Coggno is giving you the opportunity to share your training horror stories on our Web site, ThatTrainingSucked.com. All you have to do is write a maximum of 200 words describing your training horrors. Include a catchy headline, and you’re done.

Submit your entries at www.thattrainingsucked.com, starting at midnight on May 1, 2013 PDT until 11:59 pm PDT, May 22, 2013. All entries will be posted by May 24, 2013.

Voting will begin after all entries are posted, and will end at 11:59 pm PDT on May 31, 2013.

Coggno will keep everyone posted on our main Web site, blogs and our Social Media pages. You will also be able to share your entry on your favorite Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  The entry with the most votes will be announced on Coggno’s blog on May 17. First prize will be a 7” Kindle Fire, and runners-up will win Coggno t-shirts.

*This contest is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Contest will proceed only when Coggno obtains a minimum of 100 entries.

The key to well-crafted online training courses is to immediately draw in learners, and keep them motivated to see the course through to its completion. Let’s keep in mind that there are all types of learners out there, not just corporate employees who are required to complete mandatory coursework. Online learning draws from all segments of the population, even learners who make the investment in continuing education for reasons other than professional advancement.

Keep It Organized to Facilitate Top Quality Learning

Course organization should not be confused with content creation. Although the two go hand-in-hand, organization will keep well-created content flowing, and allow learners to remain engaged throughout the different modules of a particular training course. Following are some organizational tips that will compliment well-written content and keep the attention of your targeted learners:

• The goal of your course should be clearly articulated. The structure and expectations should be outlined as part of the introduction.
• Make sure learners are qualified to take the course. It should be made known which skill set or sets are required to receive maximum benefit from a particular course.
• Tailor the design of the course based on those skill sets. It is important to keep a beginner-level course as streamlined as possible. Extraneous materials and other distractions will take away from the efficacy of the course if learners do not possess the level of knowledge required to comprehend advanced information.
• Build a common structure for advanced-level courses. If learners are to move on from beginner-level to advanced, a familiar course structure will keep them within a previously established comfort zone, allowing for improved comprehension.
• Keep the lines of communication open. If learners or LMS personnel have any questions or concerns about a particular course, the creator should be readily available to answer those questions.
• Keep track of industry updates in order to keep your material relevant. This is perhaps the most important organizational tool. Content creators want to provide the most current information possible in order to maintain credibility in order to retain the interest of individuals or organizations that have purchased past coursework.

Keep these tips in mind if you are an experienced content creator, or if you are just getting started in the world of online learning. Remember, the more organized a course is, the more appealing it will be to learners. And, remember, Coggno is here to help both learners and content creators. Our goal is to provide the best possible platform to help content creators reach the largest possible market, and to assist learners in obtaining the highest quality online coursework.

Any questions? Leave your feedback below.

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When you decide to monetize your Web site by becoming an affiliate marketer, there are a few key terms you should be familiar with in order to avoid the pitfalls of the practice. Affiliate marketing can be worthwhile, but only if you learn the terminology and avoid the confusion before you start.

Here are some of the most common affiliate marketing terms you should know:

Above the Fold: The section of a Web site a user sees when he or she first lands on it, without having to scroll. This is prime space for affiliate ads.

Affiliate: An individual who promotes products or services for an advertiser (also known as a merchant) in exchange for receiving compensation for the sales or leads they drive to the advertiser’s site.

Affiliate Agreement: The agreement between the advertiser and the affiliate regarding the affiliate relationship. It usually defines the roles, rules, and responsibilities of the relationship on both sides.

Affiliate Code: A unique code or link that is provided to the affiliate in order to better track the business results directly generated from the affiliate’s marketing efforts. It is important for merchants who have multiple affiliate partners to implement this, as it becomes easier to track which affiliate networks are the most profitable for them.

Adware: Also referred to as “spyware,  adware is usually included in free computer programs users download without realizing that adware is also part of the package. In many cases, the advertisements are unwanted and difficult to get rid of, even after uninstalling the program. Most advertisers will not work with affiliates who want to promote their offers via adware.

Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of customers who take an action that will result in earning a commission for you. This can happen from clicking on a banner, entering a lead, or actually making a purchase. Increasing the conversion rate is one of the primary objectives of affiliate marketing.

Cookies: Cookies are tiny text files that are captured on the customers’ computers, which contain vital information for the company. For an affiliate marketer, cookies are important because they not only link back to the referring site, they also track the time of entering a lead or clicking on a banner, to learn more about the time it takes them to convert to real customers.

Cost Per Click/Cost Per Action: These are the terms of measurement of the cost of your marketing efforts. Cost per click refers to the amount of money that is invested every time the customer clicks on a particular link; cost per action means the amount of cost for a customer’s action, such as making a purchase or entering a lead.

There are many more terms associated with affiliate marketing, but these are certainly the most common. If you still have questions, or are hesitant to take part in an affiliate marketing program, contact the merchant about your concerns. If the merchant is reputable, he or she will address your concerns and give you the answers you need to make an informed decision. At Coggno, we invite all our customers to consider joining our affiliate program, and encourage all of them to contact us with any questions or concerns. Remember, affiliate marketing is a two-way street that benefits both parties. If the merchant makes money, you will also get your share.

Years ago, effective marketing tactics included “cold-calling” prospective customers by making a lot of phone calls and ringing many doorbells. Today, technology has taken away the in-person or voice contact we used to have, and placed the ball squarely in the customer’s court. That means, if you are selling goods and services online, you must have written calls to action (CTAs) on your site that will effectively get visitors to do what you want them to. That could mean getting them to the next level of the purchasing cycle by encouraging them to get more information, or make the actual purchase. An effective CTA can be thought of as the pushy vacuum cleaner salesman of yesteryear, and if written correctly, it will produce the same results (no, not doors slammed in your face).

The Key to Effective CTAs is to Keep Them Short and Sweet

Ask a knowledgeable social media marketer about CTAs, and he or she will tell you that the most important elements are to keep the message clear and concise. You don’t get the luxury of time when you’re issuing a call to action, so it must get to the point as quickly as possible.

Here are some dos and don’ts to be aware of when considering CTAs for your site:

Start off with a verb that will facilitate the end result.

Each call to action should have its own dedicated landing page.

That means, each product and service you offer should have a separate page explaining features, pricing, availability. These pages should always have the most up-to-date information possible, and be completely devoted to that one product or service. Think of the CTA as the headline to the story, drawing the reader in to find out more about what you have to offer.

Practice makes perfect.

Getting your target audience to find you online can start out as a great deal of trial-and-error. Once you have identified the target keywords for your product or service, make sure those keywords appear in your call to action, and on your landing pages. Start off by creating multiple versions of landing pages and CTAs, and track the results you get with each one, until you find the one that generates the most interest. The best results are achieved with a combination of concise copy, along with eye-catching graphics that will grab and keep users’ attention.

DON’T make promises you can’t keep.

Making false claims and under-delivering on promises is a sure way to lose sales, not to mention traffic, to your site. In the age when the reputations of businesses hinge on the feedback they get online, you do not want to gain a bad rap because of not being able to deliver on promises made in your CTAs. If you tout something as “complete,” or at the “lowest price online,” do your homework and make sure you’re able to deliver what is being promised. There is nothing worse than a dissatisfied customer; well, yes there is: a dissatisfied customer with an electronic device who will give your company a scathing review.

Make Your CTAs stand out; and never direct them to your home page.

The cardinal sin of CTAs is to use one that directs users to your site’s home page. The home page always contains the most general information, not specific details about what you sell. You want to give users all the details and tell them why they should purchase your product or service. Your home page does not encourage decision making; your landing pages do. Those landing pages should be bold, but not spammy. Overselling will drive users away, never to be seen or heard from again.

Now that you have some valuable tips on what to do, and what not to do, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Think of your own purchasing habits and which words inspire you to act. We encourage you to take a look at the CTAs on the Coggno site, as well as click through other Web sites you admire, and see if there isn’t a trick or two you can borrow. If you have any questions or comments about our CTAs, please feel free to let us know.

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We all know that buying a pack is cheaper than buying a single piece. So don’t you wish you could tap into the ‘wholesale’ thing for all your training needs? If so, you’re in luck. You spoke, we listened… and we are pleased to announce bulk pricing. What does this mean for you? In a nutshell, it means that the more you buy, the more you save.

Why E-Learning with Coggno is Bigger and Better Than Ever

• Savings on Expenses – Traditional training expenses include books and other materials, as well as the actual costs incurred to pay an instructor.  Depending on the type of training, as well as the location, extraneous expenses for things like food and lodging, airfare, car rental and mileage may also need to be tacked onto the final bill.  Coggno’s online courses, on the other hand, merely require computers. You and your employees are able to conveniently learn from experts, without incurring the extra costs and hassles of travel.  Employees are more motivated and expenses are slashed.  It’s a win-win situation.
• Full Access to Coggno’s LMS and Reporting Tools– Coggno’s Learning Management System (LMS) allows you to easily distribute training material to your employees on your own terms. We provide you with the material needed for your employees to obtain proper certifications and the tools to help them get there, including calendar training courses. Our LMS will allow you to create as many learner groups and training paths as necessary, as well as distribute training materials, even to those who don’t have email access.  Other features of our LMS that can’t be found elsewhere include:

• The ability to assign trainees and administrators to specific courses
• Advanced scheduling features
• Reporting to monitor the progress of trainees
• Automated certificate send-outs once courses are completed

• Flexibility – Our platform provides a forum for knowledge exchange that keeps learning fun and interesting.  Trainees can interact with other trainees.  They are able to interact with their trainers as well.  Learning sessions can be recorded, which allows each trainee to review the material as often as necessary, thereby ensuring that each has a thorough understanding of the subject matter.
• Big Discounts – Businesses that purchase Coggno’s training courses in bulk will receive substantial discounts, while still maintaining control over their purchases. This ensures that they only purchase what they want and need.  What’s more, there are no long-term contracts or mandatory minimum purchases.

E-learning is a more cost-effective alternative to traditional training methods. And with Coggno’s specialized platform and tools, businesses can expect top-notch training coupled with feasibility and efficiency.

Coggno is a well-respected e-learning solutions provider and online training marketplace that offers training to individuals and businesses through the most efficient modes. We offer over 5000 courses, all of which can now be bought in special bulk prices for greater affordability. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping today.

Online training courses are meant to be convenient, cost-effective alternatives to seminars and other forms of training that usually put most people to sleep. When we were young students, there was nothing worse than having to slog through a boring textbook. When we entered the workforce, the bane of our existences was having to endure lengthy training sessions during which consuming rocket fuel wouldn’t keep us awake. The last thing we want to do is transfer that boredom to our computer screens; there are easy ways to avoid some of the common mistakes that will send learners packing from an online training course.

Here are some suggestions:

Avoid Using the Wrong Tools

The two biggest mistakes made when creating online training courses are poor content and the wrong tools. Try to keep your content concise, friendly and dynamic. The lighter the tone, the more likely learners will be to absorb the information. The same goes for the tools used in the course. You can find free tools online that will help improve your presentation. We recommend these options:

Powtoon | A DIY animated presentation tool

Pixlr | Free online photo editor that functions almost like Photoshop

Font Squirrel | Free designer friendly commercial use fonts

ColourLovers | A community that discusses the latest color trends and palettes

Avoid Content Overload

It is very easy to overload our senses, especially when we are trying to learn something new. The ideal e-learning course should be like consuming several small meals over the course of a day, rather than serving up one large meal all at once. No one likes to feel stuffed and bloated when leaving the table; nor do learners enjoy attempting to process too much information in too short a period of time.

It is best to structure courses in a way that facilitates content delivery succinctly. If this means using more modules, then feel free to break things up accordingly. The end result will mean more retention on the part of learners.

Be Time-Conscious

The key to online success, when attempting to grab the attention of a user, is to realize that most people have the attention spans of gnats. The longer a user has to remain engaged, the more likely he or she will become bored and zone out. Here are some tips to keeping learners engaged:

• Try to limit video presentations to around 5 minutes or less
• Provide interactive exercises that give immediate feedback
• Allow the learner to “self-guide” through the course; provide options to choose how he or she can proceed to subsequent modules.
• Include quizzes at the end of important modules to reinforce retention and give learners the confidence they need to move on to the next phase. Provide the ability to go back and re-watch sections of the course they might be unsure of.
• Provide well-placed diagrams and infographics that allow user interaction.

Troubleshoot Audio and Video

Getting your audio and video set can be the most challenging part of creating online coursework. Nothing is more frustrating to learners than watching poor quality video, or having to listen to sound that is too low, too high, hissy or muddled. Take the time to check audio levels, pre-view video clips and test URLs if your course includes videos from YouTube or another online video provider. There isn’t anything quite as embarrassing as lousy audio and/or broken video links.

Take the Time to Gather Feedback

The best way to tweak your course content is to get feedback from the learners themselves. Who better to tell you what you did right, and what needs improvement than the people who will be engaging with your content? Create a survey and send it to learners after they have completed the course(s), asking for their feedback on access, materials, technical issues, equipment used. Make sure to include a section where learners can include their own feedback, giving them the opportunity to bring to your attention something you might have missed.

Now that you have the basics under your belt, it’s time to go forth and create quality online training!

One recent event I’m particularly proud of is an article that appeared in a recent issue of the Silicon Valley Business Journal featuring Coggno as a leader in the corporate online training sector.

As part of the interview, I explained how my background as a former corporate training consultant gives me the necessary vision to understand what works and what doesn’t when it comes to effective employee training. In the past, companies spent ridiculous amounts of money to train employees; when all was said and done, that training was not only useless to employees, it was a financial drain on the bottom line. Now, technology not only provides any company with the ability to provide effective training to employees at every level, it can be done at a fraction of the cost. Instead of hiring expensive consultants and sending employees to inconvenient off-site seminars, virtually all necessary training can now be done in-house. And don’t be fooled by the lower costs; online training is even more effective than traditional training because it allows individuals to work at their own pace, and on their own time frame, which greatly increases retention of information. Any employee with a laptop, tablet or smart phone can access training materials wherever, whenever. That’s a far cry from being locked away in a banquet room for days on end.

My goal is for Coggno to remain at the forefront of the online training revolution. My vision for our future, is to become a trusted partner for all types of online training. Our course topics are not only diverse, they are written by many different content creators, which makes them more appealing than dealing exclusively with one provider that develops its own training. You get to pick and choose which courses best suit your needs, and the needs of your employees.

As winter fades, and the spring growing season begins, think of Coggno as a place where knowledge is constantly cultivated. We continue to strive to bring you the best online training courses, giving anyone who seeks knowledge the opportunity to grow and flourish.