#i also think that part of the reason we all focused on LM is because she was a little more accessible to us --

[klanced]

also this is such a random aside but when i think back on the fallout after season 8, i mostly remember the vitriol being aimed primarily at LM. while JDS was able to squeak by mostly unscathed. was there a genuine reason that people focused more of their ire towards LM? because i’m ngl over the last couple of years i’ve been thinking that if LM bore the brunt of the internet’s hatred over season 8, even though both she and JDS were both executive producers & most likely equally responsible for the show’s downturn, then LM might’ve been a victim of targeted misogyny 

[theklancecollection]

I'm trying SO HARD to be positive about s7. There were a lot of genuinely good things (hunk, the first 3 episodes, the animation, hunk, seeing paladins' families, hunk, sam holt, hunk) but the bad things (most of the 2nd half, forced allurance, forced keith x acxa, killing off half of the lgbt rep after being promised more) is just SO BAD that they're hard to ignore. there's still 13 more episodes for lm and jds to turn things around, but idk, i'm just really conflicted rn :(

Hey there!

I completely agree with you. Hunk was undoubtedly the MVP of this season and that boy deserves it! It really sucks that a lot of people are calling the whole season bad and are advising others not to watch it. As a LGBTQ+ member, I completely understand the importance of having representation and why people are feeling so hurt by what the writers advocated they would show.

And that I believe is the whole problem. The creators of the show focused on the wrong elements when it came to promoting this season. If they had promoted Hunk, Earth and the other characters related to the Paladins, then I don’t think there would have been such a huge commotion. It’s the fact that they brought up Adam, revealed Shiro to be gay, and continuously bring Klance in all their promotional materials - they’re stringing us along and giving us false hopes.

This is something that I cannot forgive and it saddens me so much.

I don’t know how many of you know about Sterek (Stiles/Derek from Teen Wolf), but the creator and writers did the EXACT SAME thing where they pushed Sterek so hard in all their promotional materials and baited the fandom so hard only to neglect and insult us in the end. It was so horrible and it’s something that I can’t forget nor forgive. Sterek used to be one of my main ships but now I can’t even look at them because of how they were treated.

I really don’t want Klance to end up the same way because I love them way too much. I can understand if the creators don’t want Klance to be canon. But they should stop baiting us with them, or using paralleling scenes with them within the show. This season alone there were so many parallels to the first season and I can’t help but wonder what they were trying to get at.

If there’s anything that I want as of right now, then it’s for Klance to be friends / respectful teammates. I really don’t like Keith’s attitude towards Lance. I understand he’s been away for a long time, but this is not what I expected from. Just go back to Season 3 and look at how these two interacted. I would have thought those moments would at least mean something to them.

Which now I think about it, I think they do for Lance. Lance opened up to Keith about his insecurities. Out of everyone, he was pushing for Keith to take on the leadership role and not run away or lash out when things get hairy. But rather, own up to your mistakes and keep trying harder. And Keith listened to him and took up on those pieces of advice. He did do better and you know what? Given the way he used to behave in the past, Keith was making progress. He was learning how to do better and be better. He was learning that it takes more to save the universe than blasting away at some evil ships. You need to change mentalities for the better and that’s what Lance offered.

I’m getting carried away here but I guess the point I’m trying to make is that Klance’s canon history thus far have to mean something otherwise what was the point of showing it at all?

It’s like once Keith left, Klance sort of got lost... and now that he’s back it just doesn’t know how to work / move forward. Which to me, makes no sense at all since there is SO much that could have been done with them.

Season 3 = Lance was Keith’s right hand man and was constantly pushing him to do / be better.

Season 4 - 5 = Keith and Lance are on their own separate journeys. Keith is gaining a lot of answers and is shedding away a lot of his anger / insecurities. Lance on the other hand is falling into a pit of despair and his insecurities are stacking up.

Season 6 = Keith comes back, fully realized and ready to be the leader Voltron needs. Lance sees this is and is a) happy for Keith while also b) questioning his own progress.

Season 7 = They’re going back home. Keith has never seen Lance be more excited. They both share their stories and the new moves they have learned. They find out about Galra invading Earth and Lance feels even more shit because he thinks they were too late and is constantly questioning his spot as a defender. Keith gives him a pep talk like he did with Hunk. Lance is a little more optimized because hearing these words coming from Keith, a man whom he has learned to admire and respect so much means a lot.

Season 8 = TBA

Like honestly. I’m not asking for much. Just show Keith respecting Lance as a teammate and friend.

This already super long but I’m gonna roll with it.

I’m holding out on Allurance and Kacxa because to me there is no indication of them being canon.

The Allurance scene: Lance has always been there for Allura whenever it came to facing tough missions or emotional difficulties. To me, I see this as a really strong friendship. If I’m going on a mission that would possibly kill me, I too would take the opportunity to see a goodbye to my best friend. I know Lance has always liked Allura and it could be counted as being romantic but it’s not how I saw it when looking at it from Allura’s POV. If it turns out to be true... then well... that just sucks considering everything she has been through with Lotor. Now, I’m not equating Lance with Lotor but I think Allura needs some time to herself and process everything that has happened. Hell, I think EVERYONE needs some time to process their whole lives.

As for Keith & Axca, again I don’t see that as an indicator of them being canon. Axca has always tried to kill Keith and while I may be happy that she’s now against the Galran empire, it doesn’t mean I’m okay with her being with Keith. (And no I’m not saying this as a Klance shipper.) As for Keith going back for her, he has always been like this. Axca isn’t the first. He always goes back for people who have tried to help them out. I didn’t see this as being any different. As for Zethrid’s comment, I’m seeing it as a joke. Axca and Keith have faced off many times and Ezor/Zethrid could very well have teased her about this in the past. It doesn’t mean that they are canon. The graveyard scene again makes sense to me because that’s Axca’s connection to the team - Keith, and the fact she’s a Galra. I can easily see her becoming a part of the Blade and helping out in that faction.

Axca and Allura are amazing individuals in their own right. They shouldn’t be demonized or hated for expressing themselves just because we want Klance to be together. Klance don’t exist in a vacuum. The reason why they are such compelling and complex characters is because of their interactions with rest of the world.

I’m going to stop here because this has gotten REALLY long but I have a LOT of feelings about this show and today is actually the first real time that I’ve talked to anyone about it.

[starboysinspace]

How did you both work with the Voltron team to create this really powerful, integral part of Shiro's back story with Adam, and his time at the garrison? Joaquim Dos Santos: So, Shiro's sexual orientation is something that's been on the table for a long time. We were sort of looking for a proper place to give his backstory and let this be known. It wasn't a part of a massive conversation with the writers or anything, it was just an aspect of the story that we came up with that we felt was appropriate. Originally, we were going to show a much bigger piece of Shiro's backstory at the top of season 2. When Keith and Shiro were both stranded on a desolate kind of planet with lizard creeps. But, for production purposes and the needs of the studio and not wanting to be too flash-back focused early on in the series, we had to re-figure some things. So, this was the most appropriate time for us to get another little piece of Shiro's backstory. We knew it was something we wanted to do beyond story purposes just for the social relevance of it and to try to be as inclusive as possible. We've also come to realize that it's important to be pro-active with characters of all different backgrounds. That's us just doing our part.

As season 7 moves forward, Shiro is now adjusting to being home. Earth definitely isn't what he expected to see and neither is the garrison. Shiro finds that out the hard way after learning about Adam’s death, so how do you guys think all this will impact his relationships? How do you think Shiro is handling the grief of knowing what happened to Adam? Lauren Montgomery: Well, I think obviously [the Paladins] have been through a lot together and coming back to Earth and finding it in this state is certainly a blow. But I don't think it's really going to make them act any differently toward each other. If anyone's put in a weird position, it's probably Allura or Coran who went from being the people who knew everything to now suddenly they're strangers in a strange land. Obviously, [Shiro] going to live with this guilt of never fully knowing if he brought this upon Earth. If he did not come back for the Blue Lion, if he had not started this whole Voltron resurgence, would the Galra have ever attacked? There’s definitely, I think, a level of guilt there but it's not something that he can dwell on or allow to stop him from ultimately achieving his goal which is fighting back and ending the war. It's something I think would be entirely internalized. Again, he's a professional, he's been pushing through all of that pain and all of that guilt for the entire series. We saw it kind of getting to him early on in the series, but he keeps it... He's kind of over it by now. Joaquim: I think, as everybody knows, Shiro is the person who has the most thrown at him in the series, and he's been the pilar and the rock in reference to himself. He'll continue to play that role.

So, Shiro feels guilt about potentially being the reason the Galra fight was brought to Earth in first place, and he's going to internalize it and live with it forever because he's a professional that pushes through pain and guilt for the entire series. That also means he potentially feels guilt for bringing about the events that cause Adam's death, too.

LM and JDS interview with comicbook.com on Season 7, Shiro's grief, and Allura's Growth

[everythingbutthecat]

The Suicidal Elephant in the Parlour or Anne of Green Gables and Depression, Loss, & Suicide

by Adrianna Prosser

It’s no secret I’m a redhead, and it’s likely no surprise that when I was young I pretended I was Anne of Green Gables. In fact, my first best friend from junior kindergarten was a raven haired girl that I nicknamed Diana (hi Erin!) and she in turn called me Anne. When I was 14 I played Anne in my regional community theatre show in the musical (see community newspaper photo below) and it caused quite a stir: the theatre sweetheart who was supposed to play Anne with her beau as Gilbert was thwarted by me, an awkward untrained teenager who already knew the libretto by heart and I owned a straw hat. That show defined my love for theatre and my love of Anne transformed into a love of performing and storytelling. Anne was my life. Anne was me. From her temper to her bombastic nature, her hyperbolic narratives and of course her wild imagination, and let us not forget her competitive nature at school was all playing out pretty much the exact same way only in 1980s Canada in Barrie, instead of PEI in the 1880s.

^1998 newspaper article photo with me and my “schoolmates” in Avonlea school for South Simcoe’s Anne of Green Gables musical production in Cookstown, Ontario.

Naturally I watched the Megan Follows series of Anne until the VHS tapes wilted and wouldn’t play in my VCR. I used the musical version as my audition songs to get into theatre school and plays. I even grew up to be a schoolhouse teacher in a 1910 museum where I involuntarily (ok ok I did it on purpose) looked like Anne in Anne of Avonlea when she gives up her scholarship to stay with Marilla and teaches at the nearby school. I made time in my curriculum to read aloud from Anne of Green Gables the infamous chapter “Tempest in the School Teapot” to my grade 3’s and did voices for Diana, Anne, Gilbert and Mr Andrews; the crack on the head was always the best part played by the schoolhouse strap and a quick thwack to an antique desk. The kids would jump and laugh and want me to read more - what happened to Anne with an e?

Anne has been a big part of my life since I was 5 years old.

Then the CBC casts RH Thompson as Matthew and all of a sudden I’m back in Avonlea with earnest dread: what are they doing to Anne? I hear mixed reviews, I can’t seem to make myself watch it. It has been years since I have shed tears for the reveal of LM Montgomery’s secret: her granddaughter went public to say that Lucy had died by suicide. There was a note in her journal that seemed to indicate as much. I haven’t grieve the author of my youth, but now with this new rendition coming to TV I was going to have to face much more than childhood memories.

The CBC version called Anne The Series is wonderful: the vistas, the costumes, the character work… but there is something hard and dark around the edges. Gone are the warm hues, the bright scenery, the soft focus - this version has the contrast up, the grit and clarity filter showing weathering and wrinkles, and blues and greys highlight most every scene. I am intrigued to see some scenes play out exactly as I remember, and then others make me weep.

I enjoy adaptations, I am an actor and playwright and have read and performed several Shakespearean renditions of the same title over and over again in different ways throughout my career. I get it. Why do the exact same thing when it’s been done before? My thoughts and feelings are that of someone who GETS IT. I liked that in 2017 when this version premiered, we have such days celebrating mental health and focusing on mental illness like #MentalHealthWeek or #BellLetsTalk or suicide prevention day is September 10th and we as a collective here in Canada are getting better at being mental health advocates and de-stigmatizing depression, therapy, suicide and mental illnesses to the point that we are able to talk about it in pop culture (ie. 13 Reasons Why, The Virgin Suicides, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, etc…) and we are left to unpack it at our own pace and level of understanding as an audience member. So when this Anne adaptation starts to inject Lucy Maud Montgomery’s narrative into Anne’s I feel two things: 

OF COURSE now we can talk about this! Now we can interpret the reasons why Anne was talking to her reflection in a glass window and named her mirrored self Katie and talked to herself like as if she was two people - THAT isn’t normal. They could be dissociative disorder and throughout the show we see ways in which Anne has dealt with trauma, loss, and the loss of her innocence (though I don’t think rape was implied she has heard and or seen sex and possibly witnessed rape in this adaptation,) at such a young age that of course she needs imaginary friends to help her deal with her situation, or even just the profound loneliness she lives. OF COURSE there would be residual PTSD moments that leave Anne riddled with inaction and mental scarring hearing from every person that she is not a person but a tool to keep the household running and forced to care for three sets of triplets; being told all the while that she is not a family member and reminded of it constantly. OF COURSE we should raise awareness of the things that were happening in Canada around this time like the beginnings of the Suffragettes and women’s rights activism, and of course we should inject that history into a retelling where we as a viewing audience can accept that lens showing us a bit beyond the warm fuzzy historical narrative we are used to.

BUT. And it’s a but I am still struggling with… When the show paints a portrait outside of what’s in the book and rewrites the scope of its characters ambitions and actions - I get mad. And I don’t know why. The specific scene I’m talking about is when Matthew, brilliantly portrayed by RH Thompson (of Road to Avonlea fame,) Here is the show and the book version:

Having re-read all of Anne of Green Gables to see where the artistic liberties by Walley-Beckett for the CBC version (she wrote on Breaking Bad and I joke that this is Breaking Anne,) are and where the book informs the adaptation. (I wanted to know if Marilla and Matthew had been given made-up backstories or if they were indeed in book *fun fact Marilla WAS courted by John Blythe, but the Jeanie button story, though adorable, never happens for Matthew as we are constantly reminded in the book of how shy he is to women, Anne being the only exception.) And of course the suicide scene was never in my recollection but I had to be sure that as a child I wasn’t just misunderstanding LM Montgomery’s intentions.

This is where my very biased opinion takes the milk crate:

Matthew Cuthbert from the novel never exhibited depression, suicidal attempts, nor “invitations”. When I say invitations I mean the signs that one may perceive as invitations to recognize inner thoughts and feelings to be that of a suicidal nature. And the show version of Matthew also does not exhibit these invitations. But that is not to say that impulsive suicides don’t exist, just that they are very very rare. Also, in Christian Victorian society they are DOUBLY rare. So to, speaking to his character (in both book and show version) do I question Walley-Beckett and her exploitative use of suicide in this narrative - it seems wildly out of character and ridiculous. 

It seemed the choice was made for ratings and getting fangirls like me bawk at this rendition and give buzz to the show rather than playing into the original story’s nuance - like how I applaud her use of mental illness in Anne and that is why she is the “gypsy witch” that everyone calls her in the book: it is why she isn’t like everyone else on the island because everyone else on the island hasn’t been abused like Anne has. The stigma of being an orphan is explored and highlighted with the picnic scene in the show that doesn’t happen in the book. Anne has to triumph over her snobby neighbours not once like in the book (she saves Diana’s sister from croup) but defies a RAGING HOUSE FIRE in the show at the Gillis homestead to save a child and help put out the fire (a nod to her reading everything under the sun even a fire fighting manual at the train station, a call back to the first episode). 

Sure. I like the in-between the lines bits like that. In fact upon re-reading it a lot of the action doesn’t take place on the page, it is usually recounted to us by our grand storyteller Anne herself, so the events are wide open to interpretation because often LM Montgomery says ‘and the concert happened’ or ‘and the school year passed’ and that’s it. My friend JM Frey writes how "Anne is an unreliable narrator.” and I agree.

But, what I can’t handle is imposing trendy topics into a show that is near and dear to many a Canadian heart for the sake of ratings. I thought it a bit odd how blunt the feminist sewing circle was. Not in the book by the way but huzzah for modern narratives and exploring what that gossip and chit-chat would be at Mrs. Lynde’s sewing bees (in the book it’s her gatherings). And clearly what spurned this whole blog-novel is the suicidal elephant in the parlour...

Then the other side of my heart believes this is a good thing, this new Matthew who is depressed because he is getting older and can’t “spare himself a mite” and then his reluctance to listen to his sister leads to them losing all their money. He has the same symptoms of the men who jumped from the ledge of their workplace in the Great Depression. Guilt. Blame. Loss of hope. Burden. And being the sole provider, or being told that one is by culture and society, he is overwhelmed and not only that he is weak in body so he can’t fight as hard as he used to… is suicide so unheard of for our dear Matthew? Many a Christian soul has taken their own lives. Many a Victorian had too, so too our dear writer LM Montgomery is believed to have taken her own life just outside of Toronto proper at the house she nicknamed “Journey’s End.”

While I cannot deny my anger and resentment and frustration with this new rendition of Anne of Green Gables I am reminded that the original still lays intact on my bookshelf and I can re-read it anytime. That maybe this new Anne is taking characters we have invested our love and time with for over a century and that perhaps this unsettling feeling that Matthew would try to take his life is the exact hurt we need to feel to address the suicidal elephant in our own lives. 

When my brother died by suicide I was, am, beside myself with questions, guilt, blame, and looking for reasons. This scene made me react in a similar visceral way, to be sure because I am suicide bereaved, but also I had a pre-existing connection with Matthew since I was 5 years old! Matthew is a fictional character and I am not equating him with my real life brother, but I can’t deny that the way this rendition of the story being told rattled me to the core, and I don’t think it would have elicited the same response with a new tv show about a teenage girl with a distraught father figure who attempts suicide after a huge money loss. My love and time wouldn’t be as invested, and so using a beloved cultural phenomenon like Anne to share these themes, and with a main character no less, seems…. bold. And perfectly infuriating for the right reasons.

So while I digest all these feelings I am resolved to let them stay in this area of grey. The show isn’t wrong and the book isn’t right, or vice versa. What I can take away with certainty that I am glad LM Montgomery’s work is being appreciated all over again, along with her new Heritage Minute 

^which not only focuses on her talented writing, but that she wrote such an epic while struggling with depression. That message that you can still create and create great things while depressed is a message we need to hear and celebrate. We also need to own that some people are suicidal and we all need to step up our efforts to help our loved ones around us know that they can talk about it, seek help without judgement, and lean on us. There is no need to read between the lines like we are here with Anne, and we can ask our friends and family directly for help when we too have thoughts and feelings that make us want to end our lives.

“It was the last night before sorrow touched her life, and no life is ever quite the same again once that cold, sanctifying touch has been laid upon it.” -LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 36 “The Glory and the Dream”

Thank you Anne for once again growing up with me and helping me understand my thoughts and feelings a bit better.

[rqs902]

.

This is the strangest and most 隨便 and least emotional ranking reveal ever

What is xikan's weird pink streaked hair

You know it makes no sense for xzx to make it in when cxh is #23 and they're literally the same person except for his connection to gjm... CMON CXH TOTALLY KNOWS ITS RIGGED LOOK AT HIS FACE

so did akey only make it in bc 20boy or did youku add him into top 14 just so it wouldnt look weird for xzx to be the only unexpected one

Wait did we get to see them eat hotpot together or am I forgetting something

Aw all of zlj's group came together except zhan yu bc tyger lol

Ofcourse ycw could get emotional lol

That was a weird transition straight into a shot of douzi lol

Also can we talk about how awkward zry and xzx are on stage LOLLL actually when I think about it, in comparison, ycw being as comfortable as he is on stage is pretty impressive.

Also gz's voice sounds nice! But also theres some weird audio stuff going on with the live and recorded voices not lining up LOL awkward.

Im just watching this perf being like why this song.....

LOL SBR'S MILK TEA SHOP

wait so people who didnt make it in ep 1 just dont exist to this show LOL rip

LOL LI HAOS FACE when syh is talking hahahahhhahahahahha

Lol this second group just standing on stage all bored of waiting lol

Omg lin mos voice

Wat just happened to him lol

Ooof lin rans voice is so fitting ahhhh

So why are they still singing covers during the finale lol

Lol why am I so amused that lin mos interaction with the girl was basically no interaction LOL

Lol feels like they're not singing live

Lin mo has lost a lot of weight

PLEASE LET LIN RAN CENTER PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HE NEEEEEEDS THISSSSSS

Please please please please please omg this can be it, this can be a lyj moment!!!

LOL WHY DO THEY GET MULTIPLE VOTES lol wasting everyone's time making things over dramatic

I'm sorry I love ycw but lin ran neeeeeeeds this

OMGOMGOGMGOMGMGNGMG YESSSSSSSSSS LIN RAN CENTERRRRRR

Lol they look out of sync and they don't seem to be singing live either?

Man this isnt as satisfying as I thought itd be bc the center doesnt stand out very much?? He doesnt even get a particularly nice outfit.... the camera is also not particularly focusing on him....

This song is okay but why is xzx suddenly a vocal

看我的手段!!!!!!! Tyger!!!!!

Tbh this perf looks messy and the outfits and staging are so mediocre??? This is so far from what I imagined a finale stage to look like.

The top 14 is missing a strong vocal like ZHAN YU lol... even renyu when dancing doesnt sound particularly strong :/

Lol ylq and cyc sitting together lol

Ay Jin fan and zhan yu!!!!!

Gz and zlj are both really good dancers and maybe I'm just biased but I feel like the other group did better, just had more strength? Their friendship is cute tho hahaha

Omg hwx and lm imitating them IM DED

I'm not super perturbed who gets center bc I dont think itll really matter for these kids, they're ranked so safe. But hoping itll be xikan just bc I love xikan :')

Xikan and zuo ye repping IP ayyyy

AY XIKAN but c'mon if it wasnt, it wouldn't make much sense. plus youku owes him LOL

Xse rap a bit messy

But this song and stage is so much more high quality designed than lin ran's smh

Lol did zlj just say "booty" wat

Lol did lin mo mess up

Im just so happy they actually LOOK good, and even tho the prerecorded is so overbearing at least lin mos voice sounds nice on it LOL

When zlj is in a group of strong performers like this, you really notice how much he gets buried...

LUO ZHENGGGGGGG OMGGGG HE LOOKS SO MATURE WTFFFFF I'm so happy he came, what real friendship :')

Lol ycw's mom would be here lol

Awwww luo jie.....

Aww dxy and lxk first meeting and cyc and ycw wow such warm beginnings

Aw Jin fan and sbh friendshipp

LOL LI HAO RIPPING THE CAMERA OFF THE WALL

Ylq crying like a ycw lol

Ayy I hear lin mo cheers :')

Lol they added shoulder pads to their uniforms, is this ytzm style lol

I would not be surprised if star master paid for 2 tygers to make it into the top 14 lol

aw akey's crying.... I'm happy for him, doing so much better this time around. He deserves to have more recognition for all he does

Lol ycw isnt crying??? Loljk and even cyc aw

LIN RANNNNN aw hes crying too... and xue en

Aw gz reminding us that hes really just a smol child inside.

Lin mo's been through all of this before so hes trying really hard to be strong. Ofcourse youku is suppressing his votes to put him at the edge to add drama ugh this is the type of thing that would happen to lin mo.... literally he deserves to be so safe pls

Hwx also just a child inside aw

lol I'm sorry this is supposed to be so emotiona but hwx's foundation is such a weird shade lol actually zuo ye's is too LOL

I'm grateful for the extra xue en footage? Lol seems random but hes so handsome darn

Omg is xikan teaching a bunch of moms how to dance eiei

I love tygers

Omg LI HAO THIS VCR ENDING IS TOP QUALITY HAHAHHHAA

Singapore broooooos

Ofcourse li hao yet again delivering us the eng subs lol

Oh gosh seeing lin mo sing this type of song with this look of sadness reminds me too strongly of the qcyn finale. Oh gosh the hair, the gaze, it's such a punch to the gut

Wow these kids look so uninvested LOOOOLLL but also I'm surprised they let all them back on stage for this and not the theme song?

Oscar comforting a distraught lin ran omg can we pls talk about this

Hm how did they do this part distribution lol

Literally youku keeps using junrong for his voice but gives him no recognition ugh

The crowd cheering for xikan yus

Oh I notice enyu's hair is styled like a wave oo

Why is Jin Fan's hair such a strange color

Lol ycw would be completely ruined

Aw lin mo's little smile at the end of his words

Youku is really bent on making this the longest finale ever lol...... another song???? With everyone??? Uhhh and obviously some people's mics aren't on??? I'm so confused what is happening why cant I hear some of their voices lol

LOL LI HAO RUNNING INYO ENYU HAHAHA

This is really dragging things out lol I'm just doing work while watching bc no ones got time for this much unnecessary build up..... good thing all my meetings are in the afternoon today lol

At least they kinda highlighted xikan more in that last montage... finally

Ugh why did renyu get 6th. I think it means it's over for lin ran. You know I'm not surprised but also I still cant believe youku did this. What a disaster.... I knew I'd be disappointed by these results :( im literally shaking my head.

the rest is gonna be lxk zlj hwx zy lm gz in whatever order youku wants. Well it's over. Thanks for the quick ending to the suspense youku lol

They even had the audacity to put zry 6th.....not even 7th..... is this an insult? Theres no way. It's like they want to make it seem like he was safely at the top but theres no way.

Well I knew not to get my hopes up, gotta be ready for disappointment lol.... lm hasn't been announced yet at #3..... lol is this what star master had to pay to get akey in top 14? Pulling lin mo down. Well I feel like this is gonna be a damper on his career bc the media wont care how high you ranked before, but only where you rank at the end. And the ranking becomes how the media defines you.

How tf would lin mo go from 3rd to 7th wtf. Theres no way. He literally has one of the largest fan bases lol this makes zero sense. Way to play with someone's career for the sake of your dumb drama youku

Why is stanning lin mo always like this...... ugh he always gets stepped on and mistreated

I'm sure hes disappointed, hes supposed to be higher and everyone knows. Theres a reason the fans were demanding 高位, not just debut

Also rip lin ran sigh I'm so sad for lin ran too.... what will lin ran do now... he was so close this time :( is he gonna have to do this again?

and the kid has been so distraught for the better half of this 4 hour show.... you can tell how much this really means to him and how desperate he is and how empty and completely ruined he’ll feel when he realizes hes lost. tbh i dont think renyu would’ve felt that destroyed. but youku is here to destroy lin ran. 

I knew youku would disappoint me

THANK YOU AT LEAST XIKAN IS CENTER. If anything, he shouldn't be so emotional bc he shouldn't have needed to be so worried. He so safely has the largest fanbase, but youku just didnt make it easy for him. The main reason why he has doubt in himself is because of youku, and it's sad bc he deserve to feel safe, he shouldn't have to feel so insecure.

Me still smh to see renyu on the other side and lin ran stuck in the back.

Lol the right side of the debut group (the public's picks) vs the left side (youku's picks)....

Lol SKY could be worse

Lol feels like youku just being like let's pick a random english word

Okay but really, I just really want to know what lin ran will do next

I have zero hopes youku will actually manage this group well. Let's look at new storm or blackace lol

Like we all knew this lineup would happen but it doesnt make me any less sad or disappointed

Welp at least it's over now. Time to continue doing my work lol

renyu makes nice songs

but that doesnt mean he fits in a boy band better than lin ran 

i dont think ill ever get over this

[cecillewhite]

Is Open Source Ready for Extended Enterprise Learning?

You may know me as an independent learning systems consultant. But I’m also a recovering LMS sales guy.

Six years ago I pivoted after 14 years on the front lines with two major commercial LMS vendors. I learned a lot during those years. I also developed some strong opinions. And frankly, several of those biases deserve a second look in light of today’s market.

Open source software is a great example. 10 years ago we would occasionally cross paths with corporate LMS buyers who were evaluating commercial systems side-by-side with open source platforms. We’d snicker and say, “If you’re considering both types of systems, one of us is in the wrong place – and it’s probably us!”

Sounds smug. It was.

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But we were trained to believe that if any corporation expressed interest in an open source LMS, the buyer was probably uninformed, unserious, seeking a cheap fix or some combination of those.

Times have changed.

Early open source learning systems were viable for academic applications. But corporations found it difficult to shoehorn open source into their infrastructure – especially for extended enterprise learning.

Now, there are multiple reasons to seriously consider open source for corporate extended enterprise needs. To learn more, let’s dig deeper…

  What is Corporate Extended Enterprise Learning, Anyway?

“Corporate extended enterprise learning” is essentially any instructional program a business offers to non-employee audiences. That can include any combination of:

Customers and prospects

Sales channel partners, distributors and retailers

Franchisees

Suppliers and developers

Contractors

The general public

Sometimes corporations deploy a single extended enterprise LMS to serve external audiences and employees, alike. But more often, multiple learning systems are deployed over time, to support various audiences and business initiatives. This is particularly common when an organization’s structure and decision-making are decentralized.

5 Defining Extended Enterprise Attributes

Although extended enterprise learning initiatives are all different, they share important common ground, especially these characteristics:

1) Voluntary Learners – Because extended enterprise learners aren’t employees, you can’t force them to use your LMS. Instead, you need to invest extra effort to attract, engage and retain participants.

Companies often consider extended enterprise education an opportunity for brand differentiation, so they try to out-perform others by continuously improving the learning experience.

2) Audience Size – Only a few hundred corporations in the world have more than 100,000 employees to train. On the other hand, tens of thousands of organizations serve more than 100,000 external learners. (Vendors: Read that market size statistic again and let it sink in.)

Because extended enterprise audiences are potentially vast and variable, buyers need a scalable licensing structure.

3) Extensive Integrations – Employee-focused learning systems integrate with HRIS platforms and single sign-on software. But extended enterprise deployments typically integrate with numerous other systems and tools, including customer relationship management, marketing automation, ecommerce, content management, customer support and more.

4) Measurability – Because extended enterprise learning programs are driven by specific business objectives, metrics are integral to their success. To prove the impact of learning, organizations need to tie educational experiences to sales, revenue, customer satisfaction, time-to-value and countless other metrics.

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This means that robust analytics capabilities are vital. It also means that buyers often develop a business case to justify their LMS purchase.

5) Business-Specific Expertise – Extended enterprise LMS buyers want to buy from vendors who understand the domain and have a roster of successful clients with similar use cases. This assures them that the system is viable and the roadmap will remain focused on extended enterprise needs, going forward.

Using these requirements (and others) as a baseline, hundreds of vendors are now actively competing to claim a slice of this extended enterprise LMS market opportunity.

Historically, commercial software vendors dominated this segment. But increasingly, open source learning systems are making noteworthy inroads – and with good reason.

How Well Do Open Source Learning Systems Meet Extended Enterprise Needs?

Is open source right for every extended enterprise application? No. Do open platforms offer advantages over commercial systems? Certainly – sometimes.

Let’s look at how open source learning platforms stack up, based on the extended enterprise attributes we outlined above:

1) Voluntary Learners – Open source solutions are highly configurable at the user interface level, with thousands of community-built plugins. This gives organizations the flexibility to create “one-of-a-kind” applications that appeal to specific users in ways that many commercial providers can’t match.

2) Audience Size – Core open source LMS licensing costs are zero (or minimal). Because corporations invest much less in licensing, they can invest much more in educational content, learner experience optimization, systems integration and program marketing.

3) Extensive Integrations – Open source LMSs offer strong APIs and pre-built connectors to a diverse array of other applications. This is ideal for organizations that want to enhance and extend their LMS by easily snapping it into a broader, more complex business technology ecosystem.

4) Measurability – Open source solutions have robust reporting capabilities that support a variety of extended enterprise use cases. Third-party plug-ins add more extensive business-focused analytics for organizations with specialized measurement needs.

5) Business-Specific Expertise – Open source learning systems are configured, deployed and maintained by third-party service providers. Since there are no license revenues, these organizations compete by adding value through the quality of their services. Many are extended enterprise experts with a strong track record.

Open Source vs. Commercial Learning Systems: What’s the Difference?

Don’t commercial and open source LMSs solve the same challenges? Yes, they do – but differently.

In fact, for any given extended enterprise scenario, open source approaches can yield substantially more business value. That’s why open-source LMSs should be included in the evaluation process.

Here are some key differences that can swing buying decisions in one direction or another:

Cost At lower audience levels (for example, 1,000 or 10,000 learners per year), open source and commercial software costs are comparable. But as the number of learners increases (especially at 50,000-100,000 learners per year or more), the total cost of ownership for an open source LMS is always significantly lower than a commercial solution.

Custom Needs Generally, it’s wise to avoid customization unless you have no other choice.

Commercial solutions are configurable – meaning buyers can adjust LMS functionality only with predetermined settings provided by the vendor. (Think of checkboxes with multiple options.) Beyond that, modifications are available only as core product features in a future product release. In other words, one-off customer changes (customizations) aren’t part of the commercial software playbook.

In contrast, open source solutions are fully customizable, with all the related advantages and disadvantages (such as the burden of ongoing technical and maintenance costs). Although customization isn’t advisable for small-scale projects, it can be useful for large, strategically important deployments.

Service Requirements With commercial systems, buyers are generally responsible for configuration and deployment, with vendors providing only minor proactive or reactive help. Large employee-focused LMS vendors can provide more hands-on professional service, but this comes at a steep incremental cost beyond license fees.

In contrast, open source solutions are typically configured and deployed by providers that offer clients whatever level of attention they want and need. Because LMS licensing comes at no/low cost, nearly every budget can afford a service provider.

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Simple Core Requirements Many extended enterprise LMS clients are buying for the first or second time. Their needs aren’t complicated – yet.

These buyers are usually happy to structure their training business to conform to the capabilities of their chosen LMS. And they usually prefer commercial solutions.

My opinion? The more extensive and complex your LMS requirements are, the more attractive open source becomes.

Top Open Source LMS Platforms

Multiple open-source learning systems are available. These are the most notable choices for extended enterprise applications:

Moodle – The most popular LMS in the world, Moodle boasts over 175 million users across 100,000 deployments. Originally built with academic needs in mind, Moodle has been expanding into corporate and continuing education environments.

Totara – Built as an independent fork of the Moodle code base, Totara was originally designed specifically for workplace learning. In recent years, Totara has expanded rapidly into the extended enterprise space, with applications for associations, non-profit organizations, government entities as well as businesses.

Moodle Workplace – Introduced earlier in 2019, this platform is Moodle’s new answer to Totara’s success in the corporate learning market. Moodle Workplace looks promising, with multi-tenant support and other functionality that makes it a viable contender for corporate extended enterprise implementations.

Open edX – This massively scalable open authoring tool and LMS comes with its own large, supportive community. It is built on the same platform that powers edX.org‘s popular online courses. This system is used extensively in higher education and employee training, and is now making inroads in the extended enterprise space.

Open Source Service Providers

Independent professional services providers are critical to the success of open source LMS platforms. Hundreds and hundreds of open source development specialists operate today, representing every geographic location and extended enterprise use case you can imagine.

I’ve personally worked with a variety of these organizations, including eThink Education, Extension Engine, Kineo, MindQuest Learning, Raytheon Professional Services, Remote Learner and Synegen. Each brings unique strengths to the table.

Which Commercial LMS Platforms Compare?

On the commercial side of the corporate extended enterprise space, you’ll find no lack of options. The companies listed below are just a taste of the vendors worth considering:

Extended Enterprise Specialists These are pure extended enterprise solutions, designed exclusively to support external audiences. For example, BlueVolt, NetExam, Learndot, Skilljar and Thought Industries.

Cloud LMS Vendors Easy to procure, deploy and maintain, cloud LMSs are a good choice for serving extended enterprise audiences, employees or a combination of learner types. Popular examples include Absorb, Docebo and SAP Litmos.

Employee-Focused LMS Vendors These are big, well-known platforms that focus primarily on employee onboarding and compliance training. But these systems are also able to support large-scale, global extended enterprise initiatives. Recognized names in this group include Cornerstone, Saba and SumTotal.

Conclusion

As a new decade begins in 2020, some representatives from commercial LMS providers may still be holding their noses when they talk about open source.

But those vendors aren’t blind. They see how the market is shifting and they know just how powerful open source competitors can be in the right situation.

Large-scale, high-stakes extended enterprise education is certainly one of those scenarios. And as more organizations find success with open source learning solutions, the extended enterprise door is ready to swing open, even wider.

Thanks for reading!

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The Hidden Value of Open Source

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Until recently, most open-source learning solutions served the academic market. Not anymore. Now, corporations big and small are leveraging the unique strengths of open source to deliver world-class learning solutions at an affordable price.

Do the advantages of open source make sense for your organization?

Join John Leh, Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, as he hosts a roundtable discussion with Randy Jones, VP of Business Development at eThink Education and Laura Kiley, Channel Partner Manager at GO1.

You’ll get practical advice and insights, including:

Business and educational benefits of open source

Anatomy of an open source learning system

Examples of successful solutions

Differences between open source and a commercial LMS

Role of content in employee and extended enterprise solutions

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[ogiga99]

Guess who’s back in the world of BlazBlue!!!

So I just finished playing Central Fiction’s story mode and HOOOOOOOOOOOLY CRAP was that a ride. It was so good I was in tears at certain points. However it was not perfect. After playing it I just have to get out my thoughts about the game out. So here are my ramblings about everything in no particular order.

1. Obviously I miss the dub. While I did get used to the Japanese voices and they were certainly capable of handling all the drama well, the story will forever feel weaker than it could have been in dubbed form. I think the comedy suffered the most because unlike the previous games I never broke out into a full blown laughing fit, even for the Gag Reels.

2. I loved the sub-scenario system. BlazBlue has always struggled with how to present its story in a complete package. CT and CS had individual character stories followed by a True Ending which did give every character a lot of focus but at the cost of us having no single timeline of events, forcing us to try and piece together what is ultimately canon. CP ditched individual scenarios and instead had three routes to spread the focus around but this led to a lot of conflicting or repeated events that had the same problem as the previous games. CF’s system is the ultimate compromise. It has one single path that leaves no room for conflicting material but with diverging points that focus on the various subplots mostly separate from Ragna. If they ever make a new BlazBlue game I hope they keep this system.

3. The events equivalent to Act I of arcade mode went on a bit too long. Ultimately we don’t learn that much from it and all the characters have regressed in their development so we don’t gain anything from them. It was an interesting plot point but it wasn’t necessary.

4. Conversely, Acts II and III went by way too quickly, being pretty much just Ragna’s arcade runs. While later events do treat things as if all the arcade events of other characters happened offscreen (several characters mention meeting Izanami and know to search for Noel) it seems strange to have them all glossed over. Act III in particular suffers because the “Noel witch hunt” that drives it was basically a non-issue. Kagura and Kokonoe find and hide her immediately and she never has a breakdown from everyone trying to kill her. Seemingly important events like Amane reviving Takamagahara (which just gets a token mention during his final conversation with Ragna), Hibiki being willing to turn against Kagura for his desire and Tsubaki learning Hakumen is Jin are ignored. What we got after that was great but I don’t see why we couldn’t have had a few more sub-scenarios about that stuff.

5. I’m impressed with how well they managed to handle the defeats of so many villains (with the exception of Relius who just leaves without consequence and Nu who gets easily memory wiped). Nine, Arakune, Azrael, Izanami, Hazama and finally Terumi all have dramatic and satisfying defeats that don’t feel forced. Before release I was expecting Hazama to simply end up in the background and be held as reserve for a sequel villain once he separated from Terumi but what we got was so much better (granted he’s not dead since he’s almost certainly going to be in Bloodedge Experience sequels). In particular Terumi’s was really satisfying after everything that he’s done.

6. I’m really glad with how the Litchi/Arakune and Bullet/Tager subplots turned out. Despite the game’s focus on Ragna they were both given ample time to play out to their fullest. Litchi finally can move on from her self-destructive mission and Bang was the one to defeat Arakune (like I always envisioned it) to spare Litchi from such hardship (further proof why he is the best character). While Tager doesn’t regain his memories, Bullet can find closure and move on, proving she’s truly grown since she was a rookie. Both endings are bittersweet but they are done really well.

7. I’m not sure how to feel about how well Naoto’s inclusion was handled. On the one hand his role in the climax was perfect, having just one job that doesn’t overstep his importance. On the other hand, I’m disappointed with how little we actually learn about him. Apparently he has been hopping between parallel worlds multiple times to find Raquel but we don’t know how he ended up doing that. We also don’t get any answers to the major questions about him (why is he so similar to Ragna and why does he overwrite Ragna’s existence, what is the relationship between Rachel and Raquel, why does Naoto have that symbol on his chest etc.). I can only hope BE gets some kind of sequel because as is I am unsatisfied.

8. Es was utterly wasted in this game. She probably has less than 30 minutes of screen time in total and doesn’t actually accomplish anything with it. Before release I went on and on about how there are so many questions regarding how she can be here (namely she couldn’t have the Murakumo and the Azure Eyes at the same time and she can’t be outside the Phantom Field while she is the Embryo Storage) and the game answers none of them. Apparently this Es was “created by the Azure” but what does that mean? Is this a different Es that was made with the XBlaze one as a template and if so why was Es specifically chosen? Es mentions her loved ones several times (although she never specifies names outside of victory quotes) so clearly she has the XBlaze memories in some way but how does that work with her very different origin? Why does she perfectly remember her past in story mode but seems unaware of it in her victory quotes with her being confused about search terms in her memories? If it is an Es from post-XBlaze then what happened to the XBlaze world? Was it a “possibility” like the Bloodedge Experience world that disappeared? Was it from the same timeline as the Prime Field War? Should the fact that Es remains the Guardian of the Azure at the end be a good thing or is she being separated from Touya and the others for the sake of her duty. But the worst part of all is that not once in story or her arcade mode does she meet Nine and Celica. The majority of XBlaze: Lost Memories is about Watashi (Nine) and Imouto (Celica) become friends with Nobody (Es) and the ending clearly hints that they will meet again. At the very least there should have been a sub-scenario where Nine ends up in front of the Azure Gate for some reason (like Mu and Naoto did early on) and the two meet again but as enemies. It wouldn’t need to go anywhere, just have Nine doubt herself a little because she would have to fight against another one of her loved ones (which was the focus of her fight with Ragna and her death) or something like that. Heck even seeing Es’s silhouette when Nine mentions her loved ones would be something. It honestly seems like Mori had no idea what to do with Es so he just threw her in with no regard for continuity and it is easily the weakest part of the story.

9. Aside from the Es stuff I did enjoy that there were a lot of references to the side materials since I’m a lore nut. I love how Makoto reminds Es and Naoto of their respective Yuki’s. Hearing more details about Tomonori and seeing Kajun in the ending were great. I was absolutely ecstatic when Nine sees Celica as Imouto during her fight with Ragna, FINALLY being the 100% undeniable truth that the Mercury sisters are the characters in LM. That said, I could have done with just a few more, particularly on the XBlaze side. We should have gotten some reference to Nine using the Phantom Field or had her use the XBlaze in her left eye. Nine’s Overdrive being Burning Red highly suggested that we would see her using the Crimson Grimoire from Remix Heart, which last we saw was with Hazama. Ragna or Naoto should have triggered some memories of Touya in Es (at the very least he needed one namedrop) but most of this is just nitpicking.

10. ALL THE RAGNAXRACHEL SHIPPING!!! After CP had almost no new support since it focused so much on Ragna’s relationship with Celica, this game was the jackpot for the best ship in the series. With the disappearance of Celica and Noel fully accepting her position as Ragna’s sister, the path was clear for Rachel alone. We got great things like Rachel pushing herself to the point where she is close to disappearing just to help Ragna, Ragna being the maddest he has ever been after seeing Hazama torturing Rachel (as in so made he nearly became the Black Beast) and that FREAKING ANIMATED HUG, which was one of the most heart wrenching moments in the game. And of course there is the ending, with Rachel going off to find Ragna again no matter what hell she has to go through despite not even remembering who he is and even leaving her hair ribbons tied around his sword. Just DDDDAAAAWWWW!!!!

11. Speaking of the ending, even aside from the Rachel stuff it was pretty much perfect. It completed Ragna, Noel and especially Jin’s development masterfully and was just the right amount of bittersweet. Every characters epilogue was so fitting. Lambda living as a Sister with Noel is just too cute and I’m glad Naoto got the closure of finding Raquel. Pretty much everything that needed to be resolved was resolved.

12. The ending also had great cliffhangers that felt natural. Relius is still out there trying to complete Ignis, Hazama is unaccounted for (again probably will be the one we saw in the end of BE2), Carl hasn’t saved Ada yet but has taken a major step towards being a new villain as Relius Jr,, Azrael is still alive, merely sealed, Tsubaki has apparently become some kind of new Hakumen (although I doubt she has the Susano’o Unit since Hakumen and Trinity sealed it in the depths of the Boundary), the aforementioned Rachel journey and of course the post-credits scene with Ragna’s sword missing from the grave (implying he might still be alive) and the text hinting at Alpha-1.

And that’s pretty much it for my thoughts at the moment. Despite some complaints I am overall really happy with this game and glad I can finally get back into the discussion.

[gethealthy18-blog]

Do Homeopathic Remedies Work? What the Science Says (+ My Take)

New Post has been published on https://healingawerness.com/news/do-homeopathic-remedies-work-what-the-science-says-my-take/

Do Homeopathic Remedies Work? What the Science Says (+ My Take)

We always used homeopathic teething remedies for our kids, and they certainly seemed to help. But outside of teething, many people don’t understand the wider range of homeopathic remedies and wonder if they really work. And I can’t blame them… the truth is, homeopathic medicine is a little confusing! I did some research to get more clear on homeopathic remedies, what they are, and how they work.

I may not have 100% of the picture (because researchers don’t yet, either!) but combined with my own personal experience, I’m ready to weigh in.

What Is Homeopathy?

Many people think of homeopathy as an umbrella term for natural medicine. But homeopathy is its own unique therapeutic system.

Homeopathic remedies are made from natural substances such as plants and minerals. Some are made from animal products (like snake venom!). These remedies are diluted until there’s hardly any of the original material left. The more diluted the remedy is, the more potent it is thought to be.

Confused yet? I was! Read on…

History of Homeopathy

Homeopathy was created in 1796 by German physician Samuel Hahnemann. The system is based on his doctrine that like cures like.

While translating medical texts, one passage piqued Hahnemann’s interest. It read that Peruvian bark was a remedy for malaria because of its bitter quality.

Hahnemann didn’t believe bitterness was why it worked, since other substances are also bitter. To understand Peruvian bark better Hahnemann took a dose of it. He then had symptoms similar to those of malaria. He reasoned that a substance that causes a certain symptom in a healthy person would also cure that symptom in an ill person.

He then spent his career doing “provings.” These are primitive studies where he and his colleagues gave various substances to healthy people and recorded the symptoms they caused. These recordings became the basis for what each substance could be used to cure.

Why Homeopathic Medicine Is So Popular

At the time Hahnemann was studying homeopathy, allopathic medicine was crude and ineffective. Bloodletting, purging, and using multiple drugs without knowing how they might interact was standard.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, was safe (due to the low dose) and focused on the patient as a whole instead of just pathology. This made it popular with many people.

And it continues to be popular, actually rising in popularity among educated middle-class people, for some of the same reasons. While anecdotal evidence is not as scientifically valuable as clinical studies, it’s still worth something. Many people swear by homeopathic medicine.

How Does Homeopathy Work?

Homeopathic remedies are labeled with their dilution potency. You may have seen homeopathic products with these labels:

X (1:10 ratio)

C (1:100 ratio)

LM (1:50,000 ratio).

These potencies can be further altered by adding a number to represent how many times the remedy was diluted and succussed (shaken). For example, 6C means a remedy was diluted to 1:100 and then shaken and diluted to 1:100 six times.

As you can see, the remedies end up very diluted which homeopaths say makes them more potent. They are so diluted that they no longer contain the original substance.

It’s unclear exactly how homeopathic remedies work in the body. But there are some theories as to how homeopathy works. Here are two main theories:

Water memory – The water that dilutes the remedy “remembers” the information from the original substance. This is supported by some research which found that a Raman and Ultra-Violet-Visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy could distinguish between homeopathic remedies and even different dilutions

Water structure – The structure of water changes when it’s diluted. Some research from South Korea found that there are larger clusters of molecules in diluted solution than in concentrated ones. This was an unexpected finding and may explain why homeopathic solutions that are heavily diluted are still potent (or more so).

Because we aren’t sure exactly how homeopathy works, it’s difficult for many people to believe it does.

Homeopathic Safety Guidelines

Homeopathic remedies are considered safe by much of the general population, but are they really? To monitor the growing number of homeopathic products on the market for everything from a cough to chronic illness, the FDA began a “Risk-Based Enforcement Approach” in 2016. This means some aspects of homeopathic remedies (but not all) are overseen by the FDA.

It is important to note that (according to FDA.gov):

There are no homeopathic drug products marketed in the United States that are FDA-approved. This means that FDA has not evaluated them for safety or effectiveness. Thus, such products may not meet modern standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality.

This puts the burden on the consumer to research the brand and their reputation carefully (always a good idea and the reason I have a day job!).

What Conventional Medicine Says About Homeopathy

Critics of homeopathy argue that it just doesn’t make sense, so it can’t be real. And it’s understandable. There is no clear mechanism of action that is commonly agreed upon and supported by science.

Homeopathy defies the basic laws of physics and chemistry. For example, the amount of dilution. At some point, a solution will be diluted enough so that none of the original substance remains. Many homeopathic remedies go beyond this point. They are essentially just water or alcohol.

Additionally, it’s commonly understood that more of a substance (not less) will create more of a reaction. Homeopathy says the opposite, that less is more.

The provings that Hahnemann performed as much as 200 years ago are also hard to take seriously. These studies were not controlled like quality studies today are.

Critics also say that homeopathy simply doesn’t work. There aren’t any significant medical studies that support homeopathic remedies. In fact, a systematic review of the systematic reviews conducted (yes, you read that correctly) found that homeopathy is not better than placebo.

It’s not hard to see why critics of homeopathy have strong feelings that it is nothing but quackery.

Why Homeopaths Disagree

Proponents of homeopathy disagree despite the damning evidence above. And they have a pretty good argument too.

Clinical Studies Not Reliable

According to an article from the University of Minnesota, clinical studies are not as valuable when studying homeopathy. Lab research looks at one ailment and one medication. Homeopathy never does a one-size-fits-all treatment. For example, people who suffer from joint pain would be lumped into a clinical study. But homeopathy sees each of these people (with the same symptom) individually. They all have different overall presentations, constitutions, levels of vital force, etc. They would then be treated with different homeopathic remedies.

Research that looks at this individualized “prescription” finds benefits in homeopathy. One 1989 study included only those patients whose homeopathic evaluation indicated the remedy Rhus Tox. It concluded that there was a significant improvement over placebo under those conditions.

Mechanism of Action

Critics say homeopathy is impossible. But proponents say that the mechanism of action is not impossible because the explanation for how homeopathy works is reliant on quantum physics, not basic (classical) physics.

If you know anything about quantum physics, you’ll know it’s bizarre (and fascinating). One of its cornerstone ideas is that one particle can be in two places at once. Quantum physics, in many ways, is impossible according to classical physics. Therefore, proponents of homeopathy believe that the mechanism of action is just not fully understood yet.

Additionally, they argue that the mechanism of action for some pharmaceuticals are also unknown, yet are prescribed anyway. According to Wikipedia, there are 67 medications with an unknown mechanism of action.

Dilution Does Not Make a Substance Less Beneficial

Homeopaths argue that there are many pharmaceuticals that work in a similar way to homeopathy, but no one says that those are quackery. Some pharmaceuticals have one effect at a small dose and the opposite effect at a large does as some research published in 2009 suggests.

Homeopathy Despite the Lack of Research

More tailored research is needed to know for sure if homeopathy really works, but that doesn’t stop people from using it anyway.

A Harvard study in 2016 (explained in this article) found that Americans who use homeopathic remedies see a benefit from homeopathic remedies. This is especially true if they see a homeopath for their remedies. But critics might argue that it’s a placebo effect.

Another point to weigh: according to this NBC article, 13 percent of doctors use antibiotics as placebos. Homeopathic remedies, even if they don’t work at all, are a placebo choice that at least won’t wreak havoc on the all-important gut microbiome.

Additionally, many people use homeopathic remedies as a last resort when other things aren’t working. Other times people use homeopathic remedies as part of a holistic natural health regime they come up with after deciding to avoid conventional treatments (like vaccines or chemotherapy). They have already made the choice to avoid those treatments (whether or not homeopathic remedies exist or work). Choosing to use homeopathic remedies is usually only one part of a holistic health regime.

Some critics think homeopathy is risky because it keeps people from using conventional treatments. But in this case, we should consider whether those people weren’t going to use conventional treatment anyway.

My Take on Homeopathic Remedies

We may not know for sure if homeopathy works until there is more research that looks at homeopathy as a system of medicine that can’t be measured the way conventional medicine can. In the meantime, there are a lot of strong opinions on both sides.

For minor ailments or where other treatments have failed, some people would say there’s nothing to lose in trying it.

As a mom of 6 children, I’m confronted daily with toothaches, growing pains, rashes, scrapes, stomachaches, and otherwise mysterious ailments. If I can give them something with a long established record of general safety to help them calm down, go to sleep, or feel better, I’m more than willing to do that!

My take on this topic as it currently stands is this: Even if we don’t understand everything about how homeopathics work, in my experience they seem to help. And science does show that placebos can have real physical effects if we believe they will. That being said, I did my research (and always recommend everyone does their own as well) and make sure to buy a quality brand.

At our house, we use Genexa’s Sleepology, Arnica (for pain/scrapes), and Cold Crush when needed. They’re chewable, safe for kids over 3, certified organic, and definitely make a difference for us.

What do you think? Does homeopathy work? What is your experience?

Sources:

Rao, M. L., Roy, R., Bell, I. R., & Hoover, R. (2007, July). The defining role of structure (including epitaxy) in the plausibility of homeopathy. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17678814

Samal, S., & Geckeler, K. E. (2001, November 07). Unexpected solute aggregation in water on dilution. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12240122

A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/

Is There Good Scientific Evidence for Homeopathy? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/homeopathy/-there-good-scientific-evidence-homeopathy

Effect of homeopathic treatment on fibrositis (primary fibromyalgia). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1837216/

Category:Drugs with unknown mechanisms of action. (2014, November 21). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Drugs_with_unknown_mechanisms_of_action

Aspects of the Relationship Between Drug Dose and Drug Effect. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695574/

Harvard Study Has Good News for Homeopathic Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/topics/news/harvard-study-has-good-news-for-homeopathic-medicine

Half of U.S. doctors often prescribe placebos. (2008, October 23). Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27342269/ns/health-health_care/t/half-us-doctors-often-prescribe-placebos/

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/403599/homeopathic-remedies/

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Podcast 27: What Makes Microlearning Work? – With Karl Kapp

WELCOME TO EPISODE 27 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW

To learn more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

  EPISODE 27 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

Microlearning. I hear about it on a daily basis. But when I ask clients to define it their own words, the answers are all over the board.

It’s time for clarity and consensus. That’s why I’m glad that Dr. Karl Kapp and Dr. Robyn Defelice are tackling this topic in their new book, “Microlearning: Short and Sweet.”

Today, I’m fortunate to talk with Karl as part of a virtual book tour that he and Robyn are conducting. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll recall that Karl joined us nearly two years ago to discuss gamification in business applications. That episode is now the most popular interview in our show’s history. And I bet this one will be just as well-received.

  KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Microlearning is a deceptively simple concept. Perhaps that’s why it inspires so many myths and misconceptions.

Effective microlearning is not just bite-sized content. Successful applications approach microlearning as a process.

Microlearning and gamification are related in several ways. It’s useful to consider how they can work together to improve learning outcomes.

  Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

Welcome back, Karl! It’s hard to believe that nearly 2 years have gone by since you were on our show for the first time.

Thanks, John. It’s good to be back.

Why did you decide to write this new book about microlearning?

Well, it’s important to recognize that people have less time available for learning. So there’s more interest in learning based on short pieces of information.

Many learning management systems are now mobile-enabled, so we can receive these pieces of information on our phones. But that raises some questions:

Exactly what kind of information should we send to a phone?

How often should we send it?

What’s useful?

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Right.

So microlearning is this concept of providing highly targeted information that covers one or two topics in a very short amount of time.

How do you define short?

There’s all kinds of talk about whether it’s 5 minutes or 15 minutes or whatever. We don’t define it by time. We just say short, targeted information that is delivered through your phone or desktop – whatever you prefer.

So if you’re a financial professional, maybe it’s a brief update about three of the latest accounting rule changes. Or if you’re an HR manager, maybe it’s a list of three ways you can be sure your organization is in compliance with overtime guidelines.

Makes sense…

This could be standalone information or how-to content. But “one-and-done” training doesn’t always work, so microlearning may also be integrated into a larger curriculum, where continual reinforcement is very effective.

For example, say you’re a subject matter expert who delivers free webinars. As a follow-up, you can offer monthly updates about each topic to webinar attendees who pay for an annual subscription.

This kind of reinforcement helps people focus and remember information. It also helps change their attitudes or behaviors related to that information.

So microlearning is less about making the content short and sweet – and more about proactively pushing it out and extending it over time?

It’s a little bit of both. There are many ways to classify microlearning, but we define six types. One is to push out content over time. Another is to refresh content over time.

You could also use one of many apps that support microlearning experiences. For example, we talk about a really cool app called Presentr. It’s designed to teach individuals how to give effective presentations.

You download the app and practice speaking. It tracks your pace, volume and other key factors, and recommends ways to improve. We classify this as a “coaching” type of microlearning.

Great idea!

Although there are many types of microlearning, here’s the common ground:  It’s an instructional unit that supports brief engagement in an activity that’s intentionally designed to elicit a specific outcome from participants. And we intentionally use the term “participant” rather than “learner.”

Why?

Well, the other day I had to change my bathroom shower head. So I pulled up a 5-minute how-to video on YouTube and followed step-by-step instructions.

Could I tell you those steps if you quizzed me today? Probably not. That video wasn’t designed for me to remember how to change a shower head forever.

But it helped me perform in the moment. And that fits into the microlearning realm.

You’re known as a gamification expert. Do you see overlap between gamification and microlearning?

First, while I’m known for games and gamification for learning, I’ve always been interested in learning in general – which is what got me into games and gamification. I’m deeply interested in the underlying mechanisms of how people gain new information and learn. That was one driver.

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Also, I’ve found that most gamification platforms use microlearning to deliver gamified content.

Let’s say you want to level-up to the top level in a gamified learning environment. To accomplish that, you need some kind of learning, training and behavioral change. And that happens through microlearning.

Got it…

But the content isn’t always effective. One vendor told me that their platform works well and everybody likes the gamification experience, but the content that clients create is sometimes off-base, so the learning experience doesn’t jell.

For example clients sometimes:

Cut a large course into smaller segments without making other adjustments

Focus on more than one objective

Create vague content

Mix multiple learning domains.

So platform providers are frustrated because they may have a great package, but they don’t have great content – and they’re not in control of that content.

Sounds frustrating.

Yes. And it makes a lot of sense. There are so many microlearning vendors that obviously have great technology. But I wonder about the design of a microlearning intervention. Because the rest doesn’t matter if the content isn’t designed effectively.

You can’t just copy and paste from a policies and procedures manual written in Microsoft Word and call that microlearning, right? You need some kind of design behind it.

Yep.

So that got me interested in how to help people design better instruction. How can we help them develop content that’s more meaningful, effective and comfortable for people who use it?

That’s how I got involved in microlearning. There was a big need and people were asking me how to do it.

For better results, should we tie microlearning to a skill and competency model?

It can be independent. But it’s usually most effective when you’re improving skills and competencies. Think of technology sales reps who need to remember product features or key elements of the sales model, itself.

They can listen to a brief audio clip that refreshes their memory when traveling to a sales call or waiting in the lobby. This quick bit of reinforcement helps them practice so they can bring this information to the sales conversation.

Is there a preferred medium for microlearning?

Video is definitely the hottest choice right now, for a variety of reasons. It’s great for conveying emotions. It’s also ideal for showing procedures step-by-step or transporting somebody to a specific location, like a technical environment.

Good point.

Animated explainer videos are also popular because you can share a lot of information in a short timeframe. In addition, podcasts are attractive because they’re relatively inexpensive to produce and they’re easy to edit into a short, focused package.

Text messages are another viable option. For example, an interesting study from India involves men whose glucose intolerance predisposed them to Type 2 diabetes. They participated in a microlearning intervention where they received text messages twice a day. This actually changed their behavior and helped a large proportion of them avoid Type 2 diabetes.

We also talk about infographics and flashcards as methodologies. There are digital flashcards as well as physical flashcards. You could even use a laminated job aid posted in a work cell.

So it doesn’t need to be digital?

Right. Microlearning doesn’t need to be driven by technology to make a difference.

People may think analog content isn’t cool, or you won’t get funding or participants won’t pay attention. But there’s actually a lot of value in analog instructions, job aids and performance assistance. All of these are forms of microlearning.

But video is getting most of the glory these days?

Yes. In part, video may be so attractive because people assume it’s easy. They may think they can simply set-up a camera and record someone talking. But that’s not necessarily effective.

You need to plan what you’ll say. You need to set it up. You need to reinforce it. You need to include on-screen interaction to illustrate what you’re talking about, so people get it. Many elements are involved.

The platform guy in me is wondering – is an LMS the best way to support microlearning?

Good question. With some older learning management systems, delivering small bits of content can be challenging.

It takes more time for people to get into an LMS and find what they need, so content isn’t available. Plus, a lot of content in legacy learning systems is too large or isn’t designed for microlearning consumption.

Of course as you know, there are many different LMS platforms. Some seamlessly support microlearning with no problem. But that’s not the only choice.

Now there are also gamification/microlearning platforms. These solutions have been developed specifically to provide frictionless content access in only one or two clicks.

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So, would you recommend a specialized microlearning platform? Is that incremental to an LMS?

Often, gamification/microlearning platforms are separate. Some integrate with the LMS through deep linking or other methodologies. Some can sit right on top of the LMS. So there’s some integration with existing systems.

Okay…

But microlearning platforms often compete directly with the LMS. They usually include many LMS elements and they can be integrated right into your everyday workflow.

For example, imagine you’re a big-ticket retail sales rep. Recently, when completing several financing applications, you forgot to ask customers for their credit history.

Many microlearning platforms will notice that oversight. They’ll send you a message that points to a brief refresher video about when and how to request credit history. Or they’ll reach out with another quick intervention.

Interesting. So is the cost of developing microlearning less than other types of content?

Many people assume the word “micro” means lower cost. And that would be true if you could replace all the instruction in your company with just one piece of microlearning. But it doesn’t work that way.

Sometimes it can even cost a bit more. For instance, say you want to convert a one-hour compliance course to microlearning. You’ll probably need to think carefully about how to reshape each of those 60 minutes of instructional content to work more effectively in a microlearning context.

In other words, you can ramble on in a class or in an elearning module. But if you want to develop concise, high-impact content that changes behavior, you’ll need to give it a lot of thought and effort.

Sure…

However, once you get used to creating microlearning, you become more efficient. You start understanding almost intuitively what needs to be done. So over the long-haul, microlearning development costs may decrease.

That makes sense. So of course, in the extended enterprise world, we love measuring everything. How should we measure microlearning outcomes?…

  …FOR COMPLETE ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION AND MORE, LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST NOW!

  BUY THE BOOK Microlearning: Short and Sweet is available now! You can find it at Amazon.com or the ATD bookstore.

  WANT TO LEARN MORE? JOIN OUR OCTOBER WEBINAR

Inside the Customer Learning Lifecycle

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How can you drive lasting business value through continuous customer education? 

Find out on October 24th from 1-2pm ET as John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Mike Martin, CLO at SAP Litmos examine what works – and why. You’ll learn:

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How to build a convincing business case

Guidelines for choosing effective tools and technologies

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Metrics to evaluate program impact over time

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Podcast 24: DNA of High-Impact Learning – With Paul Morton of CrossKnowledge

WELCOME TO EPISODE 24 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW!

To learn more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

  EPISODE 24 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

Have you given up on finding a formula for adult learning success? It wouldn’t surprise me. For years, learning strategists and software innovators have been chasing this holy grail.

But recently, Paul Morton of CrossKnowledge piqued my curiosity when he told me about promising new insights.   Our conversation left me wondering how these new findings are actually shaping workforce skills development. I bet you’ll be interested, too.

  KEY TAKEAWAYS:

In today’s business world, measurable results matter. Increasingly, that includes skills development – yet many organizations still struggle to deliver high-impact learning.

Rigorous new adult learning research offers a fresh perspective on what works, what doesn’t and why.  

These recommended practices may not be easy to implement, but they are leading to successful outcomes.

  Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

“High-impact learning” is a popular term in our profession, but I’m not sure people know it until they see it. Your organization has a very specific definition. What is that?

Well, most of the learning-related stuff people do in organizations is not high-impact learning. Right?

You get an email message that says, “Thou shalt perform this compliance training immediately or be punished.” So you’ve got to do it.

Very motivating…

Right. If you don’t do it, you get in trouble. “Do this, or you lose your employment.” As extrinsic motivation goes, that’s fairly high.

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Yep!

But adults are actually motivated by intrinsic motivation. We want to drive our own development.

So I think we find high-impact learning in the difference between two wonderful terms:  pedagogy and andragogy. (Or literally, “guiding children” versus “guiding men.”)

Children need teachers to guide or lead them because they have no intrinsic experience. They are subject-oriented. They think, “Today we’re going to learn reading or science…”

Right.

But adults are oriented by the need to solve a problem. They think, “I need to know how or why this works.”

That means, if you design adult learning the same way you teach children, it’s not high-impact learning. You won’t get meaningful, lasting skills improvement or effective business results.

Agreed.

We’ve analyzed about 20 years of research and found that organizations haven’t been doing this right. Instead, this research is pointing us in a better direction.

So we have an opportunity to help the next generation of adults learn much more effectively. We have isolated the building blocks needed to build learning programs in a way that actually sticks.

We call this the HILL Model (short for High-Impact Learning that Lasts). The model, itself, is brand new. But the component parts are a lot older.

What are the core building blocks of this high-impact learning model?

To create effective adult learning experiences, you want to apply seven principles. Specifically:

Create a sense of urgency

Provide opportunities to share and collaborate

Balance the mix of online and offline activities

Give learners more choice and control over their activities

Encourage coaching and mentoring for deeper engagement

Add flexibility and casual interactivity throughout the process

Makes sense…

Assessment is also critical. But we’re not talking about a test you take at the end of an online course. Effective assessment offers frequent feedback throughout the learning process. It helps you monitor what you’re doing. It drives you to learn more. And it avoids the need for a test at the end.

Does this model emphasize methodology over technology?

Technology helps leverage all the aspects of this model. That’s why we’ve built a platform (called BlendedX) that integrates online and offline learning activities.

But the HILL model stands alone as a proven adult learning methodology. When you combine these elements – including ongoing assessment – it really hits the impact levers.

Exactly what does a high-impact learning scenario look like?

Well, it should be more like a learning experience than a course. It integrates multiple components. And it’s relatively straightforward to build.

Mind you, it’s not necessarily easy to build, because nothing good is easy. But it is relatively straightforward to build.

What led CrossKnowledge in this direction?

Remember 20-odd years ago, when people went crazy for distance learning? It was a magic wand that promised to reach everybody at a ridiculously low cost, with wonderfully high impact.

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Well, 20 years later we’re still saying the same thing. We continue to think, “If we give people access to more and more learning stuff, things will change.”

Well, I don’t know what your garage looks like, John, but I’ve reached “peak” stuff!

No doubt.

We don’t need more “stuff.” If I need the answer to a question, I’ll Google it.

So access to content isn’t the problem. It’s disengagement. It’s relevance. These are the challenges that people have with learning. People need a meaningful reason to learn. Connect with that and you’ll find high-impact learning.

How are successful organizations engaging learners?

We don’t work in organizations. We work in companies. We literally work in the company of other people. That’s where the word “company” comes from.

You cannot shape, change and redirect a company without shaping and changing and redirecting the individuals within it. And when individuals are constantly improving themselves, they will, in turn, improve their company and its impact on the world.

I understand that you’re developing a universal skills framework. How does that map to the high-impact learning model?

According to a CEO survey by Gartner, 80% of employees don’t have the right skills to perform today’s jobs, much less the jobs of tomorrow. We want to help individuals and their employers address that genuine need.

People want to know how to do their job better. It’s as simple as that. They want to acquire skills, not have access to “stuff.”

So you’re developing high-impact learning experiences focused on critical work skills?

Yes, we’re building-out a universal skills framework using the HILL methodology, so organizations can help their people acquire essential business skills that are important today and will remain important in the future.

It’s leadership and mentoring. It’s communication and interpersonal skills. It’s adaptability and flexibility. It’s empathy. It’s ethics. It’s critical thinking.

These are the core human skills that can make a real difference, every day.

Tell me more about the underlying research behind the high-impact learning model…

Two brilliant researchers, Filip Dochy and Mien Segers, conducted a thorough, pragmatic meta-analysis of adult learning theory. The scope was massive, spanning scientific research from the last 20-some years.

They concluded that many accepted adult learning practices actually don’t work very well. And they developed strong arguments for moving away from lecture-based learning methodology to something that’s more active, more hybrid and more deeply based on learning science…

…FOR MORE QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE ANSWERS, LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST NOW!

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How to Spark High-Impact Learning

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What kind of learning experiences actually drive employee loyalty and business performance?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Paul Morton, Regional Director at CrossKnowledge, for practical advice and proven examples.

You’ll discover what works – and why. Including:

The 7 building blocks for high-impact learning

How to create compelling learning experiences

Ideas to enhance and repurpose existing content

How technology can support your goals

Guidelines for measuring and interpreting results

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Company

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Podcast: Selecting Association Software – With Chad Stewart of SmartThoughts

WELCOME TO EPISODE 21 OF THE TALENTED LEARNING SHOW!

To learn more about this podcast series or to see the full collection of episodes visit The Talented Learning Show main page.

  EPISODE 21 – TOPIC SUMMARY AND GUEST:

As an independent learning systems consultant, I’m obsessed with finding the ideal solution for each client’s unique needs. Fortunately, I’m not alone in that quest.

For example, today’s guest, Chad Stewart of SmartThoughts LLC, specializes in helping non-profit organizations navigate the software selection process for all kinds of operational needs.

I invite you to join Chad and me, as we compare notes about key technology trends and their implications for association software buyers.

  KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Thanks to technology innovation, member-based organizations are facing significant opportunities and challenges.

In particular, the center-of-gravity for association software has shifted from all-in-one AMS platforms to diverse ecosystems.

With so much at stake, software selection has become a strategic priority that non-profits can’t afford to treat lightly.

  Q&A HIGHLIGHTS:

You and I are two sides of the same coin, Chad. We both help associations find software that meets their strategic needs, right?

Yes, our missions are very similar. At SmartThoughts, I work with non-profit organizations that are struggling to find the right systems. I assess their existing technology and help them find the best fit for their particular needs.

Our approach sounds identical. But I focus on learning solutions, while you focus on the rest of the association software ecosystem…

Also, like you John, I don’t derive any income from software implementation, training and support – although I think those services are very important. In fact, I originally offered implementation, training and support when I founded SmartThoughts in 2001.

Back then, software was installed on desktops and servers, so clients had different needs. But now with cloud computing, it’s more important to focus on the front-end of the process, helping clients find the right fit.

Interesting. I don’t cross paths with many other systems selection specialists. Why did you move to this side of the fence?

Honestly, so many new products are available and there’s so much confusion about how to choose systems. There’s a huge disconnect between buyers and sellers. So it makes a lot of sense to rely on an intermediary as an independent guide and advocate.

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And why do you specialize in association software?

That shift was actually a gradual process. I started as a specialist in ERP and CRM systems for organizations of all types. But over time, as we began serving more member-based organizations, that naturally became our focus.

Excellent. So, what are the major technology components associations rely upon today?

Oh, gosh, it’s all over the place. And nomenclature is, too, because systems in the for-profit world are similar, but the acronyms are a bit different.

How so?

For example, a customer relationship management system (or CRM) is the terminology most businesses use when talking about customer-focused systems, right? Well, in the association space, the equivalent is an association management system (or AMS).

But an AMS is much more than just a CRM. It’s really an ecosystem that can include a website, marketing automation, event management, ecommerce, membership dues management, financial accounting and online community functionality. Sometimes even learning management is part of AMS capabilities.

With so many moving parts, how do you find the best fit?

Great question. An AMS may purport to be an ideal all-in-one solution. But an AMS can’t be all things to all organizations. And with so many components in the typical association software stack, best-of-class systems may be a better option for some capabilities.

OK. So let’s use learning functionality to understand this concept. How do you know when a specialized LMS is needed beyond the AMS, itself?

With each organization, I start by defining the situation. As we pull back the layers of the onion in that discovery process, it reveals what an AMS uniquely means to that organization.

For some, education and training may be critical, so specialized learning management capabilities would be a requirement.

That makes sense…

LMS components definitely are not a core competency of an AMS, in general, but you may find the capacity to track education activities. For example, you’ll see the ability to track continuing education credits or certifications.

But my job is to define what’s most important for a client. What makes that organization unique? That’s the key.

Absolutely…

Usually, that ties back to money. What’s are primary sources of revenue? Sometimes its dues. Sometimes it’s education. Sometimes it’s conferences fees. Often, there are multiple choices.

An organization needs to understand what drives revenues and choose a system that is strong at supporting those functions.

Agree. So, what are the top trends you’re seeing?

Well, that’s a good segue, because I see an increasing need to integrate with third-party systems. As organizations evolve, they sometimes outgrow specific capabilities in their AMS, so there’s a need to tap into more sophisticated, specialized functionality.

This is especially true of organizations using dated, all-in-one AMS platforms. But the need for expanded technology doesn’t necessarily mean an organization, itself, is growing.

Good point!

For example, one of my clients is a small association with a staff of less than five people. But this organization has relatively sophisticated needs.

They have international reach and their financial accounting is fairly advanced. They also host some very unique events, and most of their revenues come from those events.

They realize that a traditional AMS isn’t enough. So they want to find a system with strong event capabilities that also integrates with their core AMS and their website.

Makes sense…

It’s important to be open to a “best-of-need” approach. This calls for third-party APIs and services that integrate specialized applications into everyday workflows, so associations don’t have to give up anything in terms of understanding member information.

How do you see that playing out?

An association may not be able to get the best standalone platform for every need – for example, job board, email marketing, community management and learning management. But they’ll find an AMS with strong membership management at its core. Then they’ll add-in components to achieve their mission.

So, the underlying AMS will continue to play its primary historical role, but the organization can look beyond the AMS for specialized functionality. That’s more like a best-of-class strategy.

Excellent. Any other notable trends on your radar? 

A related trend is increasing interest in what the for-profit world calls customer data platforms or CDPs. With so many systems working in tandem, associations want a central repository that provides access to a persistent, unified “master” record of every member.

It’s essential to consolidate and synthesize relevant data into a “true” single member profile. With a CDP in place, an organization’s relationship with each individual is more accurately and intelligently reflected in reports.

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Interesting. So the AMS is no longer the center of the universe. But are associations struggling with the technical aspects of data integration? 

Well, one reason why organizations move to a new system is just what you mentioned – integration issues. Their AMS is based on a closed architecture, so they’re opting for systems that are open and based on standards that facilitate back-and-forth integration.

Many systems of yesteryear were based on closed logic. Those legacy systems may not yet support full data exchange. But modern AMS systems usually offer open APIs to connect back-and-forth with other systems.

I see…

So, integration issues often motivate associations to change. They may change to a new AMS if their system isn’t keeping up with their integration needs. Or they’ll look for an integration services provider that knows their system fairly well and has a third-party relationship with whatever specialized system they want to add.

So about API strategy, are you seeing a trend in how AMS vendors approach this?

I can’t say there’s a clear trend, per se. But I think AMS providers definitely realize that they need to develop integrations for and with specialized systems that offer popular functionality.

What would you say those systems are? 

Well, every year, I ask organizations which third-party systems they use in conjunction with their membership management system. Usually, the top of the list includes email marketing, mobile apps, job board, advertising, LMS and community management platforms.

It sounds like the AMS market is as diverse as the learning systems realm. Currently, we see more than 800 learning-related systems on our radar…

800? My goodness, that’s a lot of systems to track!

I’m tracking 128 AMS platforms – or vendors that say they offer membership-based systems. Every few weeks, I find another system that I may not have known, or a vendor goes out of business. So it changes. But it’s around 130 systems…

Oh, I’ve personally reviewed only about 200 of the 800+ systems on our radar, so I have a long way to go. How much do you track about each AMS? What’s your methodology?

That’s a great question! We publish a variety of lists on our website, and there’s no cost to be included. I’m just inquisitive by nature and it’s my job to be aware of the landscape. So I continually explore, evaluate and categorize systems.

I reach out to vendors and review their platform in-depth, even before I have clients that may be an applicable fit. I talk with these companies about their product positioning and I’ll go through a demo process. Then I’ll develop what I call a product report. Finally, I categorize the system and assign a specific fit, based on heuristics (or industry rules-of-thumb).

Yep. Our approach is nearly identical…

Also, since technology is constantly changing, I may re-evaluate a product once a quarter – or sooner, if a client is interested in a particular category.

Do you talk with customers about their experience? 

Oh yes. Because we’re always gathering references and we know people who are using these systems, we capture their feedback, too. That adds another dimension to our understanding of each platform’s strengths and weaknesses.

Yeah. Anecdotal information is a great reality check…

FOR MORE QUESTIONS AND COMPLETE ANSWERS, LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST NOW!

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Technology vs. Innovation: Association Learning Strategies in Practice

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AI. AR. VR. Digital breakthroughs like these are capturing headlines every day. Clearly, these innovations are promising. But many associations are focused on making the most of learning technologies that are already in place.

So how are these resourceful organizations actually transforming member learning experiences?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Michelle Brien, VP Marketing at WBT Systems, as they explore real-world examples and discuss innovation strategies that will help you create lasting value. You’ll discover:

The push/pull relationship between technology and change

How to develop an innovation roadmap that works for your organization

Tips for creating a business case your board will support

How to avoid missteps when expanding your learning technology stack

Guidelines for measuring results

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  Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

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Is Your Business Data Really Worth Keeping?

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Because extended enterprise learning involves multiple disciplines, we sometimes ask other experts to share their insights with our readers. Today we feature advice from Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst at Futurum Research and CEO of Broadsuite Media Group. Daniel is an author, speaker, blogger and educator who works with leading technology brands to help businesses around the world embrace the benefits of digital transformation.

  Business Data: Blessing and Curse

Data. Data. Data. Every organization collects data in one form or another. Most of us are already awash in the stuff. Yet we continue to generate more data at an even faster pace. In fact, research estimates that by 2020, the average amount of data produced each second will reach the equivalent of 1.7 MB for every person on the planet. Stunning.

For business, data is the lifeblood of digital transformation. But too much data can actually bog your company down – leaving it vulnerable to security breaches and hindering your ability to make quick, informed decisions. That’s why every company that collects data today must also delete unnecessary data when the time is right.

Move Over Data Hoarders

Have you ever watched one of those reality TV shows about hoarders? From the comfort of our couches, we can clearly see it makes no sense for people to accumulate mounds of stuff that adds little value or meaning to their lives.

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Clinging to every little thing creates houses that are disorganized, dysfunctional and sometimes even dangerous. The same is true with organizations that hold onto data indefinitely.

Why a Data Purge Strategy Makes Sense

There are multiple reasons why your business should create a data purge strategy. Here are three primary benefits to expect:

1) You’ll Save Money on Storage Costs

As affordable and efficient as storing data on the cloud may seem, it certainly isn’t free. Indeed, your cloud provider may even charge early deletion fees for removing data before a particular time interval has passed.

Long story short: storage vendors are running a business, just like you do. And their business model is to maximize the revenues they earn from companies who don’t yet understand the importance of data purge strategy!

Remember this:  The less data you’re storing, the less you’re paying them for storage. So, take time to make sure that every piece of data is worth its weight in storage space – and revisit that pool of data regularly to keep it under control.

2) It Will Protect Your Company

The more data you manage, the more difficult it is to keep your data safe. Storing unnecessary data only leaves you open to security threats that could be avoided if you take the time to trim the load.

Remember this:  In a data breach, money isn’t the only thing your company loses. Consumer confidence is also jeopardized, which could cost you far more in the long-run than lost time and productivity. Why risk that by storing information you don’t even need?

3) You’ll Improve Data-Backed Decisions

You know the phrase, “Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth”? Your data can suffer from a similar problem. When coordinating too much input from too many places over time, it can become difficult to extract meaningful information and apply it strategically.

Before you know it, your data pool becomes a mess of old information that isn’t relevant to your current environment. It’s useless! But by carefully paring down underlying data, you’ll improve the timeliness, accuracy and value of data-driven business decisions.

Data Purge Strategy vs. Policy

Thus far, we’ve focused on creating a data purge strategy. However, I also want to touch on the importance of a data purge policy. After all, purging shouldn’t be performed only once. It should happen periodically on an ongoing basis, to keep your data clean and safe. With a standards-based policy, you can make the purge process easier to manage consistently in the future.

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Here’s one clear-and-present reason why many organizations are focusing on a data purge policy. You may already comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which stipulates, in part, that any customer can ask you at any time to delete all of their data completely from your systems.

With a purge strategy in place, you can better understand how to completely remove all traces of a user’s data from your servers, so you’ll stay in compliance with GDPR rules. (By the way – if you don’t follow the GDPR guidelines, it’s probably a smart idea to start, so you can avoid costly noncompliance penalties.)

Getting Started

Below are a few ideas to help you develop a data purge policy:

1) Determine How Long Each Piece of Data Holds Value

Hint:  The answer is most likely not “forever.” Compliance regulations and other industry standards typically specify storage timeframes for various pieces of data. But don’t stop there. For other data elements, be sure to define lifecycle requirements that make sense for your business.

Keep in mind:  All storage timeframes don’t need to be the same. The level of security protection doesn’t need to be the same, either.

2) Consider Creating a Central Repository

One of the worst sources of data sprawl is the inclination for everyone in a company to store their own versions of a document on the organization’s network, rather than accessing a centralized version of the file.

To avoid this issue, create a central repository of documents accessed most often. Then clear the one-off variations of those documents from the network, altogether.

3) Narrow the Amount of Data You Collect

Start at the source. The easiest way to purge excessive data from storage is to limit the amount of data your organization collects.

For example, rather than capturing every tiny piece of information you can from customers, think strategically about what matters. What do you really need to know to serve them better? Then closely evaluate what remains. Is it just clutter?

4) Automate the Process

It’s probably unrealistic to rely on yourself or your team to maintain your purge process. Consider using AI-driven automation to keep the policy and related procedures in place, ensuring that you perform regular purges based on predefined guidelines and timelines.

Closing Notes

Obviously, data collection is important in digital transformation. But removing unnecessary data is just as important – even though it receives far too little attention in business today.

With smart data governance on your side, you can save money, improve decision-making and reduce business risk. It starts with an effective data purge strategy and policy.

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Bridging the Learning Analytics Gap: How Guided Insights Lead to Better Results

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Even with cutting-edge measurement tools, many struggle to find enough time and expertise to generate useful learning insights. How can you bridge this critical analytics gap?

Join John Leh, CEO and Lead Analyst at Talented Learning, and Tamer Ali, Co-Founder and Director at Authentic Learning Labs. You’ll discover:

Top learning analytics challenges

How AI-driven data visualization tools are transforming learning insights

How to define and interpret relevant metrics

Practical examples of AI-based analytics in action

How to build a convincing case for guided analytics

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Need Proven LMS Selection Guidance?

Looking for a learning platform that truly fits your organization’s needs?  We’re here to help!  Submit the form below to schedule a free preliminary consultation at your convenience.

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2019 Talented Learning Awards: Corporate Extended Enterprise Systems

Today is a banner day for extended enterprise education, because today we’re unveiling the new face of learning systems excellence – The 2019 Talented Learning Awards!

As outlined last month, we’re simplifying the way we honor the best learning systems by focusing on two key extended enterprise categories:

CORPORATE EXTENDED ENTERPRISE:  Business-oriented solutions targeting external audiences such as customers, channel partners, suppliers and contractors. Employees may also be included, but aren’t the sole focus of these applications.

CONTINUING EDUCATION:  Learning and certification solutions used by trade and professional associations, mission-driven non-profits, commercial training providers, trade schools and subject matter experts.

Certainly, other learning software categories deserve awards, including employee talent management, compliance, academic ed tech, learning experience platforms, content management and authoring. We may explore these and other categories separately in the future.

However, the extended enterprise is our lifeblood. We founded Talented Learning five years ago to chart every corner of the extended enterprise learning landscape. And that’s where our knowledge and expertise are strongest. So naturally, we want to celebrate solutions in this space above all.

Today we start with corporate extended enterprise systems. Next week, we’ll honor continuing education systems.

Why Is This Segment So Special?

Extended enterprise learning solutions must attract, engage and often sell to people who voluntarily choose to consume instructional content. In contrast with employees or students, these audiences can’t be forced to complete training “assignments.” Instead, their learning journeys are more self-directed.

This voluntary learning mindset is why successful extended enterprise solutions often include tools that blend marketing, business strategy, content development and promotion, social engagement, customer relationship management, ecommerce and more. Working together with core learning technologies, these solutions draw learners in, and keep them coming back for more.

How We Select Award Candidates

To qualify for a corporate extended enterprise learning award, systems must meet these criteria:

The vendor’s website must clearly position the system as a corporate extended enterprise solution. (Purely academic or employee-only solutions are not considered.)

Vendors must have participated in executive briefings and/or buying opportunities we’ve managed.

Current and/or former customers and employees must endorse the winners.

  2019 Awards List: Best Corporate Extended Enterprise Learning Systems

There are over 750 learning system solutions in 2019.  Selecting winners is no easy journey.  Being on this list is a big deal.  This year, we honor 28 outstanding solutions – 15 award winners and 13 finalists – listed alphabetically in each category, below. In the following section, we briefly describe our impressions of the winners and finalists, so you can learn about each solution and its strengths. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can refer to it when you’re looking for systems in the future.

Congratulations to all!

AWARD WINNERS

BlueVolt Community Brands Crowd Wisdom Cornerstone OnDemand CrossKnowledge Docebo eLogic Learning LearnUpon Litmos NetExam Northpass OnPoint Digital ServiceRocket Learndot Skilljar Thought Industries Totara

AWARD FINALISTS

Absorb Accord LMS Degreed EdCast LogicBay Matrix PeopleFluent NetDimensions Saba Schoox TalentLMS Together JAZZ by Skylab Italia UpsideLMS

  (NOTE: We invite all winners and finalists to display the Talented Learning Awards badge on your website and in promotions. This week our team will send original badge artwork to your primary contact via email or direct message.)

  Award Contenders: What You Should Know

Here’s what we think is the key strengths and differentiation with each of the corporate extended enterprise learning systems we considered. Award winners are listed first, followed by finalists – all in alphabetical order.

AWARD WINNERS

BLUEVOLT

There’s a lot to like about BlueVolt. BlueVolt is about 15 years old and its approach to learning management is different from any vendor I’ve seen. BlueVolt LMS is purpose-built to serve industrial business segments – organizations focused on things like HVAC, plumbing and electricity, as well as continuing education in those specialties.

BlueVolt offers a unique business-to-business ecosystem solution. It’s ideal for any organization that wants to connect partners, suppliers and resellers in relationships that elevate employee and channel knowledge and skills.

COMMUNITY BRANDS CROWD WISDOM

Crowd Wisdom is a great choice for organizations that primarily want to generate revenue from professional development, certification, test preparation and other extended enterprise content programs.

Building on a common software-as-a-service (SaaS) code infrastructure, Crowd Wisdom makes it possible to create semi-custom solutions that deliver an ultra-modern learning experience. It also provides ecommerce capabilities that integrate easily into broader technology ecosystems. The Crowd Wisdom platform is mobile responsive and scales affordably as organizations expand their global reach.

CORNERSTONE ONDEMAND

There’s a good reason why Cornerstone is the world’s leading talent LMS brand. The platform’s capabilities are comprehensive and can be configured and integrated to support most global internal and extended enterprise applications. Although organizations of any size can benefit from this platform, it typically adds the most value in large, heterogeneous environments with complex learning requirements.

As a competitive advantage, Cornerstone now largely relies on certified implementation partners, rather than staffing a global professional services organization. This means you can expect more personalized, hands-on support – typically from a local organization that specializes in guiding Cornerstone clients through the implementation process.

CROSSKNOWLEDGE

CrossKnowledge is unique in the marketplace because it offers a powerful blend of learning technology, experience design and content expertise. CrossKnowledge is part of the 200-plus-year-old publishing giant, Wiley. This means its solutions leverage Wiley’s broad range of information resources, including content from the world’s most renowned professors and subject matter experts.

In addition, CrossKnowledge provides tools based on its collective domain experience in training methodologies like onboarding and sales readiness, complete with practical workflows, templates and personas. All this is wrapped in highly engaging distance learning solutions that are designed with measurability and business impact at their core.

DOCEBO

Docebo is widely known as one of the original cloud learning management systems. It’s affordable and easy to set-up and use. It supports pure extended enterprise solutions like customer or channel programs, as well as employee training at small- and mid-sized companies, or both.

Docebo offers integrated third-party content networks like Lynda, as well as its own aggregated content. It also integrates many third-party apps, so you can extend the platform’s functionality simply by entering API codes that tie-in everything from customer service software and content authoring to customer relationship management and virtual classrooms. You can sign-up online for a free trial and immediately start creating your own learning ecosystem.

ELOGIC LEARNING

I like eLogic Learning. For years, it has earned a place at the top of my go-to list as an all-purpose extended enterprise learning management system. Although it’s a small, owner-operated organization, it has attracted a lot of big-name clients – especially in retail, hospitality and franchising. And overall, eLogic’s clients are happy.

This platform is a highly configurable workhorse that is a viable alternative to tier-one talent management LMSs with similar functionality, but much higher price points. It features powerful ecommerce capabilities, tight integration with Salesforce and support for complex continuing education, along with a rare unlimited-use tier in its license model.

LEARNUPON

Based in Ireland, LearnUpon was originally a SaaS solution for associations, but it evolved into a customer learning platform that has been widely adopted by corporations around the world. LearnUpon is a highly functional, low-cost extended enterprise solution with low or no implementation fees, even though the company provides ample support to get you up and running quickly.

LearnUpon integrates well with other cloud SaaS applications, including ecommerce and CRM platforms. LearnUpon has built a large base of happy customers. It’s a solid option if your organization wants to offer a basic, yet high-quality learning environment for customer education at a reasonable price.

LITMOS

Early in 2019, Litmos became part of the SAP suite of products. SAP already offers SuccessFactors for traditional talent management and compliance training. But Litmos adds a different dimension, as a pure cloud platform that fills a market niche I call “agile business learning.” This solution makes it easy and affordable to manage and personalize content, so you can deploy learning initiatives quickly and iteratively, in a lean, agile way.

Litmos has found a sweet spot as the sole learning platform for small or mid-sized businesses. It’s also a strong solution for larger organizations that need to deploy and scale extended enterprise learning initiatives very rapidly. And with more than 4 million active users, and SAP as its new parent company, you can rest assured that this proven solution will continue evolving with market needs.

NETEXAM

NetExam is one of the coolest extended enterprise learning systems available. This company focuses solely on channel learning, with a heavy-duty channel management LMS, social, mobile and gamification functionality, comprehensive integrations and professional services. When it comes to supporting global high-tech reseller networks, NetExam is one of the best and most experienced in the world.

This solution does more than just deliver learning content. It ties into partner management systems like Oracle and Salesforce so you can evaluate your channel partners and identify weaknesses. This insight makes it possible to decide which partners need further training, so you can develop strategies to improve their business performance. In other words, NetExam helps channel organizations manage partners more effectively and tie partner education more directly to business operations.

NORTHPASS

Northpass (formerly Schoolkeep) is a cloud-based LMS that includes a rich set of tools businesses need to create, deliver and manage online education – especially for extended enterprise audiences.

Northpass sees tremendous potential in solutions that tie learning to “future of work” trends. In fact, it is of the first “next-generation” LMS vendors focused on solving learning challenges for high-growth companies and gig-economy startups that continuously onboard and educate customers, service partners, contractors and employees. For example, innovative organizations like Lyft, Shopify and Turo rely on the Northpass platform to deliver extended enterprise education.

ONPOINT DIGITAL

OnPoint Digital is a powerhouse LMS designed to address a wide range of corporate extended enterprise use cases including customers, channel partners, employees, or a combination of these audiences.

The OnPoint approach is different from many competitors because this vendor has created a library of core stackable code modules (for lack of a better technical description), that can be assembled in any combination to build semi-custom learning solutions for each client. This means you get a modern, mobile/social learning management system that is built to your exact specifications, but it’s also based on proven technology. Plus, OnPoint’s visual elegance and usability appeal to the “voluntary” mindset of extended enterprise audiences.

SERVICEROCKET LEARNDOT

ServiceRocket Learndot LMS is a full-featured pure SaaS customer learning management system. It is designed specifically for organizations that create and deploy content to B2B and B2C customers, integrate learning with CRMs, and use measurable analysis to improve related business results on a continuous, iterative basis.

Learndot also provides substantial education and support to its clients, including strategic guidance, deployment expertise, content development and ongoing managed services to fill the resource gaps that many customer education organizations face. Learndot is an excellent solution to consider, especially for customer learning initiatives in the software and high-tech industry.

SKILLJAR

Skilljar has been high on my radar for more than 5 years. This is a pure extended enterprise learning solution focused on customer education – including channel partners and internal customer service staff who need to understand products and services from a customer’s perspective.

Skilljar has an appealing, frictionless interface and powerful integrations with CRM platforms like Salesforce.com, which help automate content personalization based on a customer’s previous purchases, organizational role and more. Integrations with customer support software are also included, so service teams can interact with training in real-time while guiding customers effectively and efficiently through product questions. Although Skilljar is highly customizable for complex needs, organizations with fairly simply requirements can use it out-of-the-box.

THOUGHT INDUSTRIES

Thought Industries is a relatively new up-and-coming learning platform available in two variations. One is for organizations that sell learning content to businesses or individual consumers. And the other is for customer education in B2B and B2C environments. Both platforms are highly configurable and built to attract voluntary learners and drive ecommerce revenue. In fact, they’re almost fully customizable in the admin interface, so your learning environment can look and feel exactly like your organization’s other branded apps and web properties.

This platform also includes incredibly powerful authoring tools such as automated interfaces and editable intra-content language localizations. In addition, sophisticated B2B ecommerce capabilities – including branded portals, shared content licensing, coupon codes, promotions, subscriptions, delegated administration, tight CRM integration and robust reporting – make it easy for training companies to sell and manage content in volume.

TOTARA

Totara is unique in the marketplace because it’s a corporate learning management system built on the open source LMS platform, Moodle. Moodle is great because it’s affordable, it’s customizable and it’s built for the academic market. Totara used that foundation to reinvent the LMS from a corporate standpoint.

Totara isn’t 100% open source because you must purchase a basic level of access to receive ongoing code updates for a nominal fee. However, you can use all the pieces and deploy it on your own servers or in the cloud. If you need implementation help, you can work with one of Totara’s 200 professional services partners from around the world who are skilled at configuring and personalizing learning environments, creating content, hosting and supporting Totara solutions.

Because this software is open source, partners can also create reusable custom code extensions. This opens the door for creativity and innovation, not only in the core product, but also among partners and users throughout the global community. With Totara’s very low-cost entry point, organizations can choose to spend the lion’s share of their budget on services to develop an exceptional learning environment and high-quality content.

  AWARD FINALISTS

ABSORB

Based in Alberta, Canada, Absorb LMS is one of the original cloud learning systems. With nearly 1,000 clients and 5.6 million users in almost every industry, this multi-purpose SaaS solution is a good choice for organizations of all sizes that are just getting started with extended enterprise learning. It’s especially attractive if your in-house IT staff is limited, because Absorb makes it relatively easy to set-up and implement the LMS on your own, and then integrate it with other systems to add more functionality over time.

Given its affordable price point, this platform’s global ecommerce capabilities are impressive. You can deploy a shopping cart, offer pricing in multiple languages and charge in any currency. More than 80 payment gateways are also included, so you can set-up separate audience groups and sell content to them directly or through business partners. Even with all these capabilities, Absorb LMS is a relatively low-cost option, so it’s great if you need to kickstart learning revenues.

ACCORD LMS

Accord LMS is a full-featured but very affordable turn-key solution. It’s built specifically for small and mid-sized businesses that appreciate white-glove services from a small, dedicated, tight-knit company. Accord provides 20,000 off-the-shelf content titles for 10 different industries, including healthcare, legal and hospitality. In addition, friendly, family-like service ensures that clients succeed with the platform.

This system delivers and tracks all types of learning content assets, provides role-based and profile-based training enrollment, and is remarkably easy to use. That means you can expect to launch your solution in a matter of days, rather than weeks or months.

DEGREED

This self-described lifelong learning solution has been gaining serious momentum, especially after acquiring enterprise learning experience platform provider, Pathgather, last year. Driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Degreed platform maps the needs, interests and behaviors of each user, so it can present the right type of content to the right people at the right time, based on their professional development goals.

This solution isn’t a fit for every situation. For example, it’s not ideal as a full-fledged replacement for an extended enterprise LMS. However, if your organization encourages lifelong skills development as part of a broader learning initiative for employees, contractors, customers and/or channel partners, Degreed will work in tandem with your extended enterprise LMS to provide a continuous learning experience that is highly personalized, engaging and adaptive over time.

EDCAST

EdCast is a popular learning experience platform that supports internal and external corporate learning audiences with ongoing knowledge and skills development. Specifically, the EdCast application provides a stream of daily learning content that aggregates formal and informal learning activities for each user. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, EdCast automatically curates and presents content based on personalization criteria like a learner’s job role, program or project affiliations, declared interests, social connections, media preferences, content behaviors and more.

EdCast works well as a complementary application to enhance LMS functionality where continuous learning is part of the strategy. EdCast also offers an in-app software onboarding tool that guides learners step-by-step as they familiarize themselves with digital applications. This is popular functionality among software companies that need to educate customers more effectively and efficiently.

LOGICBAY

LogicBay is a top-notch pure channel management solution. It includes learning management, but other channel-oriented capabilities also play a prominent role. For example, in addition to supporting ongoing product training and enablement, LogicBay helps clients recruit and onboard new partners and manage lead flow. In addition, this platform is designed to be integrated into an organization’s broader ecosystem – including things like incentive systems and robust analytics to evaluate the performance of channel partners and the overall program.

The LogicBay system is particularly strong in organizations with dealer networks. For example, Freightliner, Mercedes-Benz Financial, Solar Turbines, Caterpillar and Penske have all embraced this platform.

MATRIX LMS

Matrix LMS is a pure SaaS cloud-based learning management system with affordable pricing and free trials, so it’s easy to build and deploy your own learning solution. It’s primarily intended as the first or second LMS for organizations that need proven functionality and self-service configurability, but don’t want to create highly customized applications.

The strength of Matrix LMS is its broad spectrum of configurable features you can choose to include (or not). It also includes a variety of pre-built integrations with HR software, payment gateways and other ecommerce systems. This makes it easy to set-up learning solutions for any combination of internal and/or external audiences.

PEOPLEFLUENT NETDIMENSIONS

UK-based Learning Technologies Group is an umbrella company that has been acquiring a best-of-breed suite of complementary learning-related systems, including PeopleFluent talent management, Watershed LRS, Gomo Learning authoring software, Leo Learning content services and NetDimensions LMS. Organizations can snap together any of these solutions and share data among all the different elements to create customized global learning solutions.

NetDimensions LMS is particularly strong in supporting compliance for high-risk and highly regulated industries like aviation, energy, medical and government. With exceptional domain and integration capabilities, this is one of the best holistic solutions for complex extended enterprise initiatives that serve customers, employees, partners and others.

SABA

Saba is a longtime player in the learning management space and is widely known for its talent management system. However, Saba also has a long history in extended enterprise learning, especially solutions for franchisees, retailers, channel partners and customers. In fact, as a client, I participated in a Saba presentation 20+ years ago that helped introduce me to extended enterprise education.

Despite phenomenal change in the learning industry and digital business technology, Saba has never lost its focus. It has the global capability to support nearly any complex pure extended enterprise or hybrid employee/external initiative. Additionally, Saba offers strong professional services teams that draw on countless years of expertise to guide customers from all types of industries through every stage of the software lifecycle.

SCHOOX

This up-and-coming LMS is built primarily for the restaurant, retail and hospitality industries. In particular, Schoox is designed to support training management and delivery to employees and non-employees in franchise organizations. For example, companies like Subway rely on this platform to provide training across their value chain – including employees at corporate locations, as well as franchise sites – to ensure brand consistency across all business outlets.

Strong integration ties it all together and passes training progress and completion reports to franchise owners with no fuss. Implementation costs are typically very low or even free, depending on a program’s complexity. Overall, Schoox is an effective, modern application for consumer-oriented businesses that need a straightforward frontline employee training solution.

TALENTLMS

TalentLMS is a true multitenant cloud LMS, meaning all clients access the same LMS via a web browser, and each client has its own secure area and sub-areas. Like most LMSs born in the last few years, TalentLMS is fully mobile responsive. It’s a no-frills system with an instant free trial option to help fast-track your training implementation.

Pricing is based on the volume of learners that actually use your training on a monthly basis, which is a great way to get into the game without risking upfront capital. If you run a small or mid-sized business, this is a solid choice for your first or second LMS. There are no implementation fees, and if your usage scenarios aren’t complicated, it’s hard to beat this system’s license pricing and ease of use.

TOGETHER JAZZ BY SKYLAB ITALIA

This platform is aimed at providing complete end-to-end learning process management, based on a “glocal” (global/local) enterprise model. Through specialized portals, Together JAZZ enables social interactions and gamification that enhance the learning experience. Smart digital services enable flipped classrooms and multiformat digital content.

Together JAZZ also delivers a broad set of functionality and integration services to fulfill enterprise needs through the cloud. This is a strong option for employee or external learning solutions in continental Europe and beyond.

UPSIDELMS

UpsideLMS is a full-featured cloud learning platform that is used effectively for employee learning and/or extended enterprise education. This company is based in India, but the solution is widely used in Europe and around the world because of its strong globalization, localization and GDPR functionality – including excellent configurable reporting.

Its user interface is appealing and online/offline mobile friendly. Also because Upside makes it easy and affordable to manage learning at an organization, domain or portal level, it’s an ideal low-cost option for external channel or customer education.

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