Launched at PestEx 2013 in April this year, this new website is rapidly achieving its objective of becoming an international meeting place.
The Pest Control Forum is the brain child of Poland-based Ana Francisco who has worked hard to achieve the success the site now commands. The Pest Control Forum was situated on the Plastdiversity stand at PestWorld, so Pest editor, Frances McKim, dropped in to see how things are developing.
| “I’m delighted how it’s all gone” says Ana. “The site was only launched in April, so in the six months it has been live it has had over 14,000 visits from people in 131 countries around the world.
“Maybe the biggest surprise has been the large number of visitors from the Far and Middle East. With the internet, access is easy even if a visa to travel is not. “The most popular pages are the ones covering news, but also those detailing the magazine articles we list. The blog pages are also very popular,” explained Ana. The concept of the website is to create a virtual meeting point for the international pest control community. The site itself is divided into two: the first half available to anyone; whilst the second half is aimed at professionals who must register first. |
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| General users can find information about the industry, read the general articles, add blog entries and participate in the forum. Pest control companies are listed, should someone be seeking a contractor, but in today’s age of the internet, this sort of information is far more comprehensive on sites within individual countries, for example on trade association sites.
As a registered professional, visitors can not only use the forum pages, but also discuss topics between themselves and share experiences. |
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Companies can register and upgrade their profile to premium. This allows them to list their products. Professional users can then comment on these products and post reviews should they have used a particular product. An interesting idea certainly, but one which could lead to conflict, as experienced in other industries, such as with hotels, where negative comments can be and often are unjustifiably left. At the moment the site is only available in English, but more languages may follow. It is certainly a bold move by Ana to launch the Pest Control Forum and she is to be congratulated. Long-term its success will depend on the number of regular visitors received and the momentum they create. Check-out the site at www.pestcontrol-forum.com or contact Ana at email [email protected] |
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