Brian Clark throws open the doors of his Teaching Sells workshop, and here are my initial comments about this $97/quarter virtual learning environment course.

You may have downloaded at TeachingSells.com a free report about how content should not just be given away for free, and how you can make money online by transferring your knowledge to others.

No, not via the "traditional" ebook approach. Rather, you will teach others in a multimedia "virtual learning environment" (VLE).

The free report initially given by Teaching Sells was your basic text PDF file. Inside the workshop, however, the format is expanded.

You gain access to the written word (for visual learners), mp3 files (for auditory learners), and "interactive" flash multimedia presentations (for kinesthetic learners).

The main kinesthetic activity I experienced was mostly clicking on "next" arrows, or jumping to the next topic with the help of the mouse. Perhaps in future modules, students will be given the chance to drag objects around onscreen, in order to better learn a certain concept.

I have a confession to make...

I must confess that multimedia "learningware" starts to get old pretty quickly for me, especially when the text/content portion feels rather thin. Some of the multimedia presentations I've seen in the past are big on the graphics and slick transitions, but once you've seen an effect, you'll have a hard time sustaining the "Ooh! Ah!" feeling the next time you see that same style.

From what I've seen, ebooks can handle the text and audio part. Some ebook compilers can also display the flash animation. What ebooks may have difficulty containing is the Forum or online discussion feature of Teaching Sells.

It's still early days, and I don't quite feel yet the novel effects of a VLE. It still feels like your ebooks, blog pages or articles, mp3s and forum rolled into an aesthetically-designed (Amember powered?) membership site.

Will they go full VLE in the future? Will they allow students to interact online in terms of text, audio, and video? Something similar to PalTalk.com or online karaoke, perhaps?

Unsurprisingly, the initial favored learning style is visual. What do you expect from people who were drawn to the workshop thanks to a free 20+ page PDF file, right?

Given that fewer and fewer people make the effort to read, and since the free report was formatted for visual learners, those who did go through those pages found themselves eager to sign up for the course.

True, there was also a free audio version (mp3) of the report. What's surprising is that apparently the kinesthetics outnumber the audiophiles. Then again, it may be due to the more visually appealing clickable flash presentations, as opposed to the drab play button shown onscreen by the audio recordings.

Anyway, it's still quite early. The $97 promo is good until October 31, 2007. And I'm waiting to be blown away by the full VLE experience which I'm confident the team of Brian Clark is moving towards in the next 8 weeks.

Wait, I need to clarify something...

I'm not saying you won't be astounded by the initial offering of the workshop. But if you have created podcasts and screencasts, if you have published both PDF and EXE ebooks, if you have created multimedia online presentations, or if you have read some of the tweets of Janette Toral, then you'll probably be waiting for Brian and Tony Clark to flesh out the business and marketing aspect of VLEs.

Overall, if you're interested in learning "How to Create Premium Content That Sells", then check out TeachingSells.com today.

Rating for Course 1 (How to Create Content That Sells):
Okay. [3 out of 5 stars]

I'll give an update after they fully release Course 2 ~ 5.

  • 2: How to Effectively Market Interactive Learning Environments
  • 3: How to Create Killer Multimedia Content with Quick and Easy Tools
  • 4: Seven Profitable Business Models for Interactive Content Developers
  • 5: Your Blueprint for Building Membership Sites with Open Source and Low-Cost Software

No, those courses are not available yet (althouth audio/video course overviews are online). It's similar to paying your enrollment fee at the university. You don't get all the info on the first day of classes.

Rather, the instructor gradually unfolds the lessons over the coming weeks. Sometimes, the topics are shaped based on the feedback given by the students.

Uh-huh. I was once an instructor, and my fellow instructors know what this "gradual revelation" of lessons actually is. Typically, the syllabus is presented at the start of the semester, and students are free to read ahead, if they wish.

In the Teaching Sells VLE, however, it does not appear that students can read ahead. But that's at this point in time. Students who enroll at a later date will have more info to immediately access... at a higher joining fee, that is.

In other words, you (as online educator) can create 20% of your full course, attract students first, and then slowly create the remaining 60% of the material depending on the demand.

Where's the missing 20%? That's covered by the course overviews that you can make available immediately upon enrollment. In the Teaching Sells example, it appears that the fastest way to create a course overview is by recording an audio file.

If this is the future of making money online, then if teaching sells, gradual or roll-out teaching sells even better. I just hope that impatient visual learners don't have a fit. :-)

In the meantime, I will (try to) patiently wait for Course 4: Seven Profitable Business Models for Interactive Content Developers.

And if you're interested in making money online in the coming year, better start thinking of creating products, transferring knowledge, and getting paid for it. If you're still trying to figure things out, then give Teaching Sells a try today.

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"Teaching Sells Workshop"
First Posted: October 25, 2007 | Filed in: Make Money Online

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