IIW History 1990-2015

stakeholders. The year 2008, therefore, was a transformative one for the website and database through the efforts of the steering committee. The mammoth project for the website was completed within its time frame and it progressively became more and more operational in the latter half of 2009. In anticipation of its success, Dilthey said ‘The new website will thereby facilitate improved communication within the ranks of the IIW and help to improve the image of welding and to promote the aims and objectives of our organisation’. 29 Mayer, in extending her sincere gratitude to key persons, made special mention of Ms Sheila Thomas (UK) for her assistance and sterling efforts in making the website the success that it was. Mayer was also to reflect on the past means of distributing information within IIW and drew comparisons to a time when she first became associated with IIW in 2001 as the Sheila Thomas

French delegate to Commissions IV Power Beam Processes (C-IV) and VI Terminology (C-VI). ‘When I started it was not surprising to see a Chairman with a second suitcase containing hard copies to be shared with the delegates. Now we have a robust electronic management system and we are using modern communication tools (online meetings, Facebook, news on website).’ 30 Lingering disappointment with the earlier versions dissipated with the introduction of the new website and database. It was a key marketing and communication tool which led to a significant increase in visitors accessing the site. According to the new Chair of WG- COM&MARK, Mag. Sylke Kanits (Austria), the website had a staggering 60% increase in

Sylke Kanits

FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION traffic in its first year of operation. 31 Kanits, who came from a marketing background, took over the Chair of the Working Group from Mayer in 2009 and in doing so was to bring about significant changes in the promotion of IIW and the way it was presented to the world as a scientific organisation. The database, which was incorporated into the website, was another aspect that required continual updating and improvement and considerable effort was expended in doing so. For example, in 2013, around 7 000 papers from the period 1980-2000 were retrieved from microfilm and transferred to the IIW database. By 2015 it was reported that a further 15 000 papers had been transferred to the database and that the number of downloads had increased by 26%. 32