Best of the week

Here's a question: how does one cite Weblog entries? Should they be in quotation marks like articles? (But the line between what's an article and a blog post on the Web is becoming increasingly blurred.)

I think I've gone back and forth on this blog and I'm looking for consistency. Blogs aren't mentioned in my Wired Style guide, published in 1996. I'll have to do some online research, but if readers have a source in the meantime, let me know.

Non-technology/e

Using the Wisdom of Crowds in Business. Another insightful post from Dave Pollard, applying the principles in the book The Wisdom of Crowds. (Also see his review of that book.)

Lifestylism: The Coaching of the All. Life coaching is a growing field and a possible new career path for workplace learning professionals. This in-depth post takes a frank look at the phenomenon and examines its pros and cons.

Test your courage in leadership. Take this quiz from the September issue of Fast Company. (Unfortunately, it hasn't been adapted for the Web so you still need to add up your own score.)

E-Learning

"Growing Virtual Communities." Another excellent article from the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning examines the definition of a virtual community, ways to grow one, the stages in the life cycle of a community, and more.

E-Learning without literacy. An German e-learning program works without learners being able to read. The tutorial at the site reads the instructions and text out loud. There's also a telephone advice line and a forum for learners via voicemail. (Thanks, Smart Mobs.) More on literacy from this blog here.

"Moving From Theory to Practice in the Design of Web-based Learning Using a Learning Object Approach." A paper from a Ph.D. and assistant professor of educational technology at Memorial University in Canada. A Web-based learning module was designed to "operationalize the concepts of granularity, reusability, scalability, and interoperability..."

Technology

Nurses Bid Online for Extra Shifts. To address the nursing shortage, a new program called eShift facilitates online bidding (at the lowest hourly rate) to match hospitals and nurses who want extra work. Is this a great idea or a horrible one? (Thanks, Smart Mobs.)

It's Not Just Usability. A great post from the blog Joel on Software about usability in general and social software interfaces in specific. Good information put in a humorous way makes good reading.

"Presence Applications Poised for Takeoff." An interesting article on what's coming down the pike. You may have heard some of this before, but this article talks about specific companies and uses, as well as some cultural implications. (Thanks, Telework Times.)