Most writing about social media focuses on how to use it for marketing, but there's a much larger story to tell, according to Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner, co-authors of The New Social Learning, released this month. This is the first book to help organizations understand and harness social media to improve organizational effectiveness and learning.

Co-published by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and Berrett-Koehler, _The New Social Learnin_g is for people who are interested in how social media helps people in organizations learn quickly, innovate fast, share their knowledge, and engage with peers, business partners, and customers.

More so than any other technology, social media allows individuals to embrace the needs of changing workplace demographics and allow people of all ages to learn in ways that are comfortable and convenient for them. As Bingham and Conner assert, emerging technologies enable a new kind of "knowledge-building ecosystem with people at its core."

The new social learning reframes social media from a marketing strategy to a strategy that encourages knowledge transfer. At its most basic level, social learning helps people become more informed, gain a wider perspective, and make better decisions by engaging with others. Using examples from a wide range of organizations - including Chevron, the CIA, Deloitte, EMC, IBM, Mayo Clinic, and TELUS - The New Social Learning shows how people in organizations across the globe are using social media to collaborate and learn.

"A major reason we came together to write this book is to help readers understand how to find new ways to make sense of the mountain of information coming toward them every day," the authors explain. "We need new ways to filter content, to save information, and to learn from each other and our trusted sources. It is our hope that the new social learning - and the examples, recommendations, and lessons provided in the book - will take us all in that direction."

Tony Bingham is president and CEO of ASTD, the world's largest professional association dedicated to the training and development field. Marcia Conner is a partner focused on enterprise collaboration at Altimeter Group, a firm that provides thought-leadership, research, education, and advice on leveraging emerging digital strategies.

Connect with the authors on Twitter @newsociallearn, and read reviews, chapter summaries, and listen to audio clips at www.thenewsocialearning.com.