A wise person once said that you can’t expect to meet the challenges of today with yesterday’s tools if you expect to be in business tomorrow.

The bottom line is that survival is based on the ability to adapt to change.

One of the most dramatic changes in the toolkit of today’s professionals is the introduction of the Internet, which has had a huge impact in the way we get our information.

For those of us who are older than 40, the Web is a tool we use to do our jobs. It is not, however, the lifeline for us that it is for the under-35 crowd.

When I look up a telephone number, I still reach for the telephone book, not the keyboard. And when I need to know the spelling or meaning of a word, I look the word up in the dictionary. Obviously, I’m a throwback to an earlier age.

We’ve come a long way in many respects. All of us use computers to do our jobs and to access the Internet. The problem we run into once we’re up and running is that there is an enormous amount of information available online.

In fact, the quantity can be overwhelming.

The truth is that whether or not you like accessing information online, information providers, including E&P magazine, have discovered that the Web offers so much flexibility for users and so much immediacy for information sharing that there is no going back.

In many ways, that’s a good thing. The white papers, data, audio files, videos, and Web broadcasts that are available online augment the technical content of the magazine. There is no denying that it is tremendously useful, after having read a technical article about a new downhole tool, to see an animation that shows the tool at work.

As writers, we have learned a lot since the launch of our Web site. One interesting discovery is that our readers are interested in more than technology. Online readers are much more inclined to read articles on such subjects as how the price of oil and gas is affecting business and how companies are facing those challenges.

The advantage of having this knowledge is that we can enhance our print product. And we have.

This issue of E&P features our first Industry Pulse, a new monthly segment that will focus on timely topics that affect our industry. We also have added the World
View executive interview series, which features exclusive interviews with heads of operating companies around the world.

The final change being announced this month is an addition to our editorial team. Nina Rach, who worked as a drilling editor for Oil & Gas Journal for six years, has joined E&P as Senior Drilling Editor. Nina brings more than 20 years of professional experience in the upstream oil industry to the team and counts a law degree among her varied achievements.

The rapidly changing times are keeping all of us on our toes, and that is what keeps us on top of our game.

In the words of John F. Kennedy, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”