Citation
(2008), "Whats on the web", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2008.08122aag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Whats on the web
Although this site looks as though it would be better suited to a call centre than a training and development company, the content is really quite reasonable. Offering tailor-made courses focusing on various aspects of business development the company is based on “60 years combined development experience, including a qualified business coach, an occupational psychologist and the CIPD’s lead tutor for Train the Trainer.” In addition “open” courses are available in areas such as presentation skills, assertiveness skills and management development. The site itself is easy to use though some of the links are repetitive and seem to keep leading back into each other. Various offers and discounts on courses are advertised throughout the pages of the site; also there are several free resources including handouts available as downloads.
Life’s a beach
www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk
The home page of the Silicon Beach Training site contains a lot of information. A wide-ranging list of the training courses run by the company is supplied along with a short overview of each of these. Unfortunately this is all provided in rather small print in an uninspiring linear layout. However, when the links are followed to the specifics of each course the pages become far better. The price of each of the many courses is clearly laid out at the top along with details of what the courses cover. Additional resources are also provided such as forums and hints and tips pages, with a within site search engine proving a useful tool to navigate this extensive web site. The site also appears to be linked to Amazon, with recommended reading material related to each of the different course areas.
Deceptive appearance
High visual impact gives a good first impression to the Blueberry Training web site, although, as the name suggests, the colour scheme overdoes the blue somewhat. Multi-media components such as video examples of the training on offer make a refreshing change from many other sites, but to gain full use of this feature one needs to register. The previous client list suggests an education-based focus to their training schemes. Unfortunately, like many fruit, despite the attractive appearance and ease of use this site is lacking in substance. None of the pages give much information about what the company has to offer and a large proportion of the same seem to be incomplete. Possibly the site is still under development; that would certainly be the most plausible explanation for something providing so little information. If so, they should tell their audience.
Link-ups needed
“We centre our whole business on creating the change you or your business requires using the philosophy and techniques of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).” The basis of this technique and the benefits it purports to confer are explained within the pages of the site. The site itself is well designed and professional, giving the company an encouraging image. A diverse range of training schemes are provided both in the business and personal sectors, with the site giving detailed descriptions of what each covers. Free training days are on offer to enable potential clients to experience what the company can provide first hand; one can also register for the free e-zine. The only bugbear we really had with this site is that the explanation of NLP is a little vague and the accreditations appear to be non-existent. However, with such an easy to navigate layout the site is worth browsing through and there are other ways of finding out the detail. Some better links might be useful.
High impact
Fresh and slightly quirky, Impact Factory’s web site mixes a fun imagery with serious content. The pages provide enough information without overdoing it; one can easily determine which links are relevant to specific searches. Both tailor made and open courses are on offer, with courses available in four formats depending on personal requirements; plenty of information is also given about the trainers themselves. Previous clientele are listed along with examples of what was required in each case and how the company fulfilled its aims. This gives a nice touch in that prospective clients get a good idea of how the company works. The library link is particularly informative, with articles regarding training issues written by the company’s trainers. If the courses on offer are as well presented as the web site then this company is onto a winner. Overall this is a site well worth having a look at.
And finally
Some (actually quite good) quotes from US basketball coach, John Wooden:
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Never mistake activity for achievement.
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When you are through learning, you are through.
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Spend too much time learning tricks of the trade and you may never learn the trade.
Best of all
For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one!
If you have any favourite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, or wish us to consider your own site, please drop us an e-mail and we will ask our reviewers to check them out.