Elearning - June/July 2008 - (Page 33) morial, but it hasn’t been available through the Internet until recently. >> Build community. Research has shown that when it comes to finding opportunities, an individual’s own attributes are less important than his or her relationships and ties with other people. It’s been proven that interaction with others produces about twice as much in the way of education as formal instruction. So the line between learning and interaction is starting to blur a little. What’s the difference between education and communication? Where does collaboration stop and learning begin? ARE THERE DRAWBACKS? Social networks can be time intensive, notes SocialText’s Brainard. “It’s all about how you provide guidance and best practices to help employees use the tools appropriately. It’s managed through corporate policies, but mostly through basic training and guidance.” Adds Novitsky: “It’s the same temptation you have with e-mail or the Internet. The temptation is always there, but at least it’s a corporate network, so you’re talking to co-workers and facilitating your work camaraderie.” FACILITATING LEARNING Yet advantages far outweigh drawbacks. “The whole thrust of social networking is being able to maintain ties with people who have similar interests,” concludes Novitsky. “It’s not only hugely valuable to people, but it’s fun. People are always looking for productivity and useful information.” Adds Fatwire’s Gupta: “Most people want to learn. If you can somehow make This is what the Intel Alumni Network home page looks like. Photo courtesy Big Tent Design Inc. costs. Others see it as a way to obtain feedback on products. Still others see it as a way to hasten the development of a web of support and sense of belonging among their customers, which they can translate into loyalty. Here, then, are some specific benefits: >> Build customer relationships. Many manufacturers of consumer goods are getting on the wiki bandwagon by building public knowledge bases on the Internet that their customers can contribute to, thus promoting a type of “selfservice support.” ‘Social networking tools have become the most cost-effective means to continue providing training and knowledge transfer.’ —Ted Cocheu, Altus Learning Systems starting from the design stage, through implementation, all the way to administration. “Most of the groups coming to us are looking for more infrastructure support in a Web platform,” says Donna Novitsky, CEO of Big Tent Design Inc. “They need discussion forums, calendars, the ability to RSVP for an event, rosters, photo-sharing, polls and facilitation of subgroups. For a large group, support could become quite an administrative burden, considering all the workflow. A lot of the groups have 20 to 40 people on leadership teams doing all kinds of different jobs.” Social networks also might be abused. “There’s concern that these technologies could be misused — the same fears that companies had with early Internet use,” the learning experience not boring but fun, not tedious but easy, not complicated but simple — that creates joy in learning. Having tools that make it fun can tremendously motivate employees.” FOR MORE… Some Websites oriented to corporate social networking, in alphabetical order: >> www.altuslearning.com >> www.bigtent.com >> www.facebook.com >> www.fatwire.com >> www.linkedin.com >> www.selectminds.com >> www.socialcast.com >> www.socialtext.com >> www.thepoint.com >> www.visiblepath.com Elearning! June/July 2008 33 >> Facilitate recruiting and retention. Social networking is a creative way to keep a workforce well connected and capture and share critical knowledge to foster innovation and avoid potential “brain drain.” When individuals know who to ask and who can help them get their jobs done, productivity, innovation and speed-to-market increase. In the case of an integrated talent management system, corporate social networking will facilitate cross-functional stakeholder buy-in. >> Increase business opportunities. One service provider lets business people “link up” with others. If a salesperson, for instance, wanted to contact a prospective customer’s CIO, rather than make a cold call, the salesperson could seek a colleague or business associate who has a personal connection to the CIO. This type of networking has been used among sales colleagues since time imme- http://www.altuslearning.com http://www.bigtent.com http://www.facebook.com http://www.fatwire.com http://www.linkedin.com http://www.selectminds.com http://www.socialcast.com http://www.socialtext.com http://www.thepoint.com http://www.visiblepath.com
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