Blog: New Dutchwatersector.com now an even better showcase
The new and improved www.dutchwatersector.com website was launched this week. The much appreciated website and the number one international portal for the Dutch water sector attracts around 10,000 unique visitors a month, of which 75% are from outside the Netherlands. And now, after five years, it deserved an overhaul. Journalist and editor, Jac van Tuijn, has worked for dutchwatersector.com from the beginning, covering the daily news. In his blog he talks about past developments and future ambitions.
‘The new website focuses even more on inspirational content and the activities of the Dutch water sector. And always with an international outlook. We have kept the features that we know are of interest to our readers, such as our daily news items; have added new content, like publications, cases and interviews; and have made the layout more attractive. Before doing any of this though, we consulted different stakeholders and gratefully incorporated their feedback into the new website.
Number one portal
When we started, things were different. The news was limited to a number of international projects in which the Dutch sector was involved. A dyke here, a water treatment plant there. But in the meantime, the scope of Dutch water experts abroad has widened and deepened. The website has turned into the number one news portal for the Dutch water sector's international activities. This positive development has everything to do with the fact that the Netherlands profiles itself more and more in the global water community and acts on the UN sustainable development goals on water. You see more and more Dutch speakers on the stages of international events, with our special water envoy Henk Ovink at the forefront. We would like to continue profiling the Dutch water sector.will continue to write about this to inspire other countries to work with the Dutch water sector.
Healthy balance
We receive lots of press releases so we know that the sector knows where to find us. Most of the press releases come from governments, the civil engineering sector and NGOs. Companies in water technology are more reserved. We would, of course, like to give them a stage too. We are always looking for a healthy balance: on the one hand we want to share news while on the other hand we naturally understand that if companies do not want to disclose everything to their competitors.
News leads: 50 websites, 500 Tweeters
I follow Dutch water sector related international news 24/7. I monitor around 50 websites and read the messages of around 500 Tweeters at home and abroad. I’m also out and about regularly, such as at major international water conferences. I always make sure that I speak to many people, and I always have my camera within reach.
The website must place news in an international perspective and context. That is why I always check news facts in the international media and other sources such as the websites of national governments. This is very useful to see how new developments are viewed locally. After all, we are primarily targeting international water professionals. We want to express our pride, but we don't want to brag about our qualities. Having our feet firmly on the ground is in our Dutch genes.
Let’s collaborate
My message to the Dutch water sector is clear: don’t hesitate to contact us. If you are a Dutch company working in the water sector anywhere in the world, an international company operating in the Netherlands, or anyone anywhere using Dutch water expertise anywhere, the website is the perfect platform to promote your project or news that showcases Dutch water expertise. Please share your press releases or ideas for articles by sending an email to info@dutchwatersector.com. Let’s collaborate!’
More information
The www.dutchwatersector.com website is a product of the cooperation between the Dutch Government and the Dutch water sector (businesses, knowledge institutes, NGOs and governmental institutions) within the framework of the Dutch Government’s Partners for Water Programme. The Programme supports the Dutch water sector in different ways, one of which is the promotion of Dutch water expertise.
The website strives to foster international cooperation, to inspire potential customers to work with the Dutch water sector and to build on more integrated and sustainable solutions. The Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), as co-implementor of the Partners for Water Programme with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, is responsible for the day-to-day performance of the website.
