The new network economy is about communities, collaboration, peer production, and user-generated content. As companies evolve within this new network economy, demands are being placed on internal learning and development departments to assist employees with mitigating the impact of increasing job demands, global workforce redistribution, cross functional projects, and formal information overload. (Pontefract, 2011) Given that many companies are also still burdened financially by recent economic crises in the U.S., learning and development departments are also under pressure to implement extremely cost-effective training solutions.
Due to these economic constraints, many companies are now turning to Web 2.0 tools, such as Twitter, as a means of cultivating formal, social, and informal learning in the workplace. The Twitter platform can be utilized at no cost to the account holder, is accessible anytime, and is especially good for mobile, on-the-go people who can learn anywhere. (Galagan, 2009)
When micro-blogging is encouraged within a company, it can help not only to address on-going employee professional development and training needs, but it also helps to create a company culture in which there is: (Pontefract, 2011)
• Better understanding of the organization across many teams & projects
• Personalization among employees and senior leaders
• Engagement and the feeling that everyone's opinion matters
• Information provided timely, be it formal or social/ community driven
Trainers should not only encourage the use of Twitter among employees for informal learning, but for formal learning as well. Twitter's interface provides a unique presentation platform for storing and sharing learning content and can be used as a delivery platform for training. The favorites tab is the key to designing a course (…) and critical to organizing the delivery of training. “Favorited” content that can be compiled for courses includes: (Wing, 2011)
• Hyperlinks
• Video Links
• Photo Links
• Geo-tagging Links
An example of using Twitter as a platform for course delivery and also a course on the topic, Building a Training Course in Twitter, can be found at: http://twitter.com/#!/ISD20/favorites
Resources:
Galagan, P. (2009) Twitter as a Learning Tool… really. ASTD T+D Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.astd.org/LC/2009/0409_galagan.htm
Pontefract, D (2011) Micro-blogging is Good for Leadership, Good for Culture. Brave New Org. Retrieved from: http://www.danpontefract.com/?p=267
Wing, T. (2011) App Fusion: Twaining in Twitter. Learning Solutions Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/623/app-fusion-twaining-in-twitter
