Sharing Lessons Learned
Feb 11, 2012
One of the great things about this community is all the great things that I've learned from others. TONS of great how to's and fabulous conversations. In addition to all the great stuff that works, one thing I think we often forget to share that can also be very valuable is the lessons learned we all have accumulated. (That's a much better sounding way of saying 'all the stuff that did NOT work)
So how about it? What are some of the things you've done or seen others do that did not work and why didn't they work? I'll try to start things off with one of my own.
One of my lessons learned is to put all external links "outside the course". James Kingsly (@onEnterFrame)just did a great screenr on one method for doing this and I have put them in an embedded html file via a web object.
The reason for doing that is that when the links are the only thing that change you don't have to republish the course.
Looking forward to hearing what thing you've tried but didn't work.
Thanks,
Mike
2 Replies
Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learned is about self worth. It is easy to allow yourself to slip down the totem pole as an ID and content developer and allow business development people or systems (LMS, CME etc) people to assume a lead role. But after 15 years in the game and maybe half of those working for myself, in partnerships and in alliances, it is perhaps only the last two years that I realised:
From these realizations have sprung an attitude change and entrepreneurial spirit that have galvanized me to create my own content and wholesale it to retailers and create strategic partnerships with big players and actually share the IP. I guess broadly speaking I have realised that this industry is all about controlling the IP and ID people, as the chief architects of making that IP do useful work, we actually do have leverage and can own some of the IP.
Of course in a typical corporate client relationship, this is never going to happen, which is why I am trying to phase out my transaction fee for service work with big corporates. Is early days yet, but I think I am on to something!
Very valid posts, Mike and David; my personal lessons learned, old chestnuts like....
Always expect the unexpected! If it can go wrong, it will go wrong!
Test everything on as many platforms, browsers and O/S as possible!
When authoring lengthy content for clients, create a storyboard/script with a rough voiceover at each consultancy phase, once the client has signed off the final structure/flow, only then call in the Pro to add voiceover to the finished content!
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.