Lynda.com for Open Source Learning

Lynda.com is the most successful education materials site, with revenue of $100M. OSE is interested in doing an open source materials version.

Challenges of Lynda.com

• Keeping content updated is a challenge - [1]

• Example: "Accelerating–and broadening–production is a tough challenge. Weinman has added 20 in-house authors in quickly-out-of-date areas like iOS and Windows 8 tutorials, who can turn around a video in days. Lynda.com is also learning to produce “soft-skill” tutorials (examples: negotiation techniques and conflict resolution) that have a longer shelf life."
• Also: "It’s expanding overseas. Within weeks of its funding Lynda.com spent an undisclosed amount to buy Video2brain, a rival in Graz, Austria with training videos in German, Spanish, French and English. Not an easy snap-on: As Heavin explains, they must build out the back end to host multiple languages and foreign currencies...All this “puts more pressure on them to stay current,” says Vic Parker of Spectrum Equity, who joined the board in January. He’s betting Weinman can pivot. “Lynda gets input directly from her users on what the appetite is for content.” But “there will definitely be momentum towards having that done entirely in-house.” That’s a model with some hefty upfront costs."

OSE Version

• Because platform is open source and source files are included - continuing updates can be made.
• Enterprise model uses the open source model as a Distributive Enterprise, with DAO principles
• Advantages: (1) eliminate all contributor costs; (2) Replaces in-house staff with Learning Materials, Open Protocols, and Open Source Code for continuous improvements to be made.
• Challenges: commits assessment algorithm for determining the level of contributions to a certain product.
• Solution: positioning as a purpose-driven contribution system

Proposed Governance Model

Essence: community-driven, purpose-driven collaboration. Targeted ad revenue for funding?

Everyone has free access to materials.

Free version includes the OSE brand.

Design for Incorruptability: contributions are VOLUNTARY and in the Gift Economy! Contribution mechanism is purpose-driven.

Subscribers pay for content. Issue: must resolve access issue by motivating open culture via

Contributors get 90% of all revenue generated from their video. Lean Foundation keeps 10% for operations: funding developers, etc.

This contributes to the OSE Campus education program.

Value-added can be in the form of Distillation: shortening and improving rapid-learning qualities of videos for faster learners.

This is intended to be the new education system of the world.

Entire repository is OSE-branded for the common future heritage.

OSE content is watermarked. Others are able to use content, but with OSE branding unless they pay a fee to remove OSE branding.

Summary: no clear revenue model for community-driven, purpose driven contributions.

Lynda.com Model

From http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2013/07/24/lynda-weinman-online-education-human-capital/:

"But online video required more content than Weinman could create. So she turned to top talent in photography, coding and, increasingly, office applications–dangling attractive incentives for racking up views. People like Julieanne Kost, a 20-year Adobe veteran who teaches Photoshop essentials. “You can be a leading expert in something and still have no idea how to explain it,” Weinman says. “Being a good teacher on-camera is paramount.” Staffers scour publisher lists and conference programs for prospects, then administer screen tests. Once confirmed, they are flown to Lynda.com’s studios for filming, where in-house production techs synthesize courses like a five-hour tutorial on Excel 2013 into roughly 100 digestible three-minute lessons."