First Time Visitor Guide
Update 2/6/2008 based on recent Top eLearning Posts
It can be daunting to visit a blog for the first time. The author(s) have been writing individual articles for months or years. This is my attempt to help you get a sense of topics of my blog and find some of the more interesting past articles.
Managing your RSS Feeds - If you are considering subscribing to this blog, you might want to read this.
Blog Description
This blog covers trends in eLearning and more broadly the use of technology that aims to improve human performance. This is fairly wide ranging from traditional courseware kinds of issues to specialized kinds of tools and sites. My background includes things like being the CTO of eHarmony (online marriage matching based on personality profiles and controlled communication) from its launch through their $110M venture round to working on interesting eLearning and tools for companies like Lexus, HP, IBM, etc. Thus, the blog has a tendency to jump into a wide range of technology types and solutions. I do generally focus from a corporate standpoint (not as much in the education realm). Of course, you'll get a better sense of this as you read through various post.
Interaction
I write this blog because it helps me think through and learn about the topics I write about. Interacting with readers and other bloggers on these topics really helps to expand and/or clarify my thinking. What I want (and what most bloggers want) is for readers to engage with me. Comments are very much welcome. Or write a blog post the talks about something I've written.
In fact why don't you start interacting right now by briefly introducing yourself in the comments below.
Once we've interacted to some level, you might consider linking up with my via LinkedIn - I found this to be a good way to stay connected with people.
Topics
eLearning 2.0
Starting Point:
- What is eLearning 2.0?
- eLearning 2.0 - An Immediate, Important Shift
- eLearning 1.0, 1.3 and 2.0
- Learning Trends Point To and Shape eLearning 2.0
- eLearning 2.0 Presentation - ASTD OC
- eLearning 2.0 Presentation - ISPI Los Angeles
- Introduction to Wikis, Blogs, Social Bookmarking, Social Networking and RSS
Practical Suggestions:
- Web 2.0 and eLearning 2.0 Start-Up Guides
- Personal and Group Learning Using Web 2.0 Tools
- Authoring in eLearning 2.0 / Add-ins & Mash-ups
- Shift in eLearning from Pure Courseware towards Reference Hybrids
- Collaborative Learning Using Web 2.0 Tools - A Summary
- Needed Skills for New Media
- eLearning 2.0: Informal Learning, Communities, Bottom-up vs. Top-Down
- Rosenberg's Beyond eLearning - Is that eLearning 2.0?
- Informal Learning - Let's Get Real - Part II
- Informal Learning - Let's Get Real
- Elves, Measuring Results and Informal Learning
- Guidance Needed - Are we Misguided in Informal Learning and ...
- Informal Learning is Too Important to Leave to Chance
- Top Ten Reasons To Blog and Top Ten Not to Blog
- PKM and Personal Learning
- Personal Learning for Learning Professionals - Using Web 2.0 Tools for Personal Learning
- Improving Personal Learning - A Continuing Challenge for Learning ...
- Top Ten Reasons To Blog and Top Ten Not to Blog
- How People Interact with Blogs?
- Time Spent on Blogging
- Risk of Identity Theft Due to Social Networking and Blogging
- Learning and Networking with a Blog (Deleted Scenes)
- eLearning Trends
- Ten Predictions for eLearning 2008
- Disruptive Changes in Learning
- Incredibly Cool! Vision of Future of Application and eLearning Development
- Second Life and Learning
- Course and Courseware Fading - The Future of eLearning
- Shift in eLearning from Pure Courseware towards Reference Hybrids
- Direction of eLearning - Emergence or Big System
- Future Platforms for eLearning
- View of eLearning Development Approaches - Ease vs. Power
- Point Solutions vs. Suites and Composition
- What is the Role of Training?
- Hot Topics in Training - A Crude (but mildly interesting) Analysis -
eLearning Resources
- eLearning Examples
- Rapid eLearning Tools
- Flash Quiz Tools
- Test SCORM Courses
- Course Authoring and Rapid eLearning Tool Satisfaction
- Stock Photo Image and Other Media Sources
- Virtual Classroom Instruction - Resources
- Discussion Resources for Learning Professionals
- Software Simulation eLearning (w/ links to Tools)
- eLearning Blogs - Quick Way to Find Good Ones
- Surveys in eLearning
- Tracking Without an LMS
- Fun Headline Generator
- Fun Sign Generator
Learning Management Systems
- LMS Selection Process
- LMS Satisfaction Features and Barriers
- LMS Selection
- LMS Selection Process
- LMS Team Size and Time
- LMS RFP
- LMS Selection Team and Stakeholders
- Tracking Without an LMS
- LMS Dissatisfaction on the Rise
- Do You WANT an LMS? Does a Learner WANT an LMS?
- Moving from One to Many - LMS Products are Two Generations Behind
- Leading with an LMS - Harmful to Your Health (or Skipping Stages ...
- Tools for On-Demand Information - An LMS?
- Point Solutions vs. Suites and Composition
Other Popular Articles
- Horizontal Learning
- Web 2.0 - Consumer vs. Enterprise Use
- Video Format Comparison - Flash - WMV - Quicktime - Real
- eLearning Defined
- ROI and Metrics in eLearning
- eLearning Design - Posts about Designing eLearning
- Significant Work Needed to Help Instructional Designers
- Is Your eLearning Broken?
- Pew Survey on Blogging - Training Professionals Far Behind
- Better Questions for Learning Professionals
- Future of ISD in a World of Read/Write Web
- ADDIE Not Relevant?
- What is Rapid eLearning?
Other Topic Pages
- eLearning Trends
- eLearning 2.0
- eLearning Resources
- Learning Management Systems - LMS
- Web 2.0
- Enterprise 2.0
- Personal Learning
- Informal Learning
- Collaborative Learning
- Corporate eLearning
- eLearning Design
- Corporate Training
- Instructional Design
- Authoring Tools
- Rapid eLearning Tools
- eLearning Software
- eLearning Solutions
- Blended eLearning
- eLearning Tools
- Open Source eLearning
- eLearning ROI and Metrics
eLearning Technology - 3:27 PM
24 comments
links to First Time Visitor Guide
Permalink: First Time Visitor Guide
24 Comments:
Tony, I am glad you picked up the link. I had actually posted a comment on the previous story, but it failed to upload. That's two I's so far!
While I have been writing in various ways and fora for a long time, I am relatively new to blogging as a blogger, so the question of how to manage content on a blog from both a user and writer perspective is of considerable interest to me.
Being a glutton for punishment I maintain four active blogs each serving a different purpose. I am presently part way through a tabular performace review using matrix with the blogs along the top row, common headings along the left hand axis.
While the heading are the same, it is interesting just how much purpose affects content management from both a user and content creator perspective. I will probably write this up at some point in case it is of broader interest.
I completely agree about purpose/audience affecting how you write. I would be interested in seeing your thoughts and experience on that.
Tony, I will let you know when I have something written.I am not sure that I will be saying anything especially profound, it's just that I like (as you know) structures as a way of simplifying things. And I have actually changed my writing because of the preliminary analysis
Tony, this is a good and long overdue courtesy to your readers. You've motivated me to upgrade my site map and blog tour.
When I made my blog my home page long ago, it was radical behavior. I reasoned that new stuff was more interesting than old, so why not? Others followed. So we got fresh content...but left the fine art of website design behind.
Remember when people used to put days into site architecture? Minimizing the number of layers? Trying to make the whole site so beautiful it would be "sticky?"
Now most people are content to have the most recent stuff on the top -- and totally ignore what's scrolled off the bottom.
Thanks for rekindling the spirit of user friendliness to blogging.
jay
Tony, I have visited your blog on and off for at least a short while. I have the desire to read your's and many other's blogs but never seem to have the time. Aggregators certainly help with that. I just, like most I imagine, wish there were many more hours in a day; I also wish I could read two or three times faster.
I don't feel I have much of note to say, though I would like to have. For now, finding time in the day to read your blog and a handfull of others is about all I can do. Perhaps in the not-to-distant future I can join in with more substantive comments of my own. Till then, thanks for writing much that is well worth reading.
John - thanks for leaving the comment. I understand about the lack of time. It is a common issue for many people today. I think your way of handling it by selecting what you read or which aggregators to have filter for you is an excellent point.
Based on your blog, and the class you are taking, my guess is that you are still managing to stay fairly connected.
Tony
AM a regular reader of your blog and believe me it has given me tremendous help in understanding eLearning and performing my job better.
Thanks
Hi Tony,
Thanks so much for your presentation at the eLearning Guild's Annual Gathering on New e-Learning Technologies. It was an exciting way to start the conference. I'm new to the industry and new to looking at informal learning, formally. We have WIKI technology already in place at work. Now I hope to start using it for learning.
You told us to write, so I am! I started a new blog. Check it out if you get a chance.
Cheers!
Hello Tony. You suggested we introduce ourselves in the comments so here's mine. My name is Brandon and I develope e-Learning applications for an LTL trucking company. I just recently discovered your blog and am looking forward to visiting more frequently. The titles of many of your posts sound very interesting and relevant to my work and I'm looking forward to reading them. Could I pose a question at this point? I've recently started using Adobe Captivate more frequently and find myself doing a lot of editing of the .cp files. Unfortunately the .cp file size keeps growing even though I REDUCE the number of slides and the amount of audio. My most recent .cp file reached 95 Mb, which makes it very time-consuming to open and save the file. I don't think Captivate offers file compacting functionality like Authorware does. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks for maintaining such a helpful Blog.
Hi, Just a comment for Brandon about Captivate and large file sizes. I've found it helpful to use Captivate for developing and outputting smaller chunks of content, rather than one giant file that you're running into. There are other ways you can then assemble the swf files. The Captivate forums on the adobe.com site are useful for learning how others are using the tool.
Tony,
I attended your presentation on eLearning 2.0 yesterday at the ASTD National Conference in Atlanta and gained alot from it. Thanks. I've been writing a bit for an e-newsletter our ASTD chapter publishes, but plan to move a blog format. You inspired me!
Hi Tony,
Our team is looking at starting a group blog for internal communication, and I wanted to review what you had done for your first time visitor's guide. We know our audience isn't particularly familiar with blogs, so this is a great idea which we are probably going to shamelessly copy.
Sorry, my brain is in editing mode today because I'm doing a review of a course.
In this sentence of your guide, shouldn't it be "why don't you" instead of "why do you"?
"In fact why do you start interacting right now by briefly introducing yourself in the comments below."
I apologize for being picky. My sister says I'm an ARSP (anal retentive smarty pants). ;)
Christy, thanks for the edit. I appreciate it.
And, I hope in exchange for using this idea you will post ideas from what you find. Similar to what you've done around Wikis.
Finally, this was what I was looking for - a structured format/listing of the articles so that I'm not lost and also I don't miss on some great info. Because you asked for introduction, I'm only 4-years old in the e-learning industry and am in hunt of some really appropriate, convincing and media-rich strategies and to stay in touch with recent developments. Tony, I don't know how I reached your blog but now I know how to proceed in this. Because I generally have an opinion about everything, you will be often seeing my name in the comments section :) Keep up the good work!
Like most bloggers, I welcome your participation.
Hi Tony,
After speaking with you today I decided that I needed to set aside some time to familiarize myself with e-learning 2.0.
I am a baby in the industry and appreciate the advice you provide on this blog. Thanks again and I look forward to more meaningful posts in the future
I set aside a whole 15 minutes and put together a blog. I continued the conversation of web 2.0 and posted a topic about interview questions that you may have some great input on. I am already realizing the benefits of blogs both professionaly and personally. Thanks again.
Hi, Tony. I'm Bambang from Indonesia.
I like to read to read your blog, since my final graduation project is about e-learning.
There is one problem I want to ask. In e-learning I made, I include video tutorial. The e-learning is about how to use a software. So I divide into several file video to explain spesific tool in the software.
The question is, are there any theories/references about "how long should video tutorial shown to user"?
Thanks for your attention and also for your articles, it give me a lot of knowledge.
It is daunting as you say. I feel awkward. I read the first visitors guide which was very usefull for me as a complete beginner. Then I read the post on RSS feeds and I was somewhat overwhelmed. I have two feeds now and I'm not wondering at all how to manage that.
I've been asked to develop the content for a elearning website for secondary school students in Europe. I'm looking for ways to involve these students in the subject. Maybe even get some interaction between schools going. So blogging and wikis were ideas I found going through e-learning websites. But now I've first got to get involved in these sort of things myself. I'll start with just a few blogs. I'm happy to say yours is one of them and I believe a very valuable one at that.
Sandra
Sandra - thanks for leaving the comment. I hope you will share your experience with all of us.
Thanks for the First Time Visitor Guide. I have a blog on Blogger myself, and am definitly going to incorporate something of this nature in it.
I found this blog sheerly by accident. I'm a meeting planner and am looking into various social networking tools for an event that we do, and this popped up. I had just looked through the website for introNetworks, and then I read the information that you had on iN which was very helpful.
It is hard to determine if our group will get use out of it. If you or anyone else has any suggestions for social networking sites or comments on them - it would be greatly appreciated!
I am very interested in your blog as I have been working on implementing social networks within corporations and I enjoy reading and gaining inspiration from others.
Hope to learn a lot and possibly share my experiences.
Belinda - I'm sorry, I missed your note. If you come back and still have questions about these tools, I'm sure I could rally some help.
Rambling Guy - please do share your experiences. I'm sure lots of folks will be interested.
Tony, I am impressed! I'm not sure if I have the technical capacity to copy some your Blog Guide organization, but you have provide me a goal to move towards. I was drawn to your blog because of an post on corporate policies and social networking. My interest focuses on the reputational aspirations and tactics that guide these kind of policies. I am also interested in these types of policy statements because they relate to S-OX compliance which is also relate to reputation in a very formal sense.
I will continue to follow you and hope that have opportunities to engage in conversation.
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