MANY years ago, in a moment of frustration with our webmaster I said to myself: "That's it! I'm going to do this myself. How hard can it be to learn WordPress?" Well, that lasted around two days. Maybe not even a full 8 hours. It just became crystal clear that me becoming 'A Webmaster' was not a good use of my time.
Ah, but over the years and after paying my staff and contractors to build out 1,000+ websites for customers, clients, members (and not just WordPress) I learned much about being a webmaster. I picked up many tricks and techniques on how to do things. How things work. Best practices. I learned how to be a Webmaster by osmosis.
Learning by osmosis is a metaphorical concept borrowed from biology, where osmosis refers to the passive diffusion of molecules (like water) across a semipermeable membrane without requiring energy input. In the context of learning, it describes the idea of acquiring knowledge or skills effortlessly, simply by being exposed to information in your environment—without active study, practice, or deliberate effort.
How It Works (or Doesn't) in Practice
The Metaphor: Imagine sitting in a room full of smart people discussing quantum physics. The hope is that some of their knowledge "seeps" into your brain through sheer proximity, like water moving through a cell wall. It's often used humorously or wishfully, as in, "I learned French by osmosis from watching subtitled movies."
Real-World Examples:
Language Acquisition: Kids pick up their native language this way—through constant immersion in conversations around them, without formal lessons.
Cultural Knowledge: You might absorb social norms, slang, or trivia from friends, media, or workplaces without trying.
Professional Skills: In a job, you could learn office jargon or software tricks just by observing colleagues, rather than through training.
Cultural Knowledge: You might absorb social norms, slang, or trivia from friends, media, or workplaces without trying.
Professional Skills: In a job, you could learn office jargon or software tricks just by observing colleagues, rather than through training.
At 65 years old, I am not highly motivated to 'learn how to vibe code' or on a track to master AI. But because the Distance Learning Association services 174K+ schools across North America, and because the majority of those schools are teaching, training, coaching, mentoring students on all things AI... I'm learning all about AI whether I want to or not. It is indeed learning by osmosis. I'm not taking any courses on AI (yet....) but I am learning all about AI every single day.
So, it's really Learning by Leading. I'm living, learning, working, playing, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring with the folks who are indeed formally learning all about AI. The students who are paying tuition to learn about AI. NYDLA.org | NADLA.org members earning Certificates on AI Mastery.
Well maybe I'll take a Certificate Course... I can do that anytime from anywhere.......
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