Greetings, Litmos community! Thanks to Nicole and Rich, I’ll be helping out with the blog. Our goal is to speak to (and with) Litmos trial users, Litmos clients, eLearning peers, and anyone getting into online learning.

The Litmos team gave me one strict editorial requirement—Write about whatever you want. While the business thrives by helping you to “love your LMS,” we’ll be using this space to explore eLearning ideas and strategies that complement your use of an LMS.

eLearning, online learning, distance education, web-based training… whatever you call it, it’s a broad and perpetually changing topic. The community of practice is talented, passionate, and (often) wildly opinionated. This blog is a response to questions about strategy and content—questions that range from “I’ve picked an LMS vendor, what do I do now?” to “We’ve droned our learners into unconsciousness. How can I create a conversational tone in eLearning?”

We’ll talk about development tools, content development, and trends in online learning. We’ll speak with industry luminaries about topics that strike a chord, and we’ll take a look at training needs in specific industries.

In the coming months, expect posts on any or all of the following:

• Moving one’s content online. What are the steps?
• Strategies for the newer instructional designer
• Choosing an authoring tool, such as Adobe Captivate or Articulate Studio ’09 (Or both. Or neither. Or something else.)
• Creating a personal learning network
• Storyboarding, storyboarding, and more storyboarding
• Social media tools for professional development (or How I Met the Litmos Crew on Twitter)
• Design inspiration from art, music, literature, and media
• Social media tools for organizational learning
• Support networks for authoring tools —where to find help
• Industry-focused posts—what are training-related hot buttons in healthcare? Compliance? Technology?
• Success stories and cautionary tales—interviews with Litmos clients
• Project management basics for eLearning
• Online Learning industry developments / awards / new tech / new companies / new tools / conferences
• Writing for clarity, and scripting for tone

You’ll see a strong focus on resources. For example—instead of explaining how to use a specific widget in Adobe Captivate or create a specific effect in Articulate, we’ll point you to those who have done remarkable work, and shared their expertise with the community.

This blog is solution-oriented, but there’s no way it’s going to push “one-best-way” thinking. It’s our small part of a global conversation, and the posts are really just starting points. If our efforts make you think, or point you in a new direction, great. You are always welcome to comment as you see fit, and please share alternative processes, resources, or strategies. Thanks!

@jwillensky