LinkedIn purchased Lynda the other day and I am surprised that no other online learning institute have thought about integrating socially. I study on multiple online sites, but none of them automate the courses I complete into any social networks, outside of them trying to promote themselves through referrer programs, which I’m encouraged to do. I mentioned it to the Treehouse guys, and I hope they do something about it, before Lynda completely dominates on LinkedIn.
I think this Lynda acquisition is a brilliant idea, possibly they over paid, but it’s a smart move by LinkedIn. I have read that they plan on suggesting courses when you get a promotion to ensure you have the right skills to do you job. But that seems counter productive, for job seekers, who I personally think benefit the most from LinkedIn. Instead, when you study and as you complete a course, your achievements are automatically added to your profile, so that recruiters and employers can find people with the skills they require. This could be done for any social network or recruitment site that showcases your credentials, in the same way as any learning institute, both online and offline, it promotes them , it’s good for you and everybody wins.
Automation of your credentials is useful, we sometimes hesitate to promote our new skills, for all sorts of valid reasons, so this way, so long as I have consented it just makes it credible, because everybody’s doing it. It would take me a significant amount of time to add all the courses I have completed to my LinkedIn profile, but automation takes away that hurdle, and if it’s happening as I’m learning, my skills are being presented as current as they possibly can be. Now doesn’t that just make sense? So lets hope for $1.5 billion LinkedIn are smart enough to not only offer courses, but showcase the courses already completed. This goes for all the other online institute out their too.