Over the past year we’ve also seen a lot of changes unfold within the industry. We’ve seen people come and go, companies emerge, companies merge and companies continue to grow. Without a doubt, this industry is one that is continually evolving and changing; opportunities continue to unfold.

As I write this it’s only mid-October, but I can’t help but think about what’s in store for 2011. What opportunities will the industry explore and which ones will enter the mainstream market?

As you’ll read in the upcoming November-December issue, the world of vehicle wrapping is one avenue that some window film installers are exploring. Just as film installers expanded into paint protection films, is vehicle wrapping a path that others will follow in the coming months and years?

On the architectural side we’ve seen a growing movement toward environmental awareness and responsibility. Given that consumers are starting to demand such features from just about everything they put into their homes and offices, we’re seeing more and more film companies ready to serve. People will tell you, that “green” is here to stay, so if you’re not already on this bandwagon now might be the time to hop on board.

Whether automotive or architectural, the film industry is continuing to change and grow. What other emerging trends and possibilities do you think are in store for the film industry? Be sure and tell us your thoughts below.

With people spending less time reading books and more time on their computers, we’ve found a few ways to make it even easier for you to stay in the know on window film without having to logout of your computer.

For starters, every issue is now available online in a digital format. No extra room in your carryon for extra magazines? No problem. With the new digital format you can read all the latest news, new product announcements and features from anywhere in the world from your computer at www.windowfilmmag.com. We have received tremendously positive feedback about this new feature. Readers love how they can turn their computers on just about anywhere and read the latest issue.

A digital edition of the magazine, though, is just for starters. We’re taking the news one step further with our brand new monthly newscast. That’s right, we’re hitting the streets to bring you news coverage of some of the industry’s latest projects, news and information, show reports and much more. Through our newscast you can also meet the latest addition to our team, Katie Hodge, who is the new assistant editor. And though you can’t see his face because he’s behind the camera, our director of video production Marshall Stephens is the one putting it all together (some of you may have had a chance to meet Marshall at last year’s SEMA show). Katie and Marshall are working to bring you a cutting-edge newscast that you won’t want to miss each month. And don’t worry that you’ll miss it; we’ll send it right to you by way of our monthly Focus on Film e-newsletter.

And for those of you connected via Facebook, now you can become a fan of Window Film magazine there, too. CLICK HERE to check us out here and find video clips, images and much more!

And in addition to all of this, don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter by clicking here.

At WINDOW FILM magazine we know that often these people are the ones working at the local tint shop, taking on job after job, putting their all into the job simply because they love what they do. They may not be seeking recognition, but we think they deserve it and that’s why we will soon be starting a new feature—The Tinter of the Week—in our bi-monthly Focus on Film e-newsletter. This regularly scheduled section will spotlight an installer who YOU have found to be extraordinary in the way he or she approaches their job. So, here’s what we need from you:

If you know an installer who goes above and beyond what he or she is called to do, we want to hear from you. Tell us what makes this person stand out and give us an example that illustrates how he or she has taken their responsibilities to the next level. Tell us, what’s this person do that no one else does and why is he/she deserving of recognition as the WINDOW FILM magazine Tinter of the Week?

Give it some thought and then send me an email at erogers@glass.com with your nomination. Please provide your nominee’s name, company name, city and state, as well as contact information. Our editorial team will review each entry, looking for those unique qualities and characteristics worthy of recognition.

There’s a lot of good work being done out there that’s not getting the credit it deserves, so let’s get those nominations coming in, because it’s time to showcase some of this industry’s best workers.

And social media sites are also a great way to stay informed about the latest news and happenings in the business world, including the window film industry. In fact, WINDOW FILM magazine has also just jumped on the social media bandwagon and is now on Twitter. We’ll be updating regularly … or, rather, we’ll be “tweeting” regularly with the latest news, headlines, reports from industry events and much more. Check us out at http://www.twitter.com/windowfilmmag and become one of our followers to become among the first to know “what’s new” in the film industry.

But our Twitter site is not all that’s new with WINDOW FILM magazine. Starting with the May-June issue we will be including a new column: Ask the Expert. This new editorial section will be written by Donna Wells, an expert in window film sales, consulting and marketing, who will address your top questions and concerns in each of her columns. Got a question? Then we have the answers. Maybe you’re looking to expand your business to include new products or services and you’re just not sure the best path to take. Maybe you want to enter new markets or begin working with architects. We can help. Simply send me an e-mail to erogers@glass.com with your questions and we will forward them on to Donna. Prefer to remain anonymous? No problem. Just let us know and we will make sure your name and company name are withheld.

Enjoy these new features and, as always, your ideas, questions and concerns are important to us, so feel free to post your comments in the spaces below.

Beginning my work on Window Film last September began with a single step. And while over the past few months I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great people and learn about this exciting industry, I’ve still got a ways to go. I’ve only scratched the surface in terms of learning all that there is to know, but each day I find I am learning a bit more.

When I attended the SEMA show in November (which you will be able to read more about in the January-February issue of WINDOW FILM magazine) I talked with a number of people, exhibitors and attendees alike, who said they were taking their first steps in new directions. Many were diversifying their film businesses to include add-on products and services. Paint protection films, for instance, were popular with both exhibitors displaying their new wares and attendees walking the show floor in search of them.

Those at the SEMA show were also well aware of the big role that film can play in terms of being an energy-efficient product for homes and offices. A provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 increased the tax credit for residential window film installations from 10 percent to 30 percent of film cost with a maximum total credit of $1,500, up from the previous cap of $500. This new policy is effective until December 31 2010. Sounds like a good opportunity to start selling those benefits to homeowners (if you haven’t already started, that is).

As we all prepare for whatever 2010 will bring, let’s think about new steps and opportunities we can all explore, as there are many out there; we just have to find them.

Happy holidays!

So what better way for us to get to know each other than for me to tell you a bit about myself. While I may be fairly new to window film, my ties to the glass industry go back ten years, as I’ve actually served previously as the editor of our sister magazine, USGlass, which some of you may also be familiar with. I also did a couple of articles for Window Film, but again, that was also going on ten years ago, so I’m a bit rusty on the subject.

While I am full of glass and glazing knowledge, I admit that my window film education has been somewhat limited. However, I am eager and ready to start learning all about this industry, and I’m hoping to talk to and meet as many readers as I can. While I’ve already had the chance to chat with a few folks over the phone, I am looking forward to meeting lots more in a couple of weeks at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. I have heard great things about this event and am excited to check it out first hand.

To those of you who are SEMA regulars, give it to me straight: what should I expect out of this monster of a show? Why do you attend and what do you take away? What’s the best part? The worst? Anything you think I need to know, I’d love to hear from you.

By now, there is one thing that’s easy to predict about the Internet–it’s limitless. At this point, I’m convinced that all forms of media will converge on this medium. In fact, I would like to correct my previous statement from “will” to “have.” The convergence is over. The internet now delivers the same types of content once only found on radio, television, in movie theaters, and through newspapers, magazines and other types of print media. What’s difficult to predict about the Internet is at what rate it will devour these other delivery mechanisms. Call me hopeful, but I believe the others will always be in place, but there’s no doubt that the web will eat more than its fair share. At the core of the issue lies the word “digital.” Once something–music, images, text, you name it–is digital, it can then be delivered via the web, where the “press” is immediate for all the world to see and/or hear.

One of the hardest hit in this equation is clearly the newspaper industry. Once upon a time classified ads, weekly ad flyers and daily news were good enough. Now, most print classified sections are hanging by a thread in the wake of Craig’s List, eBay and other online services. Not surprisingly, it seems entire newspapers are giving way to an appetite for immediacy and the Internet’s ability to deliver.

It’s hard to focus on the long term future of any industry. It’s even more difficult to determine what that is and how to prepare for it. I think I’ve raised some eyebrows in recent times by harping on the subject of photovoltaic (PV) window film. At the present, PV films are a reality; but PV window film (as in an add on product) is an industry unicorn. We have had several clues that indicate it’s coming, but there have been no sightings to date. Konarka Technologies Inc. used the words “photovoltaic” and “window film” together for the first time in January of 2008. And Konarka hasn’t unveiled such a product yet, but it is edging closer by bringing its Power Plastic product to the fenestration industry as a transparent interlayer for glass.

There’s an interesting parallel between Konarka’s story and that of print versus Internet media. You see, while print gives way to digital, and “plain” (non-energy-generating) glass gives way to PV glass, the company has discovered a way to knock the dust off of old printing factories and use them to create Power Plastic. Konarka recently purchased an old Polaroid factory (Anyone seen the new digital version of this dinosaur? Yep – still at it.) and converted it into a PV film factory. All of that old equipment used to create photo paper is now producing one of the most advanced film products to date.

Future technologies aren’t difficult to predict. What’s difficult to predict is the speed and velocity with which they will arrive. It’s not a question of “Will all windows one day produce energy?” it’s “Will window film help them do it?”

There, it’s done. My blog is no longer a unicorn. Now it’s back to the next edition of print.

Receiving reader response is a gratifying feeling for those of us who work in the publications industry. Feedback lets us know that, aside from simply receiving the magazine, someone is paying attention. It provides an echo that assures us that our words and efforts aren’t dropping into a deep, bottomless pit, otherwise known as the trash can. For this reason, while positive feedback may be the most gratifying, any feedback will do. We truly welcome the good, bad or ugly. And in recent weeks, we have received all of the above.

Not all of the “feedback” I have received in recent times has been aimed at the publication or its content. Much of it comes from readers—dealers, installers, manufacturer employees and such—and is aimed at other members of the industry. A little prying and what I generally find is that these “complaints” are focused on direct competitors. While this isn’t entirely new, I can honestly say it is now ten-fold. This leads me to wonder: Has the economic crisis got the window film industry “up in arms?” Competition is normal, and a healthy part of business, but, as industry members fight to remain vital in a slow economy, will they begin to compete more like fighting dogs and less like respectable competitors?

I recently came across a situation in Florida that makes this question even more compelling. The International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA) has openly professed its dislike for the practices of some window film dealers in the Miami-Dade area. The group is a non-profit organization including more than 200 manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and government agencies that provide hurricane protection systems, information and education. But guess what? If you query the association’s membership list for any companies including the words “window film” or “tint,” the search will return zero hits. The association’s president says it is targeting window film dealers for the sake of public welfare—alleging that the group’s advertisements and practices are misleading. In the same breath, he also estimates that selling window film as “hurricane protection” to consumers in the state of Florida has generated “tens of millions of dollars” in business; which leads some dealers in the region to believe that the IHPA isn’t concerned about public welfare, as much as it is concerned about eliminating one of its competitors from the public eye. To make matters worse, Florida dealers aren’t all on the same page with this issue. While the IHPA, which some would clearly define as a group of adversaries since it is comprised by those offering competing products, has united in its focus against window film, based on feedback I have received, some window film dealers are more concerned with competition among themselves, rather than preserving the sum of the industry. I have assembled the details and various sides of the issue in an article in our March-April issue. I hope it helps stimulate both interest and collaboration among industry members—Florida-based or not.

In times like these, it is expected that a few members of our industry may fall by the wayside. As global sales decrease, competition increases and industry members fight for their fair share in order to keep their individual companies alive, it is possible that the industry will witness a sort of purging period—one that could turn into survival of the fittest. The question is, will each be best served by focusing on their individual success and needs, or would the industry be best served by a collaborative effort?

We don’t know how long this trying period will last for the industry. And it’s possible that not everyone will remain in it for the duration of this trial. But, for those who do, and especially for those who place their individual struggles aside to focus on the industry as a whole, there is a potential to build relationships designed to last a lifetime. And it’s possible that, by combining focus, fewer will fall by the wayside and much more will be had now and in the future. When the crisis fades, where would you rather be—part of a rebounding group, or alone and starting over?