Happy days are here again, oh happy days are here again; blah blah, blah blah ..BLAH. I would sing the rest, but as you can see, I forgot the words, plus I’m lazy to look them up.

Anyway, the day is here – the launch of FindContent.io, my newest platform, to help YOU find the right, best, and ideal content/courses for your learning system. You can do a lot on the platform, which will be covered in this post, along with some other items, in a Q&A style. Will you see images? You bet. Will you see videos without audio? Yep. I want to stress a couple of points before I start.

• The platform is not a reseller or affiliate or anything like that. We do not sell the courses/content.
• The platform allows folks to find courses/content that aligns with their needs, specs, interests, requirements, etc. Think of it as a museum, with lots of cool stuff you can do, and without fear that security will come and get you.

Q: What is FindContent.io, and why did you build this?

A: Great question. FindContent.io is a platform that combines detailed information around a publisher/off-the shelf provider (3rd party content), with the ability to access courses/content from a variety of vendors, that you can use as much as you want and as often as you want. Some of the courses are trials or limited, but the majority are full access – and will be constantly updated by the vendors. You can save content providers in your home screen to consider later on, you can compare them – up to four at one time, you can use filters to define and identify, and you can see a lot of information on them. Thus FindContent.io are two platforms in one. Something that has never been done before in the 3rd party, off-the-shelf content/courses industry.

I built this because, after years of experiencing what many of you go through in finding the courses/content you will want/need for your learning system, I recognized that FindContent.io is needed in the market due to:

• Finding the courses/content you need in your learning system can be arduous and difficult. If you type a topic in a search engine, you get a lot of useless information and stuff.
• You have to hope that your learning system vendor has a course/content marketplace, and if they do, how do you know which ones you want or need? It isn’t easy to figure out, and anyone in L&D and Training is fans of seeing and playing around in the courses. Many folks want to dig in, without qualifying, and see what there is before going, “Okay, let’s buy it.”
• People today like to compare X to Y, and the platform provides that – it is a great tool; otherwise, you have no idea when you find the content/courses on the net, and thus, require an RFP to do – a time-consuming experience.
• Many people know only of those vendors who are exceptional at marketing. Yet the industry has a few hundred providers. And then there is the assumption that if they are amazing at marketing, ergo, they are amazing at courses. It isn’t always the case. Thus, FindContent.io strips that away and gets right into the weeds.

Q: How many content publishers are on the platform, on launch day?

A: We debut with nine off-the-shelf content publishers/providers, with another one coming in the next in less than a week. I fully recognize that “nine” doesn’t seem like a lot, and yes, that’s true, but the reason behind less is that this idea is so new/has never been done before. They, just like you, want to see what it is and how it works. I see these vendors, the initial nine, as those willing to take a leap of faith, to try something new that they believe will change the process of identifying and selecting content for your learning and training needs. The idea that a solution isn’t a reseller or an affiliate is difficult for some vendors to fathom because that is the usual Mode of Operandi with entities that want to offer content to consumers. However, FindContent.io isn’t a reseller, an affiliate, or anything like that. We do not sell content – we merely bridge the process – if you want to know more or seek a trial – I strongly recommend this – you can do it all within the platform – direct to the provider. OR you can research first, then go to the provider’s site directly (all list their website), and go from there. The power is in your hands.

Q: Who are the first nine providers?

• OpenSesame
• MindChannel
• BizLibrary
• Intellezy
• GO1
• Bigger Brains
• Video Arts
• iAM Learning
• The Access Group – Access Learning

Another vendor, Pluralsight is on its way (So let’s say 10 providers)

Q: Can I see courses/content, take the courses/content with all these providers, and other providers that will come later on?

A: Only vendors that have Premium next to their name.

Those listed as Premium paid an additional fee for that option, along with the ability to “Request Trial.” They have other benefits too. However, we do not push one vendor over another, nor say you are better off with Premium versus non-Premium. When you use the filters, everyone is equal. If a Premium vendor doesn’t have that capability, you won’t see them in the list. That ensures a process and approach – assuring you, that the selection is independent and fair.

Q: Okay, this is really cool. I’m ready; what do I do next, how does it work, and can I get a free Coke?

A: No on the Coke. I drank them all. As for the next steps, I decided to go the “training route” of images – think those work instructions OR the way to write a guide or other materials for folks.

1. Go to FindContent.io
2. Click
3. Complete the Registration form , please note you will never be spammed or connected to any mailing list.
4. Click
5. You are now able to log in to the platform. We are exploring dual authentication so that this process may change. However, at this time, once you sign-up, you are now in the system.
6. After you are in the platform you are ready to go

Q: What if I have already registered OR I register and then decide to return later?

A: Not a problem. When you go to the FindContent.io main screen, you will see

Click Log-in, and you are now in the platform. If you forgot your password, you can reset it by clicking

and Then follow the instructions. The system, FindContent.io, will send you an e-mail to reset. If you do not see it within five minutes after you select the Forgot your Password, check your spam OR see if IT is blocking the email.

FindContent.io Platform

I decided to go two routes with this, i.e., the instruction Guide way with images and click this and that, PLUS screen recordings without Audio. I will be adding a “How to” within the FindContent.io platform in the next few months, and will, in a week or so, add a guide and a video with my voice covering the platform and how to access the courses. As with anything, if you find a bug, please let me know. Except for Cockeroaches.

At the bottom of the post, I will identify a couple of slight delays, we just found, and thus are working on. For example, when you log in, there may be a slight delay of five to 10 seconds.

Okay, onto FindContent.io – Strap in!!!

The screen you will see is this:

The left side is where you can filter – narrow down. There are many options here; you can select as many as you want, per area, or as few. Best of all, it is effortless to do:

When you choose your filters, you may see your list of vendors reduced down. This is because of the filters you have selected. As noted earlier, if a Premium vendor doesn’t have that capability, it will not be seen on your list, and ditto for those not Premium.

On the right side, you will see the off-the-shelf 3rd party providers/publishers. You can do the following:

Compare

When you compare the course/content providers, you are going to get a lot of information – for a true comparison.

Here is another view, via video

Read More and Get the Information you need to know

Just click

and then you are in.

Now you can read more about the vendor, see what features/capabilities they have, topics/categories of their content and other items.

This is the real POWER of FindContent.io because it will allow you to access courses/content from the publishers and providers of 3rd party content. The Process to get going is easy to do. Here are the STEPS

Under the “Content Playlist” you will see the following screen

If you have not registered before, you will need to Register. To view the content/courses, you will need to Register only once. After you register, the FindContent.Instilled Platform will send you an e-mail. You will need to complete the registration process – by following the directions on the e-mail. This is dual authentication. After you do, you can log in and start viewing courses/content. During your session, you do not need to enter your login information for the ability to view courses/content. If you leave the session and come back, say, the next day – you may need to Login – by entering your username and password.

Once that is done, you are now able to view the courses/content, and any other information the provider has included. Each provider (Premium) chooses their own path. Another really cool feature of the content screen is the ability to bounce around, via the playlist function. To view the playlist, click

– this will expand the right side of the content screen, and show you the playlist. You can jump around, select course titles, and start taking courses here. You can always ask questions or leave comments (anywhere in the course(s) or other information, and the provider will respond. Let’s take a look

That’s it. Tada!!!

In the next two weeks, GO1 will be adding their courses/content and information to FindContent.io

Updates

We have found a slight delay after you login, it may last up to 10 seconds. We are working on resolving this. When you start to view the vendors and wish to scroll down, we have found another slight delay – lag time. Again, it is just a few seconds. And yes, we are working on this.

When you access the courses/content from the vendors, please be aware of lag time. This is due to our platform connecting to their platforms to pull up the content. The delay can last anywhere between 15 seconds to 45 seconds. Thus, if you are waiting and thinking, “what, this isn’t working,” be aware that this is due to the connection.

Bottom Line

FindContent.io is here. We are new. We are different.

And I believe,

We will help you find the right content, the right provider, for your learning needs.

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