The eLearning Guild Announces the Publication of New 360 Degree Report:

SANTA ROSA, Calif., June 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The eLearning Guild announced today the publication of a new Guild Research 360 Degree Report on Synchronous Learning Systems (SLS). Synchronous e-Learning (people learning something together at the same time, but not in the same place) is already very pervasive, with almost 65% of respondents using Synchronous Learning tools on a regular basis and with some industries seeing double-digit annual growth in their adoption and use.

This report underscores the significant variations among the available tools, highlighting differences in features, ease-of-use, Guild member satisfaction, and costs. As varied as the tools are, the techniques for deploying synchronous learning are also varied, and our report unveils differences in practice among organizations that report a strong ROI vis-a-vis those that report a poor ROI. The report also examines future directions in synchronous learning, and in particular, the integration of synchronous learning with 3D virtual social worlds.

"The data we've accumulated is mind-bogglingly useful," states Steve Wexler, The eLearning Guild director of research and emerging technologies. "I had come to this report thinking that these tools were pretty much the same. But survey results from so many respondents showed just how different the tools really are and great essays from the likes of Karen Hyder, Karl Kapp, and Tony O'Driscoll will open eyes as to what you can do now, and what you will be doing in the near future."

For this report, SLS market share ratings were based on data from more than 4,000 respondents and satisfaction ratings were based on data from more than 1,675 respondents. In addition, we surveyed over 830 e-Learning professionals who represented more than 700 different organizations to definitively show just what the state of the industry is when it comes to Synchronous Learning Systems. This Guild 360 Degree Report includes analysis, insights, articles, and case studies on the selection, deployment, best practices, and the future of synchronous e-learning from eight industry leaders.

"This report is a 'must-read" for anyone offering, or thinking about offering, synchronous learning within their organization," said David Holcombe, The Guild's CEO and Co-Founder. "Indeed, its essay's like the one from Kapp & O'Driscoll that prompted the Guild to unbundle its Direct Data Access system from the printed reports... because we wanted more people to be able to read these industry shaking articles and case-studies. So while the Guild's Direct Data Access Portfolios and the ability to access and interact with live data and filter results by industry, company size, etc. is definitely the star of the Guild Research show, the printed reports are enormously useful and now enormously affordable."

Also announced today were the winners of The eLearning Guild Member's Choice Awards for Synchronous Learning Systems. The Platinum Award goes to the top performer in each category, while a Gold Award goes to the next two top performer(s) in each category. The categories and winners are:

Market Share -- Corporate Synchronous Learning Systems Platinum: WebEx Training Center (WebEx Communications, Inc.) Gold: Microsoft Live Meeting (Microsoft Corporation) Gold: Adobe Acrobat Connect (Adobe Systems, Inc.) Market Share -- Education and Government Synchronous Learning Systems Platinum: Adobe Acrobat Connect (Adobe Systems, Inc.) Gold: Elluminate Live! (Elluminate USA, Inc.) Gold: WebEx Training Center (WebEx Communications, Inc.) Satisfaction -- Corporate Synchronous Learning Systems Platinum: GoToMeeting (Citrix Online) Gold: Microsoft Live Meeting (Microsoft Corporation) Gold: LearnLinc (iLinc Communications) Satisfaction -- Education and Government Synchronous Learning Systems Platinum: Elluminate Live! (Elluminate USA, Inc.) Gold: Microsoft Live Meeting (Microsoft Corporation) Gold: WebEx Training Center (WebEx Communications, Inc.) For more information, visit: http://www.elearningguild.com/360 About The eLearning Guild

The eLearning Guild is a global Community of Practice for e-Learning professionals and provides learning opportunities, networking services, resources, and publications for over 25,000 members. The Guild represents a diverse group of executives, directors, managers, designers, and developers who focus on providing world-class learning services. The eLearning Guild is a subsidiary of Focuszone Media, Inc., based in Santa Rosa, California. Please call +1.707.566.8990 or visit http://www.elearningguild.com/ for more information.