Everyone in modern market economies accepts that companies need to make a buck (rupee, yen, peso or what have you), and generally no one grudges them the opportunity to do so, as long as they do so responsibly. Grudging can follow a company’s bold commitment to “do no evil” when that company is discovered to have done something less than awesome. This raises the stakes for social enterprises, who from the outset claim to do something other than for pure profit motivation. Daphne Koller, Co-Founder of  Coursera, makes a compelling case for having risen to the occasion in this podcast interview:

Coursera was launched in 2012 and reached its first one million users faster than Facebook or Twitter. Coursera is one of a number of companies offering massive open online courses– or MOOCs– to address a growing global population and the rising costs of on-campus higher education.

Who had not heard of Facebook or Twitter during their meteoric rise; on the other hand who has heard of Coursera? Instead of focusing on the social end-uses of social media, this enterprise focuses on the most fundamental use of all: learning. And this enterprise’s mission is being fulfilled in communities like those in which Raxa Collective’s organization members live and work. On their website, that little circled R might give us pause, but we will not grudge them yet because it is worth the effort to see if this enterprise really resists the temptations that face all enterprises:

About Coursera®

We believe in connecting people to a great education so that anyone around the world can learn without limits.

Coursera is an education company that partners with the top universities and organizations in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. Our technology enables our partners to teach millions of students rather than hundreds.

We envision a future where everyone has access to a world-class education that has so far been available to a select few. We aim to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in.

Most people are rightly skeptical of the intersection between commerce and education. If that intersection is in Silicon Valley, where paths of blockbuster companies often lead to either advertising or sharing consumers’ personal data, people are even more likely to be skeptical. Still, this one seems worthy of a close look. Click on the image above to go to a course offered by professors based at the Museum of Natural History, one of Coursera’s many partners.  That course is already in session, but after some inspection perhaps there will be an intra-Raxa Collective participation in a course such as:

Maybe not. That one has also already started, so perhaps one of the following starting in the coming weeks and months. We can imagine testing out Coursera among ourselves first, and then engaging within the many communities where we operate.  A course like this may be interesting for Raxa Collective:

About the Course

Why Content Strategy is essential for professionals in any organization – business, non-profit, or government.Content Strategy is a conversation that provides thought-leadership. It starts a “conversation” with users and stakeholders inside and outside an organization.  Conversations are the natural way people think about complex issues. Conversations also enable people to develop “stories,” which lead to understanding and helpful mental pictures. Content Strategy practitioners are at all levels of the best enterprises – in all departments and sectors from the top leader to the newcomer in the ranks.In this complex information age, forward-thinking employees know that if they and their organizations are to thrive, they need to go beyond their job descriptions. They must master the most demanding communications frontier – creating engaging, strategic, honest stories and information that is valued by their most important audiences. In turn that will make their enterprise stand out.Regardless of their department, area of work, or expertise, Content Strategy practitioners know how to use words, pictures, video, and social and mobile media to interact with their most important constituents with trustable, actionable information that the audience values and will use. The strategic content they produce enhances the audience’s lives and deepens their understanding and engagement with the organization.Content Strategy is similar to the best examples of journalism, but it is done by non-journalism organizations. Content Strategy is always honest, trustable, and transparent. It tells all sides of every story it reports. Often it is also deeper and directed at topics and audiences that traditional journalism under-serves or does not reach at all. Content Strategy is not advertising, marketing, or public relations. It is different because it never pursues the persuasive goals that are appropriate in those disciplines.