FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who are the people behind Corporate Learning Forum?
The Corporate Learning Forum is privately developed by a group of chief learning officers, instructional designers, instructional technologists and corporate trainers, who have identified a need for this type of listserv forum in the corporate training and organizational development industry. Many other industries have listservs and their members rely on them as an invaluable part of their daily work for communicating with their peers.
Although this is a for-profit venture, we have intentionally set a price-point low enough to ensure that it is affordable for virtually anyone in the corporate training and organizational development industry. After all, the strength of any listserv is directly related to the size of its membership and the frequency with which its members post and respond to questions. Our vision for Corporate Learning Forum is based on the following guiding principles:
To build the largest worldwide knowledge base in the corporate training and organizational development industry, by:
- Reinvesting resources to build core membership.
- Ensuring a significant exchange of information by consistently encouraging members to post and respond to questions.
- Continually expanding Corporate Learning Forum’s technological capabilities to remain on the cutting edge of information exchange.
Innovation will be the driving force behind Corporate Learning Forum's success. In fact, several enhancements to Corporate Learning Forum's core technology are already in the works.
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What is a listserv?
Essentially, it is server-based software that enables an e-mail message to be automatically broadcast to everyone on a "list.” In this particular case, it's the entire membership "list" of Corporate Learning Forum. As our membership grows, so too does the number of people who post and receive messages. It is similar to a newsgroup or forum, except that the messages are transmitted as e-mail and are therefore available only to individuals (members) on the list.
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Aren’t there other listservs in the training industry?
Yes, there are a few others—most of which are hosted by industry associations or academic institutions. As a consequence, they are underutilized because they do not represent a primary source of interest to their host organizations. In contrast, Corporate Learning Forum will remain intensely focused on its core capability—as a listserv. In so doing, growing the listserv’s membership and encouraging a constant flow of information exchange will be our highest priority.
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How is information exchanged on the listserv?
It's really quite simple. Once a question is posted by a member, it is automatically broadcast e-mailed to the entire listserv membership. Answers to each question are also automatically broadcast e-mailed, so that everyone benefits from the information exchange. Other than posting questions to the website, the majority of information exchange is done automatically from a members desktop e-mail. That's the beauty of a listserv.
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Do I have any control over the flow of information?
Members have several choices about how they receive information exchanged through the listserv. Under “Settings,” members can choose to receive e-mails in real-time--as questions are posted and follow-up answers are sent. Or, can choose to receive messages bundled together at specified periods throughout the day, or just once per day. Members can even choose to temporarily opt-out of the information exchange.
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What types of questions are typically posted to the listserv?
Guidelines for posting questions are listed in the “Rules” section. However, other than questions which might be considered offensive or an outright solicitation (particularly by vendors or jobseekers), virtually any question is appropriate. For the most part, individuals posting questions on the listserv are looking for unbiased advice from the people they trust the most—their peers. Most questions relate to issues that one of our peers has addressed or resolved, at one time or another. The listserv provides a mechanism to solicit advice, recommendations or a fresh perspective on virtually any question or issue. Here are some examples:
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"We are a small training department serving an employee base of about 1000 and are looking for an appropriately sized/priced LMS. Can anyone steer me in the right direction based on personal experience? No vendor replies please—end users only”.
“My department is in the process of establishing its training and development budget for next year. Does anyone know of any recent articles that talk about the money spent on training as a ratio to company revenues?”
“We’re considering expanding our blended learning deliverables to include M-learning for our sales force. Can anyone recommend a firm that they've worked with that specializes in this?”
“I've been asked to put together a training conference in Chicago next year for our pharmaceutical sales staff. Can anyone recommend a theater style auditorium--with data ports at each seat that can accommodate up to 1000 people?”
Can questions be posted anonymously?
Posting questions anonymously is not allowed because it would increase the risk of individuals posting inappropriate information, content or questions. Since this is designed to be an open forum, members are not only required but encouraged to openly identify themselves. In fact, most questions posted to the listserv will include whatever signature line you typically place in a corporate e-mail.
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Is the listserv moderated or unmoderated?
Corporate Learning Forum is an open, unmoderated listserv. Members can post messages without the delays or interference common with moderated listservs. Because this is an unmoderated listserv, Corporate Learning Forum has adopted a zero tolerance policy for transmitting offensive messages. Membership will be canceled without warning for anyone who fails to adhere to the rules governing
membership.
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Will others see my member profile?
Corporate Learning Forum has no plans to publish its member directory. If this is something the membership at large would like to see in the future, we'll certainly be happy to make it available. Of course, members would have the option not to have their member profile published.
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Can several people within one organization use one member’s login information?
Technically, anyone can login to the website using another person's information. However, since the flow of information will only be directed to the member’s e-mail address, it is an awkward and inefficient way to take advantage of the dynamic flow of information usually associated with a listserv.
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Will the Corporate Learning Forum offer other benefits to its members in the future?
That really depends upon what serves the best interests of our members. We will survey our members often and be guided by whatever ideas will improve upon the flow of information. We are already planning enhancements (Forums) that were suggested by people during our pre-registration process. Whatever direction Corporate Learning Forum takes in the future, it will remain true to the fundamental principle of exchanging information between members but will not seek to duplicate services that are being successfully offered by other organizations.
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Corporate Learning Forum offers the following membership pricing:
| Individual Membership: |
$50/year |
| Small Business Memberships*: |
$45/year, per person |
| Enterprise Memberships**: |
$40/year, per person |
*Small Business memberships are available for organizations with 10 or more members. After completing a Small Business Membership Application, a company-specific promotional code will be issued. The company code will be entered as each member goes through the credit card sign-up process, which will automatically recalculate the annual membership rate to $45/each.
**Enterprise memberships are available for organizations with 25 or more members. After completing an Enterprise Membership Application, a company-specific promotional code will be issued. The company code will be entered as each member goes through the credit card sign-up process, which will automatically recalculate the annual membership rate to $40/each. To reduce the time required for each member to sign up individually, Enterprise members have the option of purchasing a block of 25 or more memberships, at the aforementioned discount rate, with a single company check or single credit card purchase entry. Our customer service staff will set up temporary usernames and passwords for each of the 25 or more membership accounts, within 48 hours of receiving payment. Enterprise members will also be issued a company-specific promotional code for any additional members who sign up after the initial group membership purchase.
To qualify for Small Business or Enterprise membership rates, all member e-mail addresses (@yourcompany.com) must match the e-mail address of the originating company.
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