The impact of social learning tools and how they affect business is growing larger. It’s no longer a question of “if” businesses will engage in social learning, but “how” and “when”.

Traditionally, organizations have wrestled with how to define social learning. Social learning can be classified as: “Any type of learning where a person learns vicariously through the observations of, or interactions with, others.”

Social learning technology should enable this definition of social learning and what is now called the “Seven Cs”. Josh Bersin (Bersin & Associates) has often referred to four of them: conversation, connection, collaboration and content. While acknowledging these, there are three additional and important “Cs” in the business today: consumption, contribution and control. So, in the updated model, there are Seven Cs of social technologies:

1. Content – in the forms of knowledge-based assets, experiences and expertise – this is where it all starts.

2. Consumption - of content, as in usable, reference-able, searchable, tag-able and reusable.

3. Contribution - of content that can and should be user-generated.

4. Conversation - about content – it’s what makes it socially relevant to the business.

5. Collaboration - with others over content – it’s goal oriented and how we get things done socially.

6. Connections - made with others regarding content. In competitive business, it’s not just what you know, but who you know. Once connections are made, vicarious reinforcement follows.

7. Control - this is the most important and relevant “C” enterprises are dealing with today. Social learning technologies should enable customers to govern the continuum of openness and control as it applies to their business.

Social technologies should enable providers and users to navigate the Seven Cs while remaining meaningful to the workflow of the business.

Learn more in this free whitepaper.