Corporate Learning Forum - why?
Corporate Training & e-Learning Blog: Corporate Learning Forum is HERE!
In the blog above, Jenna Sweeney talks about a new listserv for corporate training professionals - the Corporate Learning Forum.
I received an “invitation” to this forum at work. Maybe I’m being dense, but I don’t get it. Why would I want to pay $50 a year to be a member on a listserv? Why should I pay for the privilege of being bombarded by email?
As the member of a few free listservs, on topics of great interest to me, including training & technology, it has struck me that, at best, half of what gets posted is useful. For free, that’s annoying, but the price of getting to that other half. Paying to do that with no guarantee of improved quality seems like poor judgement to me.
So what’s the value proposition of this new venture? Why should I pay for something I can get for free in most other industries (access to people with experience)? Is it a status thing (”ooo… I’m in the club!”)? Or is there really something worth paying for that I’m not catching from the marketing?
Maybe the marketing is the key. I will say that this is the only listserv (or any kind of online discussion) in the training industry that I’ve seen actually marketed. Maybe that will bring in people who wouldn’t usually get on a listserv in the first place. But really, all that means is more potential emails in my inbox. It doesn’t guarantee me that those emails will be any more useful than the ones I already get for free.
I really don’t get it. I hope someone can explain it to me.
Tags: corporate training, e-learning, Learning, online, Technology, trainingRelated posts
Tags: corporate training, e-learning, Learning, online, Technology, training
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August 27th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Thanks for writing, Jeff. Actually, you do get it. Yes, there are other Listservs - but surprisingly few whose daily exchange amounts to much more than extra junk mail. And there are numerous blogs in the blogosphere, including yours and mine. However, the benefit of Listservs over blogs is that Listservs offer a truly dynamic and immediate exchange of information.
Consider this: Why after just two short weeks does Corporate Learning Forum’s membership read like a Who’s Who list in the corporate training industry? You hit the nail on the head: Marketing. (Keep reading…) Listservs are underutilized because most of them are byproducts of non-profit organizations. With the benefit of a small, nominal annual membership fee (just $50), Corporate Learning Forum can afford to market. And Here are the true benefits: Aggressive marketing equals more members, and more members means a much deeper knowledge base to tap into. Ultimately, access to knowledge is what it’s all about, wouldn’t you agree?
So how’s it working? Just last week, the chief learning officer of the nation’s largest cable provider posted a question to the Forum asking for help to find an e-course that could train his 80,000 employees on pandemic flu preparation. Within 5 minutes he received several excellent sources, including one from a local instructional design firm that had just completed the very same course—-MY firm! In a subsequent conversation, he told me that he had spent countless hours over several months researching this and was amazed to solve this issue within a few minutes of joining Corporate Learning Forum.
Is Corporate Learning Forum worth $50 a year? Absolutely! I can’t speak for all the other members, but I know two companies who’ve gotten amazing returns on their teeny investments (to Corporate Learning Forum) in just the first few minutes (or hours) of joining!
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August 30th, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Membership has it’s priviledges? It’s important to use AMEX, enjoy Grey Poupon, go to a college where you you can later network with alumni, and belong to associations where the members occasionally participate. Or maybe it’s not.
I’m excited about getting a distance learning position with a community college. (I have an interview on Fri.) I certainly won’t be able to afford fancy mustard, but maybe I’ll be happy anyway.
Would you mind posting links to the other listservs you mentioned, or would you email information about them to me?
Thanks!
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