I'm Gary Mauer of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, USA. I am the host and webmaster of this site. I serve as the moderator of our email discussion groups, seeking always a civil, professional discussion, in which even the most controversial window cleaning topics can be discussed - civilly.

The Window Cleaning Network is a very loosely knit online "community" of the world's window cleaners, and it is a gateway to window cleaning information on the internet. Our "members" have registered for one or more free communication services. But it must be noted that this not a trade association. You won't see the Window Cleaning Network acting as a group - we just connect here.

This is my 25th year in the window cleaning business. By choice, my window cleaning business has always been small, but over the last 10 or 15 years I've met a lot of window cleaners - primarily due to my early involvement with the International Window Cleaning Association, and through my Window Cleaning Network website.

The Window Cleaning Network originated as an attempt to collect the email addresses of associates. I shared my list with everyone who gave me their email address. As that list grew, people kept asking me to start an email group or newsgroup.
When I had 85 names, I started the Window Cleaning Email Group.

That was August 1, 1996.

Protocol (rules)

Within a few days, it became obvious that the group needed some structure - a few rules about behavior, and someone willing to enforce them - to keep us on window cleaning and not personal issues. I discovered that it would be necessary to moderate, and if necessary, suspend people for short periods of time, so as to keep us on track. As the Window Cleaning Email Group grew, I began to devote more time to moderating and administering it, because it seemed the alternative would be a rough environment that would not attract and retain enough subscribers. A set of well thought out rules keeps the discussion on track without stifling anyone's point of view.

I started seeking sponsors in January of 1997, because I realized that I had to either;
A)  pay the monthly fee for the mail list server but forget about devoting much of my time to maintaining standards, or
B) find some sponsors and set up a program for them, so my wife would let me keep trying to hustle for new members.

To my surprise, the first potential sponsors I approached were very eager to help. I started spending more time at promoting, moderating, dressing up the website, etc. and soon got to where I needed a higher level of support from sponsors. I'm asking for that support, and getting it. So it's official, the Window Cleaning Network is a business dedicated to facilitating communication among the world's window cleaners, and supported by sponsors who have limited advertising privileges.

I work hard to give sponsors exposure to a large group of window cleaners, but I've always been careful not to let sponsorship corrupt the groups. A sponsor who advertises must properly identify themselves, for instance, and there is only ONE email group where advertising is allowed.

Having a broad sponsorship base helps protect the project from demands an exclusive sponsor might make. Sponsors want a large pool of talent, which is exactly what I hope to accomplish by moderating, and by actively promoting this project on the web, and that's exactly what most window cleaners want - so it's a perfect fit!

You are welcome to join the Window Cleaning Network. 
There are no fees, no meeting, no elections.

It is all FREE -- thanks to the sponsors you'll find at the Buyer's Guide
To consider yourself  member, all you do is 
subscribe to an email group, and/or ask for a free listing.
We do not give or sell your information to anyone - not even our sponsors
- though of course some of it will appear on your FREE listings.