Every year when this date – February 23rd – rolls around, I think about the time that has passed since February 23rd, 2009.  On that date I published the first 8 posts to iDigHardware, in preparation for a code class that I was teaching for the New England Chapter of DHI.  I wanted to announce to the class that this resource was available, and that I would be adding to it daily.

I thought the site would be accessed by my local market, so many of my early posts were focused on the code requirements of the six New England states.  My goal was just to get answers to code questions out of my head and to a place where people could find them on their own…I didn’t have a grand strategy (or any strategy!) for the global reach that the site has today.

The morning after my class, the calls started coming.  Someone who attended the session told his colleagues across the US, and they told two friends, and they told two friends (and so on), and people actually CALLED to ask if they could visit the site too.  The internet was younger in those days and although nobody needed permission, things were different.  It’s funny to think about that now.

I call iDigHardware my 4th baby; in 2009 my other babies were 2, 4, and 7.  It sounds crazy, but I’ve nurtured iDigHardware for all these years as a labor of love and I think that has contributed to the site’s success as an industry resource.  Readers know that there’s a real person reading their comments and answering their questions.  Everyone has been super supportive when I’ve needed to take a pause for family health issues, bereavement, a travel break, or any other reason.

This year we will reach some milestones and see some changes.  I can’t go into detail on all of them yet, but there are some really cool things in the works.  One of the milestones we will reach this year is 4,000 posts on the site!  While we’re doing some behind-the-scenes work, I’d love to know…what changes would you like to see?  What would make iDigHardware more helpful to you?  Or what do you like about the site as it is now, that shouldn’t be changed?

WWYD?

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