Ep 127 - Brian Oblinger - Community and Customer Education are Better Together

Listen in as we explore the ever-evolving intersection of community management and customer education with Brian Oblinger. Brian is a seasoned veteran in community management, and shares invaluable insights drawn from his extensive career, underscoring the power of learning from past endeavors. Our discussion ventures beyond the surface, examining how industry giants have leveraged platforms like North Pass to foster innovation in digital customer education, ultimately enhancing product engagement and retention. We tackle the strategic and technical challenges of creating a frictionless user experience across learning management systems and community forums, sharing practical steps for incorporating single sign-on and prioritizing user experience in program roadmaps. The transformative potential of integrating community into educational strategies is not just a dream—it's a reality we're passionate about, and we want to share that passion with you. Brian Oblinger is a revered community management expert with a wealth of experience dating back to the mid-90s. As the co-host of the In Before the Lock podcast, he shares his extensive knowledge to help others avoid past mistakes in community engagement. His expertise is rooted in building strategies that intertwine community and customer education, showcasing his proficiency in creating symbiotic relationships that enhance digital learning experiences. About the Show CELab is the Customer Education Lab for Innovative Customer Success, Enablement, and Marketing Teams. Our mission is to explore how to build Customer Education programs, experiment with new approaches, and exterminate the myths and bad advice that stop growth dead in its tracks. Listen in as we discuss: Guest intro Brian Oblinger Brian’s favorite pasta CE use in businesses Fusion of community and customer education Brian shares wisdom on digital training Philosophy of customer-centric resource accessibility Tackling technical challenges for a frictionless user experience Unified experiences in customer platforms Seamless navigation between learning and forums Aligning community and learning within organizations Importance of flexible, customer-focused organizational design Weekly challenges and gamification in customer-led learning Long-term benefits of a strategic community-building approach Developing engaging community learning platforms Integrating social learning and user involvement in content creation And - please - if you’ve found value in this podcast, share with your friends, your peers, and your network to help us “Find the Others”! Resources: Brian Oblinger LinkedIn Before the Lock Podcast Northpass Thought Industries TechSmith Dave Derington LinkedIn Adam Avramescu LinkedIn