Ning could have at least provided a decent migration path away from their service. The Internet Time Community has been hosted on Ning for a little over three years. Most of the time, it has been more of a test site than a real community. We’ve experimented with features, swapped ideas, kept track of one another, and so forth. was shocked and saddened when Ning announced that its free service was ending. Lots of non-profits had signed up on Ning. They were told to pay up or shut down. In essence, they were betrayed. Many of these organizations have zero tech support. No sweat. MORE >>

After succinct descriptions of what’s going on and why it matters, the book addresses the organizational roadblocks that inevitably arise and provides logical workarounds. The New Social Learning. Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media. By Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco. Yesterday afternoon, an acquaintance who was appointed chief learning officer of one of the UK’s major banks three weeks ago asked me where to find some great examples of social & informal learning. Then I bit my tongue. Better than ours. MORE >>

Today, less than half of companies provide learning for partners. Web 2.0 and Change Present Challenges to Many Learning Executives. By Rex Davenport. Chief learning officers (CLO s) are dealing with organizations the same way they did 25 years ago—focusing on full-time employees. But businesses are becoming networks. CLO s are going to need to understand that and do something about it. Jay Cross is a champion of informal learning (and author of the definitive book on the topic), Web 2.0, and systems thinking. Learning Executives Briefing: Arthur C. Cross: No. And it’s a lot more fun. MORE >>

In additional to social learning , vendors are claiming to provide informal learning. Thus, it’s generally a good practice to provide comfy nooks that foster conversations; it’s malpractice to tell people what they should talk about in those nooks. “As soon as the software vendors and marketers get hold of a good idea, they pretty well destroy it,&# writes my colleague Harold Jarche in his post on Social Snake Oil. That’s his graphic above.) watched vendors hi-jack the term eLearning, and I don’t want to see it happen to social or informal learning. MORE >>

Mixing case studies, stories, and actionable recommendations together with humor and easy-to-understand language, Jay Cross provides much more than buzzwords and back-patting, or so says his bio. LX Briefing. He also has some very strong opinions on the future of workplace learning. Harvard MBA and Princeton undergrad, he has been improving business processes since developing the first business curriculum for the University of Phoenix three decades ago. Jay covers topics from 50,000 feet to ground level, depending on audience and need. Jay Cross: Those who follow the old ways will die. MORE >>