Update to the 1% Rule

I've talked about the 1% Rule before. This rule tells us roughly that in online communities:

• 90% will read-only
• 9% will make limited contributions (comment)
• 1% will actively contribute content

In 1% Rule - Can You Fight It?, I contended that if we changed the dynamic of contribution to make it less effort, then there would be greater contribution.

A recent Forrester research report (cited) that looks at the numbers from a different perspective and it tells us a slightly different story. It tells us that:

• 52% - don't participate in social media

Of the 48% who do participate, you can find them at varying levels participating in social media. They categorize them into:

• Creators (publish web pages, have a blog, upload video)
• Critics (comment on blogs, post ratings and reviews)
• Collectors (use RSS, tag web pages)
• Joiners (use social networking sites)
• Spectators (read blogs, watch videos, listen to podcasts)

The percentages reported are much higher than the 1% rule, but they are looking at the question differently - across all possible sites for interaction - not looking at a single site.

The categories are interesting to think about.

Top Ten Subliminal Searches

As I mentioned before more than half of the traffic to my blog comes from search engines. Of course, that doesn't count folks who read content in their RSS reader, but still its a significant number. What's sometimes fun to do is take a look at various search terms that people use to find my blog. This morning I had a really good chuckle because I saw that the search:

top 10 reasons not to do your homework

Put me in position number 2 on Google (at least on the servers in the US that I used). I'm sure glad my kids don't read my blog and to find out that somehow I support not doing your homework.

This made me wonder what else people were searching for, having me come up in the results list AND deciding to click on me. It also made me wonder if this tells me something about what people might think of me or my blog. Or if there's some hidden meaning that I somehow get found for these searches. Maybe there's a subliminal message hidden here.

So I looked back over the past two weeks to see what other searches were brining people to my blog. So I decided to make a list of the Top Ten Searches that might reveal something I didn't know about me and my blog:

10. motivating avon reps
9. worst design management
8. fun generator
7. call your parents
6. boston beer
5. synthetic happiness
4. party sign generator
3. impersonal questions that spark discussion
2. worst presentation

and my personal favorite:

1. top ten lamest people

Have a good weekend.

eLearning Software

eLearning Software posts:

eLearning Software Tools

Course Authoring and Rapid eLearning Software Satisfaction - Satisfaction survey results for eLearning Software.

eLearning Software Satisfaction (More) - follow-up on satisfaction results for eLearning Software.

What is Rapid eLearning Software? - Description of eLearning Software for rapid eLearning.

Rapid eLearning Software - Another post looking at eLearning Software for rapid eLearning.

Flash Quiz Software - Lists different software tools used to create quizzes and tests in Flash.

Test SCORM Software - Ways to test courses under SCORM.

View of eLearning Development Software - Ease vs. Power - Graphic that compares different eLearning Software tools.

Software Simulation eLearning (w/ links to Tools) - eLearning Software aimed at producing Software Simulations.

eLearning Software - Wikis, Blogs and More - Alternative eLearning Software tools.

Use of Wikis as eLearning Software- another post on Wikis as eLearning Software.

Captivate and Articulate for Interactive Slide-Based Presentations - two eLearning Software tools for a particular kind of application.

Virtual Classroom eLearning Software - Information about virtual classroom eLearning Software.

eLearning Software Trends

Authoring in eLearning 2.0 / Add-ins & Mash-ups - How eLearning Software is changing based on Web 2.0 technical approaches.

Shift in eLearning Software Approaches from Pure Courseware towards Reference Hybrids - An alternative eLearning Software approach.

Direction of eLearning Software - Emergence or Big System - a trend in eLearning Software.

Future Platforms for eLearning Software - trends in eLearning Software platforms.

Point Solutions vs. Suites and Composition in eLearning Software

Jumping into my Blog Roll

I normally use a system for Managing RSS Feeds where I keep new blogs in the quarantine for a few months to see if they are going to pan out. However, I've already cited this blog in New Blog - and a Great Post Conference Practice and now another great post conference practice in the post:

SME vs. Customer - With Me in the Middle

Showing how different sessions apply to particular projects within the organization.

Good stuff!

Problem finding Podcasts and Videos

I just saw a post by Mark Oehlert -Help Needed: Long Car Ride Ahead and I Want to Load Up on the Best Podcasts

Makes me realize that we don't have good sources to find podcasts or videos that appeal to a particular group of people, e.g., folks involved in eLearning. I find them randomly through blog posts. But, if I go to YouTube and search for videos, I will occasionally find good ones, but normally it's a needle in a haystack.

There must be a better way.