Each month, the pages of E&P magazine are full of technology advances that have resulted from innovation and change – the two primary constants in the world of engineering.

It might surprise some to find out that the same constants hold true in the publishing world.

Hart Energy has been on the cutting edge of many changes in the industry. The company was one of those that noticed the increasing significance of unconventional resources and, in its role as a first mover, developed a conference series focusing on developing unconventional gas and oil that continues to answer an industry need.

Hart Energy also was on the cutting edge when it came to maximizing its presence on the web – providing news, information, data, and archives and pushing the limits of information sharing to include daily news, exclusive editorial, blogs, webinars, podcasts, and videos.

With the addition of Richard Mason in late February 2011 as executive editor for the online component of E&P at www.epmag.com?, Hart Energy once again has pushed ahead of its competitors, offering readers a look at the industry that goes beyond technology.

Many readers will remember Mason as publisher of The Land Rig Newsletter. From 1992 to 2009, he developed the first rig-count metrics involving land drilling activity in unconventional plays to provide a high-resolution perspective on the land drilling market, including regional rig use, rig pricing, technological evolution in drilling systems, and rig employment patterns by operator.

Mason continues to monitor activity with regular exclusive features on the website. As readers of E&P magazine, you can see some of Mason’s observations in “Bakken activity on the rise” and will have additional opportunities to read his commentary in upcoming issues.

While Mason adds depth to our online coverage, Mark Thomas, London-based international editor for E&P, is extending the breadth of the magazine’s international coverage. Editor at Hart Energy Publishing from 1993 to 2000 and original launch editor of E&P magazine, Thomas is no stranger to the industry. You can read his first installment about Australasia this month in “West coast gas bonanza lights up Australia’s offshore future."

Thomas also will be managing production technology articles as Dick Ghiselin moves to the E&P Advisory Board, where he will continue offering editorial guidance and industry insight gained during 50 years in the oil and gas industry.

The directive, “Change before you have to,” is attributed to Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001. For Welch, change often came at the price of losing people. Fortunately for E&P, change for the better has come from adding people who bring with them assets in the form of breadth, depth, and industry experience.