CPOD REALLY UPSET 88GROUPS

I got pretty confused with scheduling my original group. Now I just publish when I'm ready.

I think the 88groups is potentially a great place for small groups with specialized interests.I think that the three or four active groups all fall under this heading. One problem with this is that ChinesePod is basically a commercial venture (which is per se a good thing), and it does not directly make any money on such a place. Maybe they will support it anyhow, just for the activity and the loyalty it produces. For now, the most important thing is to know what they want - do they want it or not? CPod guys, please tell us.

Goulnik, I just hope the experiment will not be suddenly discontinued as some others before. The created content must survive. Especially the news group. 99 polished Media lessons right there waiting for us.

Oh, and it is a pity (and not a particularly good omen) that the characterInsanity has been abandoned.

Henning, I think you said it all with your omen comment.

what is 88groups??

Thanks for all the support, much appreciated. I'm not giving up, and should 88groups really fall apart, I'd recreate 88news as a blog or some such. I just need to vent my frustration, I may have been to lenient with CPod, the management just needs to take note. That's not taking anything away from them, won't even stop me from renewing my subscription which happens to expire today. The weird thing about scheduling is it's an issue for their practice plan teachers, and for students too as a result. I just don't understand why they have to shoot themselves in the foot...

Yves, I really like what you're doing in 88groups. That's a great job. I would be sad it some sort of scheduling could stop you. Btw, I admit that on 88groups the way pages are presented and discussions organized is way too disconcerting for me. My participation is then very limited but I follow all of your entries.

I have been asking that from day one when they moved me over there for my practice plan lessons. I don't get it, but if someone could explain it to me, maybe I would.

It really has been among the stranger marketing tactics that I've seen... Launch a product/feature with virtually no promotion, and don't say anything when people ask about it. Same with the dictionary, which has been unresponsive (beyond the home page) for almost a week now. At least with the Grammar Guide, we got the occasional "hang on, guys, we're working on it." 真奇怪。

I'm with you goulniky. I've pretty much given up on my Taiwan group...not because I want to, but because it's been inaccessible for almost a month now.

Yves, It's sad to see you upset and so unhappy and frustrated by the very entity you've enriched; you are one of CPod's most gifted and committed community members. I hope, too, that CPod will take notice and address your concerns and frustrations...expeditiously.

Since Johnb is around now, maybe we can have some kind of statement on the status of the 88groups?

I sincerely hope 88 groups survives, since I'm still in the infant stages of creating my "Media" 88 group. What I love about the concept of 88 Groups is that individual users can craft lessons on a certain subject and really delve into it full bore, as opposed to the regular Chinesepod lessons that are just skimming the surface of a subject， 蜻蜓点水。 I had e-mailed John in the past promoting the idea of a implimenting a monthly featured subject, (perhaps it's own section like Movie Madness) that really delves deeply into a specialty subject, which will give rise to all the wonderful opportunities to study really specialized language surrounding that subject. In lew of that, I think 88 Groups is the next best thing. I only wish more Chinesepod users would join 88 Groups as I think now only a handful of users ever go there. I do envision there coming a day when 88 Groups is populated by thousands and tens of thousands of loyal users and is a vibrantly thriving community of users, just like the Chinesepod community. 我有个理想！

yeah, what is 88groups. can anyone at CPod answer that question?