ChinesePod on Open Language
bababardwan
September 12, 2012, 06:12 AM posted in General DiscussionYesterday we had an announcement of a new iphone app and a new version of the ipad app [same app] which was also announced. But I also noticed in itunes at the same time that there was an updated version of the open language app. As this app was originally announced on this website, I'm wondering why the update wasn't announced also [no biggie, I'm just curious]. But what makes me much more curious as to why it wasn't announced is that I've just discovered ChinesePod is now also on OpenLanguage:
http://openlanguage.com/learn-Chinese/ChinesePod
...even more reason you'd think it would be announced on the CPod website [unless I missed it...when did this happen?]. So I'm also really curious what this means....on first glance, the CPod ipad app and the OpenLanguage app look very similar. Who is this ChinesePod OpenLanguage app for if not for CPod users? What's the story here?
Purrfecdizzo
Obviously, I am talking out my a... nose here, but I don't think that will happen. As far as I know, the Chinesepod website is profitable, and if they do away with it, they would probably lose money. I hope I am right in my assessment.
I am in the same boat as you, I hope it isn't so neither.
podster
bababardwan,
I think your hunch comes from what Jenny already said when we asked about suddenly shutting down the mobile web site: "everything is moving toward apps anyway" So I wouldn't be surprised if the CPod web site were suddenly shut down with little or no warning. As to the community, I use Skrtitter and I notice that on their recently launched iPhone app there is an ability to access their forum, just as one can do on their web site. But I agree with you, it would be a great shame if CPod does abandon the web site. (And a big mistake, in my humble opinion).
root
I asked Hank about this issue -- why i can't use my CPod account on OpenLanguage, and the answer was that they are two separate companies, so accounts cannot be linked.
I imagine that OpenLanguage was not included in the sale, and its relationship with CPOd is more of a partner rather than one being a subsidiary. Still, it's a shame for accounting reasons we can't choose to access the content we paid for on OpenLanguage platform, cause it seems their iphone apps are a couple of months ahead of CPod's
bababardwan
podster,
I wouldn't call it a hunch, more of a fear, which is only heightened when you get no response from CPod on the big issues.
"everything is moving toward apps anyway"
..jeepers, I wouldn't have taken "everything" to mean "EVERYTHING" ...I would have just thought it referred to when it came to mobile learning. You may be right, but I hope not. It's great having all this mobile learning ability when you're out and about, traveling to and from work, but it's still better for me on the desktop computer when I really want to knuckle down, or join in the community.
"So I wouldn't be surprised if the CPod web site were suddenly shut down with little or no warning"
天啊，吓死我了 ！！
bababardwan
September 12, 2012, 08:34 AMInterestingly, under language selection, as well as the recently introduced Arabic, there is German [does changye know this?], Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Vietnamese. I don't know if any of these have anything up and running yet, but at least at looks like they must be planned. It's cool being able to switch between languages on the one platform.
bababardwan
There are no new languages in the open language store, so I guess those settings are there for future use...but I guess it shows they are hoping to open those languages up and go down that path.
Purrfecdizzo
If they include piglatin, you can count me in!... Seriously, I hope to find some way to study Cantonese, so I hope that they will do that language either here in Chinesepod or on the Open language store.
bababardwan
September 12, 2012, 09:14 AMMany poddies have been known to complain about the jump from Ellie to Intermediate. So you'll be interested to know that on the open language app for ChinesePod you can filter lessons by level, and there is a Pre-Intermediate level. It would be interesting to see which ones come under this banner.
Purrfecdizzo
The jump from ele to int was hard, but I also thought the jump from int. to upp was hard too. When I first started studying upp, I was at a point where upp would beat me down and eat my lunch, but Int was a bit on the easy side. Today, upp is a suitable level for me, and I am starting to look at advanced. I haven't listed to any advanced lessons yet, but I am curious about that jump.
RJ
Why does there have to be a "jump"? That's just being overly pedantic. Nowhere does it say that you must study exclusively one level, and then one day suddenly start studying exclusively the next. Create a study plan that involves a mixture of levels that gradually shifts its primary focus upward. The rigor at which you study each level can also be tailored to your current needs and also gradually change with time. Its on your terms. Its not cpod's responsibility to feather edge each transition, they have given you the tools to do it yourself. Whatever your level, you should be spending some time in the level below and the level above, even if you don't study them the same way.
Purrfecdizzo
OK. Understood.
helzcurrah
I study two levels simultaneously and it seems to work well for me . I started off doing just ellies, now I'm doing ellies and intermediates. Pretty soon I will drop the ellies and do inter + upper intermediate. I listen to the easier level on the metro etc because it's quite easy just to listen to it and mentally file away any new words that come up without too much effort, and I properly study the harder level. It's also a nice reminder every day of the progress I've made when I listen to an "easy" podcast.
bababardwan
September 12, 2012, 07:25 AMhmm, looks like I have 19 old CPod lessons in open language, the first 3 of which I can access and the rest of which, when I click on them, says I don't own them...this is no problem because I can get what I want from the the latest ChinesePod ipad/iphone app anyway, but I really wonder what it all means. Is it being marketed to a different market? My biggest concern by far is that this spells the beginning of the end of this CPod website and that it is planning to follow the other praxispods with a plan to shut down the website and just be on openlanguage, with no community etc.
Please tell me it isn't so.