The Water Cooler

[Jay Cross]

This is where you chat about issues that don't warrant a full-blown topic of their own. News, insights, jokes, quick questions, whatever.

[Jay Cross]

Marc Andreessen, author of Mosaic/Netscape and co-founder of Ning, just announced that there are now more than 200,000 Ning networks There are more Ning social networks than on the remainder of the internet combined. Consider yourself an early adopter. At current growth rates, there will be 300,000 Ning networks in a few weeks!

Speaking of early adoption, it just occurred to me that I began blogging in the last century!

[Jay Cross]

Yesterday I posted a change in my personal direction on my blog:

Internet Time Blog is shifting its focus from learning to “getting things done in business.” Since this blog is my alter ego, I could just as well say that I am focusing more and more on helping people in corporations prosper, now and the future. Both the blog and I are cutting back involvement with training trade associations, instructional design orthodoxy, and academic theorizers. My attention is turning to practical things instead of mind games.
As I unlearn the vestiges of the industrial era, I’m exploring the concept of the business world as ecosystem. And what to do about it For me, it’s time to throw out the time cards and control systems; I prefer to help sow the seeds of the coming era.

[Andy Jones]

Jay - let me challenge you then. If you've been focusing on Learning and not "Getting Things Done in Business" how can your learning stuff be valuable? I suspect that you've always been interested in getting things done in business but have chosen to focus your attention on how learning helps that.

Am I right, wrong or am I now in the ignore pile (I get that a lot!)

[Jay Cross]

Andy, you're right that I've always focused on getting things done. (Good catch!)

The difference is that now I'm dropping out of most of the stuff in the learning and development community. No more ASTD, no more Elliott, no ISPI. I'll skim the training mags but not for longer than a potty break. I won't automatically drape myself in the flag of learning when I address a business issue; I'm changing my default behavior.

Of course, I'll always keep some training arrows in my quiver but they won't be the only ones there. And I plan to shoot them at the targets that management specifies.

jay

[Sally Boyd]

Hi Jay,

I just joined your site and this topic really grabbed me. I am still thinking from a learning perspective, but that all of the learning and personnel and management systems need to be connected. When I think of the Learning System, it sounds like a tool, but that's not what I mean. Your thought of business as an ecosystem makes that connection for me (but I'm not sure that's what you really meant).

But the problem I see is that all these discrete systems systems limit or block the involvement of people who need to be involved. The Business Strategy system needs to be connected to the LMS, and the input needs to be driven by line managers who know what is needed and what is happening in their little world. Line Managers and Learners (aka employees) need to be able to define what they need to learn (and maybe just go out and learn it). But of course these people have "real jobs" so maybe we can give them some help in learning to learn just what they need.

Does this make sense? Can we get the business people to see this?

[Dominic Atkinson]

Conversation with a friend after they went on a 2-day management development course in leafy southern England:

Friend: "It was great, the guy really knew his stuff. The role play part was the best bit, although we didn't cover the specific issues I face"

Me: "So how are you going to tackle some of the difficult situations you face?"

Friend: "Good question"

Me: " So what's next? What's the plan to help you practice any of this new stuff?"

Friend: " Well there is a leadership course which is the next one to complete."


Arghhhggghghghghgghghghghgh!

No expectation of anything different = more of the same?

[Jay Cross]

1. Help me evaluate the CLO magazine website. Poke around; tell me what you think. I offered to get assessments from several visitors from them. Is it useful? What would make it a better experience for you?

2. Elliott Masie has opened a Ning site. I encourage you to take a look around. The site has attracted 3,000 visitors in a dozen days. It's going beyond community; think of it as a city. Some of the member options have been turned off. Joining requires you to fill out a questionnaire. You're not allowed to form groups. What lessons can we learn from Learning Town?

[Andy Jones]

Jay - first thoughts on the CLO Mag website:

1 - Cluttered. I had to search a bit to find articles
2 - Feels too advert driven. I like really clean and simple (I'm a simple soul)
3 - Feels old too. The colours/grahics choice seems a bit "late 90's"

All this is putting me off from even reading the content. After a digging a bit (note time elapsed since end of previous sentace) and finding the current issue I'm quite impressed. Interesting articles (although not ground breaking or, as yet, inspirational). I'll post more when I've got over my initial repulsion of the clutter.

About Elliott's Learning Town. I joined and am awaiting acceptance. Initial thoughts were "hey - another decent learning community that I can learn from". Then I thought - why can't we do this in one place? Then I realised.

Internet Time I see as my group of close advisors (forgive me for saying this) and people that I think I know I can trust. I value all opinions given and like the fact that I can ask stupid questions. I don't feel at the moment I can ask stupid questions in Learning Town. Any of this make sense?

What can we learn - size doesn't equate to quality so we mustn't worry if they've got a lot people and we have less. The discussion that Inge started had only 4 people on the teleconf but that was valuable to me already. The next one will be larger we hope and we're already starting to develop a fun new idea from it. Watch this space.

Also - allowing more freedom as you have gives a feeling more of ownership rather than participation. I like that.

Having said that - I'll probably not be able to resist contributing to it (if they accept me) - I suspect I won't feel as free though to do it as here.

Hope these are helpful.

[Robert Panetti]

I like Learning Town but I know what you mean when you say you feel more free on this site. Posting on Learning Town feels like you are on stage. There are many potential clients, peers, or future employers that may be watching...

[Andy Jones]

Got some more thoughts on Learning Town. Too big. WAY TOO BIG. Too impersonal and I get the impression that so many people are on there because Elliott asked them to be. I've not made any "friends" there yet although I have been pretty active to test it out (and I've been nice too).

I had hopes that it would be a bigger version of Internet Time if I'm honest. But it isn't. It actually feels a bit like I'm a new boy at school and no one really wants to talk to me and I'll probably be beaten up by a bully at some point...

I think it's a pretty good place to find out what learning people are thinking but don't expect to get the depth of support you get here.

[Andy Jones]

Ooo - lovely calming soft green... Is this to show your environmentally friendly credentials Jay?

[Jay Cross]

Andy, you are dead on. Today Americans pay their income taxes. I'm looking for Green Credits wherever I can get them. I wish we could run this community on solar.