Claire Savage, TrainingZone editor, reflects on the vibrant training community that shapes our website and wires.
Having had a background in print, taking over as editor of TrainingZone was a complete revelation to me. A web-based community is in many ways more democratic than broadcast or traditional print media and the role of the editor is very different.
For instance, it's not me who decides what the top story or feature is - the community decides by the number of times they click on a story. And of course the old 'Dear Sir' letters to the editor are out of the window. Comments are immediate and (except for in exceptional circumstances) untouched by an editor's hand. Just moments after a member has posted a comment, it is there for all to see – good or bad!
Claire Savage, TrainingZone editor
It's this willingness of members to take part in content that marks TrainingZone out. Training professionals, I have learned, are very giving people, by and large happy to share their experiences and pass on tips and hints to help others in the community do their job better. They are also eager to learn. These two elements make for a very vibrant community.
I have learned a lot in my four years as editor of the site, but perhaps the most important lesson is that it's not the journalists, guest writers or technical features that make TrainingZone what it is - it's the members. So thank you for the advice, the thought and the attention you have given TrainingZone over the past 10 years.
In that decade your input has seen the site grow to what it is today – the UK's largest training community, with a worldwide membership. It may sound like a cliché, but we really are nothing without you.
Claire Savage, editor of TrainingZone, is currently on maternity leave.