Top Learning And Development Value Tweeters: The L&D Breakfast Club (2nd Edition)
In an age of “it’s all about me”, SoMe is either the cause as well as the catalyst of our decline in empathy and increase in isolationism and bullying. While these are some of the negative elements that SoMe is known for there are also many positives, only if you wield your SoMe tool of choice appropriately.
Learning is at the core of knowledge and so, as a part of the learning community, there is a responsibility for me, and my colleagues, to disseminate knowledge objectively and to also be learners.
Learning is also about diversity. And again, as someone deeply involved in the learning space, it’s all of our responsibility to learn about our specialization and how it relates to the other areas it impacts. This means you need to be a learner of a variety of topics not just your own professional interests. This is called professional development.
Learning Is About Adding Value!
While I still occasionally come across as the crotchety old fart yellin’ at the young’uns “Git your fancy, dancy tech off of my grass!”, now I’m actually asking how can I use it to add value to my professional or personal life.
My SoMe network focuses solely on professional knowledge value. I encourage people to get on Twitter and to follow me (my handle is @bizlearningdude). When I do, I get the eye roll and venting about how Twitter is a waste of time.
Regretfully, the perception is relatively accurate but you have the power to change it. Like any tool how and when you use it is completely in your control. So, if your perception of Twitter is wasting time then you’re using it wrong.
My SoMe strategy focuses on ‘value’. But what ‘value’ means to me is probably different for you. In my case, value is about “learning diversity”. My Twitter value approach is to follow people within my business and personal interests providing new perspectives, diving deep into topics, or discovering new things from colleagues.
How I decide whom to follow is the way I want my followers to feel about following me. There is some self-promotion, but even so I strive to deliver tweet value. To deliver value, you must decide a focus. Having focus attracts an appropriate audience and helps you to decide whom to follow.
There are valid ‘Who to Follow on Twitter’ lists but, regretfully, many skew results by number of followers and/or tweet volume rather than the Tweeter’s value. Trust me when I say there are many valueless “Tweeter lists”, especially those that seem to thrive on nepotism rather than what’s relevant to their followers.
Out of personal frustration seeing one valueless “tweeter list” after another and seeing the same names on these lists over and over I created the “Top 20 L&D Value Tweeters”. It seeks those “tweeters” that deliver value. I come across wonderful and very smart L&D tweeters that surprisingly get shunned by prominent lists but deserve recognition.
This is the second edition of this list (please read the first Top 20 Learning And Development Value Tweeters list). Unlike other lists encouraging you to follow people based on number of followers, tweets, or worse, list ‘worthiness’, our criteria ask 2 questions:
- Do you get value from following the Tweeter?
- What value do you get from following them?
No fancy qualifying criteria; no convoluted selection process; just evidence that the Tweeter delivers value.
Top 20 Learning And Development Value Tweeters In No Ranking Order
1. @KKapp (Karl Kapp, US)
Karl remains on my list because his gamification posts on are on point and deliver value. Additionally, he’s the ‘goto’ guy for leading Learning and Development gamification and emphasizes how to apply gamification concepts. There is so much value following Karl that he never disappoints.
2. @FionaQuigs (Fiona Quigley, N. Ireland)
Fiona’s tagline is: ‘Story collector - we all have a story that others can learn from’. How appropriate; because when you follow Fiona you’ll learn something new. She provides real world cases, experiences, and a variety of guest bloggers that always share new insights.
3. @MattGuyan (Matthew Guyan, Australia)
There’s something about Australia with so many great L&D people, and Matt is one of them. He shares everything about Instructional Design in eLearning using Articulate Storyline. More than that, he’s an advocate for performance support, informal learning, and community building using social media.
4. @Marcoable (Marco Faccini, UK)
Looking at being more innovative with your learning approach? Then Marco is your resource. More than a recognized learning expert, Marco is the one you go to for anything virtual reality. Fear not the future and new tech… Marco will be gentle and share the most relevant knowledge.
5. @TldChat (TLDChat, USA)
I know. This is not a person, but it’s one Twitter account to follow and founded by Brent Schlenker (@Bschlenker) and Luis Malbas (@malbatron). Both dedicate themselves to bringing together the L&D community to learn from each other. TLDChat is the result and is on daily at 11am ET with great guests, topics and involvement from you too. Check it out.
6. @GerDriesen (Ger Driesen L&D expert, Netherlands)
Ger Driesen is an international expert in the field of learning, leadership, and talent development. But more interesting is how he refers to himself as a ‘Trendcatcher’. He will share how to build lasting social media strategies. Ger always delivers value and is what I refer to as a value tweeter, not constant tweeter.
7. @Craig_Sybert (Craig Sybert, USA)
While you’re building your next eLearning course, don’t forget to create the environment. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Then check out Craig Sybert. He shares what you need to do to build effective learning within eLearning by creating the right type of environment to stimulate learning. Check out his blog at SyberDesign.
8. @pbouffleur (Paul Bouffleur, USA)
Paul is a true learner and specializes in Educational Technology and Media to enhance all levels of learning and social learning. He shares a passion to create environments where employees feel empowered and encouraged to grow to building a winning team of engaged, self-directed learners.
9. @cre8iveii (Debbie Richards, USA)
Debbie is way too understated. She describes herself as a leading eLearning and technology advisor & developer, but she’s much, much more. Debbie is plugged into the L&D community probably more than anyone else I know. Follow her and you will learn about a variety of L&D items you probably never thought of.
10. @poojajaisingh (Dr. Pooja Jaisingh, India)
If you don’t know Pooja, then you are the only one. Pooja is your source for everything Adobe Captivate, but she’s much more. Her ability in eLearning design and development is exceptional and she writes and tweets about it all of the time. Follow her for sure.
11. @andyhughes (Andrew Hughes, USA)
Andrew’s sole objective is to rid the world of boring training. That’s great news if you’re stuck to revamp your eLearning courses or looking for new ideas. Andrew is always striving to seek new ways to making eLearning exciting.
12. @TeachWithVideo (Michael Kinney, Canada)
A fellow Canadian and a famous one at that, Michael is an actor and an award-winning educational broadcaster helping people to engage, persuade, and educate using video. He’s not your typical L&D person, and that is a good thing. New thinking using video for eLearning is what he does best.
13. @piercemr (Matt Pierce, USA)
Matt is a self-proclaimed storyteller, creator, video creator, podcaster, and geekdad in L&D. If you’ve been struggling with video for eLearning, then you need to follow Matt. He’s one of the most practical people around providing tips you can use immediately.
14. @aa_altieri (Anthony Altieri, USA)
Anthony is a unique L&D gem (don’t tell him I called him that) tweeting about technology practicality and pushing its limits within workplace learning. He’s your decoder for xAPI, beacons, and Internet of Things. Consider Anthony a practical L&D technology futurist.
15. @LearnKotch (Con Sotidis, Australia)
Without question, Con is my favorite Aussie who doesn’t censor his thoughts about L&D when he tweets. More than just a critic, Con strives to always identify how L&D can/should improve by offering interesting and, at times, thought-provoking solutions. Passionate describes him best. Trust me, he’ll keep you thinking.
16. @Bschlenker (Brent Schlenker, USA)
You know you’re doing the right thing when people like Brent include you into his L&D circle. Before being friends, I admired Brent’s balanced and holistic approach to all things learning. He’ll push you to try new things and shares great resources on his SoMe threads. And be sure to check out TLDChat every day.
17. @mlassoff (Mark Lassoff, USA)
Are your tech and eLearning development skills a little rusty? What to do more with the design of your eLearning courses past using a generic software? Then follow Mark! His straight-up approach provides insight into both areas and provides direction on how to become a better and more capable eLearning practitioner.
18. @NickFloro (Nick Floro, USA)
Nick will always be a staple in my SoMe stable. He is awesomely smart in L&D and way too humble for his own good. Like I’ve said in my last list, he brings calm and sanity to all things eLearning. He’s also my favorite L&D/eLearning hacker to improve your learning efforts. Make sure you meet him in person. He’s always willing to share his knowledge.
19. @JoshCav (Josh Cavalier, USA)
Josh is a veteran in learning and performance and knows the value of creating engaging training content. His tweets focus on this and areas to improving performance. He also prides himself to empowering educators to use technology and media.
20. @SnapSynapse (Sam Rogers, USA)
Confused about using audio, video, and anything to broadcast or record? I was, and left it to Sam to tweet stuff that I needed to learn. His wealth of A/V knowledge is an essential resource for every L&D practitioner expecting to become interactive. And he’s an awesome beat boxer!
Bonus:
@Bizlearningdude (Ajay M. Pangarkar CTDP, CPA, CMA, Canada)
I’m proud to be a self-described value Tweeter. My value tweeting habits inspire me to write this list. Unlike other L&D people on this list, I solely focus on L&D’s business and performance accountability requirements. Some even describe me as L&D’s business ‘conscience’. Following me provides you with links and resources to all of my business and performance articles and perspective for all issues L&D.
If you can’t get enough from the people on this list, then read the first Top 20 Learning And Development Value Tweeters list. Even though Value Tweeters on the first list may not appear on this list doesn’t reflect their lack of value. You should follow them too.
I would enjoy hearing from you about your Twitter experiences. Are there people you follow that deserve to be heard and followed? Send me a note and you may see them on the next Top 20 Learning and Development Value Tweeters list.
