E L S U A ~ A KM Blog Thinking Outside The Inbox by Luis Suarez

Social Learning: Learning Never Ends…

Earlier on today I gave a presentation to a bunch of fellow colleagues on the topic of microblogging / microsharing, behind the firewall, trying to describe why people should embrace such social tools in order to help increase their efficiency and improve the way they communicate, collaborate and share their knowledge effectively. We talked as well about a good number of other business benefits of using social tools that I have been mentioning over here over the course of time; and one of those benefits is, without any doubt, that one of Learning, specially the concept of Informal (Social) Learning.

I am sure that, if you have been involved yourself with social software tools for a while, you would probably agree as well with the notion that one of the strongest key elements behind engaging in social tools is the actual learning that takes place all around. Whether it is due to serendipitous knowledge discoveries or just plain socialising there is always a good chance that there won’t be a single day where you don’t learn a single thing. Probably quite the opposite!

That’s why when I was providing that education session on microblogging I couldn’t help thinking about a recent YouTube video clip that I bumped into thanks to Jane Hart‘s recent blog post (under the heading “Social Learning : the video“), which she shared not long ago, and which talked, rather nicely, about this very same topic! In the same fashion as the Did You Know? series of video clips, the smart folks from LAB SSJ in Brazil put together this Social Learning clip that lasts for nearly three minutes and which I thought would make for a perfect fit to include it over here in this blog.

Now, I realise that I don’t get to talk many times around the topic of Learning, but it still remains one of my lifetime passions, given my education background where I graduated as an English teacher many moons ago. So it’s nice to, every so often, come back again to such topic and share some more of those golden nuggets, specially when they touch other areas that I am rather passionate about, like social networking and knowledge sharing.

If I were to describe the content of the video clip, I think I would do a pretty good job by just quoting a single sentence that was mentioned on the YouTube link, as part of the description itself, and which, I am sure, when you read it, it would click immediately with you on what you are going to expect from nearly three minutes of inspiring messages, quotes, and whatever other gems that permeate throughout the clip itself. Yes, it is that compelling and, if not, judge for yourselves:

“The message reinforces the social nature of learning, showing that even when mediated by technology, we essentially learn from our interaction with others.“

Yes, indeed, at the heart of the whole purpose behind what social networking is all about, don’t you think? What a perfect way to end up one of those weeks where I am leaving behind a bunch of meetings galore and a few fires here and there and where I truly needed to be reminded why we are all in here, after all: Learning never ends …

Now you know as well why I can’t wait to start reading The New Social Learning book by Tony Bingham and my good friend, the always insightful and inspirational, Marcia Conner. Yes, I have just received a copy of it and will start reading it shortly. I bet I’m off to learn plenty more about how social networking and social software tools are helping shape up, for good, how we learn in whatever the environment, switching the focus from the traditional curriculum kind of driven learning activities of formal learning  in to a more people driven (informal) learning environment where conversations are the curriculum.

Yes, indeed, have a good one everyone!

Technorati Tags: Learning, Social Learning, Blogging, Microblogging, Microsharing, Metablogging, Metaweblogging, Weblogging, Business Benefits, Business Value, Jane Hart, LAB SSJ, Formal Learning, Informal Learning, YouTube Videos, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Innovation, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity, Tony Bingham, Marcia Conner

Social Media Revolution 2010 – Back to Blogging!

Like I mentioned on my last blog post over here, I was hoping that after the Enterprise 2.0 conference event in Boston I would have an opportunity to share a bunch of blog entries sharing some of the major highlights from the event itself, as well as some of the key learnings I went through over that week. And all of that while I was taking a few days off, while in Barcelona, Spain, as I was preparing for another event that I’m sure I’ll have an opportunity to blog about shortly. Obviously, as you may have noticed … that didn’t happen! So here I am again recovering from another blogging hiatus. Hopefully, the last one for a long while!

That’s right, it’s been a bit over two weeks that I haven’t blogged over here and guess it’s now a good time to come back, as I am back home, settled in, caught up with the usual swing of things at work and, finally, have got a chance to continue writing again. There may well have been a couple of reasons why I didn’t have a chance to blog during that time, specially after #e2conf. But I must confess that just one of them really hit me. Rather negatively! And big time!

That’s going to be the subject of the next blog post though that I will be sharing over here. However, for now, I thought I would go ahead and share with you folks one of those interesting links I bumped into while I was away that will sort of re-introduce, very lightly, the upcoming sets of articles I would want to share with you folks to help bring things back on track.

As I have mentioned a couple of times already, I’m a big fan of the Did You Know? series of video clips that clearly detail what’s been the impact of Web 2.0 technologies not only within our working environment, but also in our societies in general. And from there onwards the various different versions that have come out, or spin off, from there onwards. Well, there is a new one out there. An updated one from 2010 already!

Check out Social Media Revolution 2010. It’s a YouTube video that’s been making the rounds over the last few days and already grabbing some nice momentum. It lasts for nearly 3 minutes and although some of the statistics are a bit out of date, most of it is still rather relevant and although it would have very little use for us Enterprise 2.0 folks, it’s still an interesting perspective worth while watching for what’s to come with regards to Enterprise 2.0 itself: i.e. that so-called merge between E2.0 and Social Media to provide a unique overall 2.0 experience. But more on that later on, when I put together some of those highlights from #e2conf, because that was one of my takes from the conference this year …

For now though I’m going to keep things short over here, sharing with you folks that video, so you can start playing it below right away and get ready for the next ones coming up, because something tells me this Social Media Revolution 2010 somehow is not going to be the last of this series of video clips coming along, don’t you think?

Here we go for the one for today to resume my regular blogging activities…

Tags: Enterprise 2.0, Boston, #e2conf, e2conf, Barcelona, Spain, Did You Know?, YouTube, Videos, Social Media Revolution, Revolution, Society, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Innovation, Networking, Social Networks, Conversations, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Relationships, Productivity

Welcome to the World of Socialnomics – Part Deux!

Back in August last year, if you have been reading this blog for that long, you would remember how, once again, I couldn’t resist the temptation to put together a short blog post on another one of those video clips around the Did You Know? theme that keep coming back time and time again. I don’t why, but I just love to reference those short video clips that try to prove, quite consistently, and very successfully, too, in my opinion, the real business value, and huge impact, that social computing, and social networks, are having not just within the corporate world, but also in our society, in general. Do you remember Social Media Revolution? Well, it’s back! But better! Way better! Get ready for Social Media Revolution v 2.0!

Once again, the smart and talented folks over at Socialnomics (i.e. Erik Qualman, amongst others…) have put together Part Deux of the original Social Media Revolution YouTube video clip, where they have packed a rather fascinating, mind-blowing and truly inspiring update that lasts for nearly four and a half minutes and which will take your breath away in like no time! Yes, I know, and I do realise, it is that good! And if you don’t believe me, judge for yourselves with the embedded version over here:

There are very few things that I would need to comment further on that may not be clear enough from watching through the video clip itself; it’s self-explanatory, I would say, don’t you think? So I’ll probably stop here for now, and perhaps do like Erik himself did, when he announced on this blog post the update to this video clip, which is basically pointing you folks to a Slideshare presentation that has been making the rounds for a while now (It’s over two years old!) and which will help you put things into perspective from where we were back in 2008 and where we are nowadays…

Fascinating journey, to say the least, if you first take a look into Marta Kagan‘s equally thought-provoking What The F**K is Social Media? and then you watch Part Deux from Social Media Revolution. WOW!! Indeed, what an exhilarating journey! And we are just getting started, folks! I am not sure what you would think, but these two resources that I wanted to reference over here today are surely going to become rather helpful for most of us, social computing evangelists, to reuse and reshare, with due credit, of course!, with all of those skeptics that may not have bought just yet into the idea of social networking, or those other people who are just getting started and wouldn’t know where to begin. Well, these two pretty amazing references would probably do for now… Don’t you think so?

Here is Marta Kagan’s embedded presentation, so you can start flipping through the charts right away and without delay to then move into the Socialnomics video clip…

Hope you enjoyed watching them, just as much as I did! What a blast! Just brilliant! (Thanks ever so much to both Marta and Erik for making our lives just a bit easier… hehe)

Tags: Did You Know? Social Media Revolution, Revolution, Evolution, Socialnomics, Erik Qualman, Slideshare, Presentations, Videos, Marta Kagan, Life, Changing World, 21st Century, Future, Reality, Now!, Globalisation, Learning, Connected, Connections, Technology, Shift Happens, Conversations, Exponential Times, Enterprise 2.0, Social Software, Social Networking, Social Computing, Social Media, Collaboration, Communities, Learning, Knowledge Sharing, KM, Knowledge Management, Innovation, Networking, Social Networks, Dialogue, Communication, Connections, Social Computing Impact, Social Software Impact, Social Media Impact, Business Value, Culture, Society