site has been redesigned to be more of a sharing plat- form for HDD contractors around the world. “There isn’t another Web site in the industry like Navigator Nation,” said Jason Zylstra, brand marketing manager for Vermeer. “The website is accessible to any HDD professional and not just Vermeer customers. Our goal was to create a com- munity where drill operators and owners can share their stories - their successes, challenges, best practices - in order to create a worldwide community and build camaraderie.” Navigator Nation was first launched in January 2013 as a campaign and video contest to promote the HDD industries as well as its skilled professionals. The site was created to show the passion and ex- pertise drill operators have for their pro- fession and elevate awareness for the newest generation of HDD operators. Navigator Nation is a way to connect operators with other professionals in the industry. The site is focused solely on HDD, but anyone can become a member. Registering is simple, and users can even use existing social media accounts such as Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, or Yahoo! to join. Once registered, operators can upload photos and video; comment on other users’ posts and share their personal social media sites; check in or post where their drill job is located; post statistics on projects, such as bore length, soil conditions, and challenges; and pose questions and offer insights to others. Vermeer plans to roll out new fea- tures later this year to enhance the overall user experience. Those new fea- tures include adding a news section, oper- ator pages where operators can share tips and best practices, and a game ele- ment which will allow users to earn badges for various activities such as engaging other users and pinning jobsite locations.