Once every couple of years, we take the pulse of our readers. We send out surveys and ask readers to weigh in on things like:

• Where people read us, print or online.                   
• What readers like or dislike about the magazine we produce.
• How readers compare us to our competitors.
• And what markets our readers work in.

I can proudly report that you think we do a great job. I won’t get into the weeds too much on numbers, but about two-thirds of you think we make the most useful magazine in the industry. That’s a pretty good number, as far as this type of thing goes, and it’s up several points from our 2013 survey. That means you think I’m doing something right, so thanks for the vote of confidence.

But let’s talk mobile. That’s the most impressive part of the study to me. More than half of you have used a mobile phone — an Android or iPhone or whatever — to access industry information in the last six months. That’s significant, and up from about a third of you in 2013.

It makes sense. Most of us in the United States own a smartphone — 64 percent of adults according to the Pew Research Center. We fiddle with them in checkout lines. We check Facebook from bed before we’ve even had our coffee. If we have a minute to wait anywhere, like a doctor’s office or quick-change oil place, we occupy our heads with Candy Crush.

But smartphones, since we spend so much time on them, invariably creep into our workflow. So, I’m wondering how drillers use mobile devices to get their jobs done.

Of course, I’m not a driller, but let me give you an example. I try to not let work interrupt my life, so when I have a story idea off the clock, I want to deal with it as quickly as possible so I can get back to mowing the lawn, cooking dinner or my kid’s dance recital. I hit up Siri, tell her I want to email myself and dictate the idea. When I get to work the next day, it’s waiting in my inbox to be fleshed out or assigned to a freelancer.

What do you use mobile for? I know several drilling mud makers have apps that help contractors do mixing math on a jobsite. That’s a start. Maybe your company has its own app as a reference for work standards or job specs. Maybe you run a small drilling services shop, and you use an app on your phone to send estimates and invoices electronically so customers don’t have to decipher your chicken scratch. Maybe you belong to social media groups of drillers or tool pushers, and consult colleagues around the world when you get stuck.

I see so many interesting and resourceful things that drillers do with the equipment in the field. I bet smartphones are no exception. So, talk to me. Tell me about how you or your company uses mobile to help get the job done. Send an email to verduscoj@bnpmedia.com.

Attending SAWD Jubilee?

This issue of National Driller goes to the South Atlantic Well Drillers Jubilee in Myrtle Beach, S.C., July 25-27. If you happen to be holding this issue in your hands at the show, stop by Booth 824 to say “hello.” Also, be sure to check out this month’s product showcase (page 49), which features dozens of items from this year’s Jubilee exhibitors.

Stay safe out there, drillers.

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