One of the things that makes the elearning industry so fantastic is how people are so eager to get involved and contribute something back to the community.

You enter the industry ready to soak up new information about the technology, methodology, and various sub-niches within elearning. After some time, you feel the need to give back to others who will inevitably be in the situation you were once in.

Giving back doesn’t mean it has to be time consuming. It can be as simple as helping a newcomer by sharing some popular resources.

If you are feeling the desire to give back, but are not sure exactly how, then consider the following:

Answer Someone’s Question

This can be done in a LinkedIn group, response to a blog comment, or as a forum reply. Your answer doesn’t just help the person who asked it, but everyone who will ask it in the future. That’s pretty powerful.

Contribute to a Blog

There are many popular elearning based blogs out there that are always searching for content. Contribute your own helpful article. The nice thing is that while you are helping others you also are indirectly building your credibility within the industry.

Start Your Own Blog

This takes a bit more dedication than the above suggestion, but is a fantastic way to share your knowledge with others in the elearning industry. As your blog gains popularity, you’ll find that articles you have written a long time ago will still generate interest and comments.

Create a Free Course

Hone your own instructional design skills while at the same time helping others. Create a free online course on a topic that you know well and that others will find useful. Put a link to this course anywhere you exist online (in your email signature, forum signature, social networks, etc.). While this sounds like a big task, it’s actually quite simple with the right tools.