American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2020 - 25

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Web-Based Training
Quickly Is Establishing Itself
As Industry Norm
As the oil and gas industry settles into its new normal, the
face of training and education has changed dramatically. Webbased content has become the rule for many organizations and
companies in the business of providing technical content to the
industry. This is a significant change from the days when an
online course or webinar was an exciting novelty.
While this method of training has been gaining ground
during the past several years, more than ever, technical audiences
are open to the idea of online education. As COVID-19 continues
to impact our industry, even the slow adopters are jumping in
with both feet, learning how to participate in online offerings.
In fact, PTTC and the University of Kansas hosted a wellattended workshop in June that brought in more than 100 folks
from around the region to learn about best practices for temporary
well abandonment.
A great perk of this type of training is that companies and
participants don't have travel expenses, not to mention the time
away from their operations. And people who miss a session or
talk generally can access the recorded session to review at their
convenience.
We also are seeing for-profit companies using Web-based
content and education to promote their expertise and drive
awareness to their target audiences. At first glance, the casual
observer may think this type of content is merely a pathway to
a sales pitch, and they are partly correct. Companies want to
sell. However, they also want to build relationships by offering
information that folks can use. Particularly in oil and gas, much
of the online content being presented is extremely useful and
nonpromotional, while serving to provide a service, generate
awareness, and of course, identify potential leads.
One company with a history of providing nonpromotional
content through its courses for the Society of Petroleum
Engineers has embraced online webinar content in a big way
and is getting a fantastic response. Tulsa-based NSI Technologies,
led by Dr. Michael B. Smith, has been providing some of the
best content I have seen all summer. Its weekly sessions, held
twice each Wednesday on Zoom, are called "Wed(NSI)day"
and consistently have more than 50 participants. Many sessions
have boasted almost 100 participants continuously since March.
I have participated in most of these sessions, and I am regularly
blown away by their consistent success.
What makes NSI's content such a draw? I have been putting
together Web-based education for several years, and NSI seems
to have captured something I think a lot of companies fail to.
First, its content is nonpromotional and top quality. During
every session, one hears some of the top speakers in the world
of hydraulic fracturing present for 20-30 minutes and field
questions with virtually no sales pitch. It's interesting to note
that almost all these speakers are not affiliated with NSI Technologies, giving their content even more credibility. I say
"almost all" because NSI President Mike Smith and his staff
are regular contributors to the weekly sessions.
This sounds promotional until you consider that Smith has

"Even the slow adopters are jumping in
with both feet, learning how to participate
in online offerings.

been named an SPE Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing. This
honor is bestowed to only a handful of individuals who are
known for their contributions to the technology. It's also
interesting to note that NSI Technologies has employed three
fracturing legends in the years since the honor has been given,
including the late Ken Nolte (the "N" in NSI) and Carl T. Montgomery, who received the award earlier this year.
With these names and these speakers, one can assume the
next critical factor in NSI's sizeable weekly turnout is its topics.
The folks who log in weekly are receiving excellent training
presentations and get their questions answered for free. Some
of the more recent titles include "Real World Frac-Pack Case
Studies," "Instantaneous Shut-In Pressure," "Reservoir Engineering
for Hydraulic Fracturing," and "Fracturing Design Variables."
The latter included toughness, fluid loss and modulus. In
essence, participants are receiving SPE-equivalent training
online weekly at no charge.
Finally, and perhaps the most important reason NSI consistently
has large numbers each week, is participants' approachability.
Logging onto a session feels like talking with real people,
because in fact, that's taking place. I have participated in several
sessions where everyone in the virtual room just conversed
with each other, kicking around ideas regarding the technology.
This atmosphere captures the very thing we all are trying to
achieve during these unusual times: staying connected when
everyone is stranded at home or an off-site location.
❒

JEREMY VISCOMI is a strategic

marketing expert for the oil and
gas industry. Among his many
roles, he serves as the MidContinent regional lead for the
Petroleum Technology Transfer
Council, providing independent
operators with access to emerging technology aimed at reducing
risk and growing profits.
AUGUST 2020 25

American Oil and Gas Reporter - August 2020

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