Episode 45
The Skillshare Show
July 15, 2016 · Mike Murphy
Ep45: The Skillshare Show All about the online education platform, Skillshare. Episode Summary: What is Skillshare? How does it work? What are the requirements to launch a course? What are the benefits of teaching on Skillshare?
Episode Summary: What Skillshare is, how its community and membership model works, what it takes to publish a class, and why teaching online — on Skillshare or anywhere else — makes for a better, sharper you.
What You’ll Learn
- What Skillshare is, how its membership model works, and what it costs
- Why project-based learning is the most effective way to teach and learn
- What’s actually required to publish a class on the platform
- 3 real reasons to teach: money, authority, and personal growth
Ask Mike Anything: An iPhone Holder for a Small Tripod
Question: Any recommendation for a good iPhone holder for a small tripod?
Answer: MeFoto Sidekick360 ($30) or the Manfrotto Twist Grip ($49).
What Is Skillshare?
Started in NYC, live since 2011. Over 1.8 million students, $5 million+ paid out to instructors, and 6,000+ classes in the library. It’s a community-based platform.
Project-Based Learning
Every Skillshare class is project-based — the goal is that a student actually creates or makes something by the end, which is the most effective way to learn anything.
How Skillshare Works
A membership model with both free and premium classes; instructors decide whether to charge (most do). Membership runs $9.99/month for unlimited classes — the Netflix model applied to online education. Discount: signing up through this link gets 3 months of Premium for $0.99.
What Can Be Learned on Skillshare?
A smorgasbord of topics these days, but especially strong in design and creative arts, entrepreneurship and social marketing, technology, and lifestyle topics like meditation, health, fitness, and productivity. It’s a particularly good place to learn Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, photography, video, and Instagram/social media tips and tricks.
Requirements to Teach
Anyone can teach — the only real requirement is filling out a class properly (titles, descriptions, etc.) and making sure every class includes a student project.
Class Length
Skillshare encourages “snack-sized” classes, with roughly 20 minutes being the sweet spot.
What to Teach
The easiest approach, on Skillshare or online in general, is to think small and simple. Look at a typical work day — full-time gig or side project — and identify what’s done every day that feels like second nature. A favorite Derek Sivers quote applies directly:
What’s obvious to you is amazing to others.
Why Teach?
- Money. Skillshare’s revenue-sharing plan pays more the more classes and students an instructor has — roughly estimated at $1/student.
- Authority & marketing. An online class functions like a book — publishing one makes an instant expert impression, and teaching a topic repeatedly genuinely deepens expertise in it.
- A better you. Making online classes is the ultimate one-man-band training program — it stretches creativity, technical skill, and intellect, and sharpens writing, speaking, and time management along the way. Hard work, but extremely rewarding.
Gear Required
Microphone: ATR2100 or Shure SM58. Screencast software: Camtasia ($99), Screenflow ($99), or QuickTime (free).