What Will 2009 Bring?

Elearning! Magazine Offers More, Better Products on Paper and on the Web

Although the national economy has seen better days, the arrival of 2009 promises expansion on three fronts for Elearning! magazine.  The first and most significant change is the addition of Government Elearning! magazine to our family of products. Included in this issue (beginning on page 31) is a preview of government-related articles that will serve as a send-off for the new magazine, whose first issue will be dated February/March.

According to Brandon-Hall Research Group, more than $100 billion will be spent by local, state and federal governments on learning and technologies in 2009. That market is expected to grow by 22 percent over the next three years. Indeed, almost one-third of the readers of Elearning!  media are government employees. The new magazine will also have its own Website and its own Web-based events.

Speaking of Web-based events, Elearning!’s popular Summits (virtual trade shows) will grow from two in 2008 to three in 2009: May 1, July 16 and November 5. Their focuses will be on Web 2.0; government e-learning and performance management; and “The Best of Elearning,” respectively. In 2008, 1,100 attended the May Summit and more than 1,300 attended the November Summit.

Finally, you will see significant changes in the Elearning! Website, which has changed its address to www.2elearning.com.  “We’re moving to a content management system (CMS) platform that features active indexing,” Upton explains. “That means that you are in the driver’s seat when you visit the site. You will be served content based upon your industry or category interests.”   The new site will also feature networking interactivity. Visitors will be able to post blogs or post comments to any articles. Finally, www.2elearning.com will have a section titled “Resources Center” that will archive videocasts, much like the popular YouTube site. The Resources Center will also include searchable Webcasts (including those from Elearning! Summits) and white papers.
We at Elearning! magazine invite you to spend a little time exploring our new home on the World Wide Web. And don’t be afraid to let us know what you think.

Jerry Roche
Editorial director