How about a 汉子 only group?

I just made in 中文吧 a post with the header 慢车 SLOW TRAIN. Now this was not anything we ever discussed and of course nobody knows what that means.

I wanted to start a thread to be kept pretty easy, one in which we wouldn't have to work so hard--in hopes that more people would be encouraged to respond.

OK this is a giveaway (and probably a breach of the house rules, sorry), but all it's asking is "Tell us what your avatar is! Do you like it?".
Short, simple answers ("a picture of me with my one-year-old girl") are good! It doesn't even have to be a complete sentence.
The answer I gave my own question happens to be in bold and colored but that's not at all required of course. I just did that to show how simple the response can be.

Hope many more poddies join us at 中文吧!

汉字 is not 汉子. 汉子 means汉字means the chinese word .

no--do it!  Please!!! hahahahahahah

Ok,this was my idea for an avatar:

..my other idea was to have 汉字 themselves doing pushups,situps,weights,etc,but I don't have the 才能 for that..I think we need a 动画者 【怎么说 cartoonist?] for that.Where's magnus1977 when you need him?

ps If we go with 吧,I could easily draw a bar between the 汉 and the 字.Of course,feel free to completely reject this proposed avatar.Just a bit of fun.

Weeeel, let's see how people react!

Yeah because you see this 吧 around all kinds of forums and places people are talking; I take it it has the "hangout" nuance.
中文吧 does seem simple beyond belief. It might work well for our purposes though?

So you are saying 中文吧？I like it.  It has two meanings "Chinese Bar(hangout)" and "(说）Chinese(吧）" I like the name now, but I think I have the same reservations as you. 

And no, you are not nagging.

I'm not nagging here, but native speakers might be more familiar with a word like 吧 (instead of "gym", which comes from a suggestion of mine). Just a thought.

啊，好的，谢谢!

* yes!  Soon!

** I did mention that in a less specific way.  (I thought I was getting too wordy towards the end of my description of the group.)

haha, already I'm wishing some kind and eager native speaker would come in and start correcting our Chinese!

*  Maybe we could let native speakers know they're very welcome, in the introduction (sorry, I know this is asking for more work)?

**  I was thinking it would be nice esp in "slower" conversations, if we were allowed in our comments to provide English translations for proper nouns and more technical terms we wanted to use.

I might be able to come up with one for the Hanzi only group later.I'll see how I go.

Hey, can anyone out there make some avatars for these two groups?

中文健身房啊！挺好的名字。 去健身房健身，最好从开头每一次去练全体，然后积累了几个月的基础锻炼就可以开始把字体分练。星期一练部首，要特别注意些部首有潜力长大，比如：木字可以经过几个月的锻炼就成    

森

星期三练形容词，要把形容词练成丰满些，比如：要把性感练成性感的很。星期五练成语俗语名词这三个重要部分。 动词不用练，原因明显的就不用说明。

加油！

zhen

Yeah, I wonder if it will confuse people too, but I do like the concept.

Thanks for doing all the work Xiaophil!
Haha you went with 中文健身房. Hopefully that name doesn't confuse anybody.

I didn't know groups were feminine ...

It is up!  Go here and join and please, please start talking.  Also, I started a sister group here for asking questions about Chinese.  Please join her as well.  I just kind of threw it all together.  Anything can be changed, including the title, if people want to.  Most importantly, 开始写汉字吧！

baba

I also wanted to make a name that included 汉子 but wasn't sure if it would exclude the ladies.

Any last votes for names

well I just thougt of 汉字汉子 [Hanzi tough men,hehe] but unless I'm wrong about this  [and it can apply to women as well] I'd hate to leave out the ladies.Is there an equivalent of 汉子 that can apply to women? 汉女？汉字汉子汉女？

Okay, I'm putting this together now.  Any last votes for names?  I'm still not sure what to call it.  Hopefully, it will be easy to change later if need be.

很好xiaophil！
这样我们学得更好把， 不拖延时间写英语。谢谢你

 生词: 延宕 yándàng = procrastinate, put off doing

sue3

Yes!  Thanks for the kick in the butt.  It will be started Monday.  Not because I'm procrastinating, but because that is when I have time.   But you are right, time to talk in Chinese.

Heh you guys, skimming over this mass of entries, I kept thinking yes, good idea, yes yes yes. But WHY not just do it somebody and let us know what it's name is (didn't Shakespeare say "a rose by any other name ........"). Isn't this symptomatic of our Chinesepod disease? spending too much time discussing in English ? I'm in and would be pleased if the twitter rule applied, then it keeps to a manageable size. 加油 !

monix,

太棒了。你的中文不错。你教我多生词。。比如“愉快”和“周末愉快”；感谢。我对你也说：祝你周末愉快

学习中文最难的方面是什么？

。。我觉得最难的是谐音或者声调。你呢？

我也想参加汉语世界。我真需要练习我中文能力。

我建议的话题就是学习中文最难的方面是什么？

祝大家周末愉快！

囧了

琳，

呵呵！我不是那个意思。 ‘打牛吹屁’ 和 ‘打屁吹牛’ 的意思不一样。是我自己创造的说法喽！

lynn 13560 (或者任何中国人或者面条)

Could you please explain what 打屁吹牛 and 不吹白不吹 mean, and what kind of feeling they give?  I understand a bit, but I'm afraid the exact meaning and feeling escape me.  I rather like the creativity (at least I think they are creative haha) in them.

But your 不吹白不吹 is very local, 很地道！

miantiao, I don't know if your name in chinese is 面条？ 笑死我了，in china nobody has this name..

And you said 打牛吹屁，that's a "super mistake".

It should be 打屁吹牛, means break wind, talk nonsense.

屁 is fart,只能打or放，不能吹（blow）

I never heard about 吹屁，哈哈！

i'm not a native but i like 打牛吹屁, on second thought, that is a bit 如德 isn't it.

what about 不吹白不吹！

or 白白吹！or 百白吹.

and here is a transliteration from english  打猴屁

but I think it can most easily "lure" native Chinese guys

..actually I think changye has a very good point here.I don't think it's gonna matter too much to poddies what it's called,but what will get the most hits from natives that might be kind enough to come and help out is gonna make a much bigger difference.So while I really like orangina's suggestion,I do think the chatroom connotation will more likely attract more natives.What do the natives that have been kind enough to drop by think?

I honestly wouldn't mind if it were called something like
Xiaophil's Joint.

or
Hanzi Hangout

or
中文健身房         it's a place you visit expressly to suffer and sweat!

or even
这里要用中文！     so unalluring, I know. but clear.

I think Changye does have a point, about a Fascinating World of 汉字 connotation.

But in the end, any name for me will be good.

I really don't think it's necessary to brainstorm on what stuff to talk about Xiaophil.  We can see already you've had people ask, 'well so when are we starting?'. People must be dying to chat. Whatever anyone feels like talking about, they can start talking, no?
Or maybe your concern is comments being 'ignored', getting no responses, so you want to make sure we have a subject everybody would like to comment on? I really do think that's something we should/can live with--that not all our comments will be acknowledged or answered, even here. Pls don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating a dog-eat-dog environment. But real conversations and exchange can't thrive when we're restricted. We should just be natural. Really, it will be a bunch of considerate, earnest people here and it will be good!

*  I have a couple of little stories now brewing in my head to share (yet to be written out). And If I share them and no one responds, that's all right.

祝大家周末快乐！

I also like "汉字世界" very much, but I'm afraid people might associate the title with "etymology/history of Chinese characters" or something like that. I admit "中文聊天室" is just blunt and not so charming, but I think it can most easily "lure" native Chinese guys, hehe.

我也喜欢Orangina 的建议 ...."汉字世界":)

汉子 here is not correct, should be 汉字. 汉子means a man, often those who have a strong body and hard-minded!

I am a native Chinese boy, born in 1983, I have got my  master's degree in Computer Science, I'd like to help U gays~! I am now working as a software engineer. For help, plz feel free to PM me.

中文聊天室

汉字～

还有：

区，地区，地带，空间，圈，领域

这些怎么样？我比较喜欢 zone 这样的语感。

世界也很好！很明快。

..hehe,yeah,and taken at face value it could invite us to improve our German,French,Japanese,etc.I also liked orangina's suggestion..it sounds friendlier and less prohibitive...almost like a tourist attraction in fact.

I would vote for the "No-English" symbol except that it's a bit oxymoronic!  So I'll go with Orangina's "汉字世界“ as well.

BTW, @xiaophil, thx for not ignoring my Chinese post!  ;-)

Okay.  I want to get this going.  The weekend is here, and I can't work on it during this time (sadly).  Monday afternoon is the time that I will establish the group and hopefully get going.  We need some topics to talk about, though.  Anybody willing to brainstorm a bit?  (Pretty please.)

PS: I think I might take up Oragina's idea and call it "汉字世界". It still isn't too late for alternatives!

什么时候开始？

xiaophil

我完全同意你的看法.  We have to make mistakes first, and encounter situations in a real life that force us to utilize what we know before we can really improve, and that way the improvment will come faster that we ever believed possible!  Which is why I'm alway so adamant about posting in Chinese, it's, like you said, a way to get in a habit of communicating in Chinese.  

Again, if the C-Pod staff is willing to drop by periodically to correct our Chinese, and offer suggestions of different more "native" ways to say the same thing that would be ideal.  I'm not saying stop by every day, but once a week to correct major mistakes would be nice. 

That's also why I've always welcomed the native speakers who come here, because they can really help out in a BIG way!  I don't think it would conflict with C-Pod and pull away customers, it would actually be part of the benefit of signing up for the site.  I've made a great deal of close friends from C-Pod who are native speakers and they've helped me out tremendously.  I'm still here though, they haven't replaced C-Pod, only enhanced what I've learned from being a member.  They're a great way to TRY OUT what I've learned in a real-world context.  Forcing me to use what I know to improve, but I've never found that they have the time or interest to be teachers.

I always wondered why a 汉字 only group was never setup as a default when C-Pod groups was established.  I guess it's up to us to then. 

Well that is really funny! In my eyes the mistake you made is very lovely.. In fact 看得出来你很认真！

I'm chinese, and maybe my English looks also funny to you?

:)

how about 汉字世界 for a title?

xiaophil,

Just sharing ideas here.I agree with your first 3 points.Not so keen on English titles at the top of posts.I think if people are turned off by a whole page full of it then that would bring me back to my suggestion of a guideline [not rule] of a 140 character length [or it could be less if people reckon] for the lowest level.I dunno about intermediate level,but for mine I think there is a natural limit to how much one can post according to one's abilities anyway.I think the wall of Chinese would really only be encountered at the highest level anyhow.I also think with the rollovers one can kinda skim over stuff to get the gist of what's being discussed and then look at it more closely if it's interesting.

Don't know if I'd get around to a draft,but I'm half contemplating the avatar seeing as you've invited it.Also what do you think about the group name.I would tend to keep it short and simple and to the point and just call it "Hanzi only" in English as per the title of this thread.

Regarding the avatar for the group.How would one say Hanzi only in Chinese. Would it be 只汉字 ？I have vaguely thought of making an avatar incorporating that with maybe this:

..any thoughts?

Good ideas!

I'd prefer to join you too, though I'm a Chinese guy..

You can post in Chinese and I can correct your mistake and explain it try my best in English if I have any time,but my English is not so good...I'm studying it also,but I'd try.

I hope we can pratice togther in this way, it's really a good idea.

thats good. i hope so too! i think xiaophils ideas are all very nice, and seems like a good draft for a group. i agree that correcting mistakes would be good, but i beleve (for me at least) its quite hard explaining mistakes in chinese, so if it were up to me i would allow small comments or topics in english. though that would in a way change the purpose of the group. the idea of a paralelgroup for questionasking and correcting language might be a good idea, if its possable.

warius,

I totally agree about being able to both read and post in all the levels.I doubt anyone here would advocate that kind of restrictive segregation [though I can't speak for others of course].

Aargh!  I can't believe my string of anti-internet happenings.  It might be an internet dry day AGAIN.  I will try to belt out a few thoughts here as fast as I can as I think I owe you guys.

• I think the main purpose of writing in hanzi is not to be perfect, but to just get in the habit of communicating in Chinese.  Even if we make mistakes, we will generally be understood.  If we aren't understood, that's the fun.  Anyway, I have heard some Chinese students say that English corners are a waste of time because it is just Chinese people talking to other Chinese people in bad English.  However, I have observed that the best students are the ones that are willing to make mistakes and just do their best, getting better little by little.  Actually, I find that I don't know I don't know how to say something until it comes time to say it in real life.  Wouldn't be better to make those mistakes around fellow learners?  That said...
• Of course let's correct mistakes!  I suggest another group that is strictly for answering questions.  And of course it doesn't have to be just questions related to this group.  Wouldn't it be nice if there was a place we could ask any question any time?
• That said, zhenlijiang's idea of highlighting would be good to point out areas where we think we are have lost the ability to communicate our meaning.
• I have a new idea.  Yes, I know this is a Hanzi only group, but maybe we can break the rule in one small way.  Perhaps we can provide a brief English title at the top of our comments, this way we don't have to get tired trying to skim all the Hanzi.  I don't know about you guys, even though I truly desire to read Hanzi naturally, my mind sometimes turns off if I see a whole page full of it.  Just a thought.
• I also don't want very controversial topics.  Perhaps we can make some debates about less 'heated' topics?  I kind of feel that the inititial post can be in English as well, just so people can quickly see if they want to get involved or not.  What do you guys think?
• Xiaohu's ideas about different levels, while I think is ideal, I think would quickly disintegrate.  I think the best way to make it available to all poddies is to simply have 'easy' topics and 'hard' topics.  Maybe this is what he had in mind anyway.
• Would anybody like to make a stab at creating a draft for the official description of the group?  I know it should be my responsibility, but really, it might not get done for awhile if I take it on.

谢谢你。 well, yeah, i read it, and i agree. though it would be nice to be able to read in all the different levels, for the best learning.

3 different levels would be nice because everybody would get a chance to interact with people at the same level, and that is of course an advantage. i beleve we all agree to that, but will the higher levels automaticly get blocked for new learners, or will we be able to read it? i do think that would be an advantage to some people in the lower levels. reading a lot of characters and pushing oneself to understand sentences structures and words that are new to us is a good way of learning.

cool warius.I like your spirit.I note you are a newbie [欢迎 。。welcome to CPod community mate] and thus I think we'd all be interested in what you think about having posts in this group segregated into 3 levels as has been suggested above.

this is a very good idea. eventhough i dont know that many characters yet, i know i will learn quite a lot just by reading in such a group. and of course also do my best in writing post and comments myself.

Hi guys, this sounds like a great idea! I need to start working on writing / reading in stead of speaking and listening which I do most of the time in my daily life. This is a nice opportunity I guess to start :-). Unfortunately my writing skills are not good, so I do not have much to offer, but I do support the idea! So 加油 小phil et al.

If you're starting a group for tough men, I'm totally in!

wallacehua

Good eye.  I often make that mistake.  I also sometimes say 'your' instead of 'you're'.  我不认真！ (But I really did make this post in haste.)

Anway, my work will be in the clear soon.  Can't wait to read through all of this.

zhen,

If we are going to use your colour coding suggestion,can I suggest that black is the colour for meaning pretty sure it's full of errors? I think that will be my default setting.

Haha, none of us caught that!

Not that I discourage anyone who wants to make corrections in this Mandarin-only area. Hopefully native speakers like wallacehua will drop by frequently to offer such help.

I don't not attempt to correct others because it's time-consuming and difficult; I don't because I'm just not qualified.

I do have an idea that relates to this. Perhaps whenever we post a comment, we could color our text in terms of how confident we are of the soundness of our Chinese. Pretty sure we've made no mistakes / Most of it should be sound, but will certainly have mistakes / Tried my best, but pretty sure it's full of errors--help! for instance. Do this to differentiate between sentences within one post, even.
And I think anyone who wishes to be corrected should request it expressly, at the bottom of the post; after all we're asking someone to do a lot of work. I personally always welcome corrections and would be happy if anyone offered to help regardless, but I would still be happy if no one did and I could just practice writing anyway.
So I think there should be some "triage" in terms of who wants corrections more. I've said before though, it's easier for a corrector to work on an already pretty "clean" sentence than a "wild" one.

It's interesting, that we are talking about writing in hanzi. I know what Xiaophil and we mean by that.
At the same time I always feel we should be more aware that very often we learners here are "writing English in hanzi", not writing Mandarin. As learners coming from English it's a habit I think we should consciously attempt to break from. I do it all the time myself. I want to get a lot of practice expressing myself in Mandarin here, and break from it.

** I just remembered--regarding corrections--an idea Henning had a while back that I thought was worth seriously considering. He had suggested a "paid homework" service.
I know our teachers have so much to do already, but is this something CPod could consider at all?

Some regular posters here have a Chinese wife. Why don't you draw them into this plan? I'm afraid it might cause a family rift, though. haha

@xiaophil

You made a mistake...."汉子" in Chinese means "tough man"...

I think you should use "汉字" rather than "汉子"... They are different...

pretzell,

Sure mate.I could be wrong but I'm under the impression that the vast majority would be looking for language exchange though,which isn't going to work in a hanzi only group.However,perhaps a parallel group or thread may work..I dunno the answer.Also not sure how CPod would feel about such an English corner.In the past some have complained about those messages popping up and there was talk of having a designated part of the site for such language exchange posts,but to date I've not seen an official response to this,unless I missed it.Yeah,but good to throw the suggestion out there mate to see what others come up with. :)

bodawei,

I think we all agree how important corrections are.I think I've made heaps of posts in my time here in Hanzi,and if they'd been corrected I think I could have learnt heaps from that.So anything that can encourage that culture I'm 100% behind.

As for what to call it,etc,though I'm champing at the bit to get this underway,I thought as it was Phil's idea I'd leave the name,the avatar ,the intro,and the founder status to him.I can't read your hanzi at the moment,but while Phil's folly etc sounds funny,for mine I would have had it more to the point so there was no mistaking what this group was about just from the title.In fact to that end,so there was no doubt,ironically I'd be tempted to have it as the only English thing about the group by keeping the Group title  in English as something like...Hanzi only..as per the title of this thread.Zheyang,we may avoid having to act like police [HP..Hanzi Police,hehe] for the group by pointing it out frequently to folk who unwittingly drop in and start posting in English.

@zhen

Correction would definitely be 100% voluntary - there is no other way.  Look, anyone could make a correction - our experiences are not all the same.  Clearly it is a time consuming and difficult task so only a few poddies would take it on.  The challenge as I see it is creating an environment in which corrections become part of the activity on the board. Activity Stream, designed for corrections, has never worked too well, not for me anyway. And of course I am not saying that everything needs to be corrected for the 汉字 only idea to work.  My wish is that correction becomes part of the culture - we would all benefit from other people's corrections as well.  

Now guys - the idea needs a NAME! Entries are now invited.. I was thinking at first Phil's Folly, but of course it has to be in 汉字。  What about: 

读书  Familiar. 

读者  Not original, but evocative.   

写作  Functional. 

写意  Poetic. 

Maybe we could get help from a native speaker? 

Just curious if you guys are interested in involving the many Chinese students that periodically sign up for cpod accounts, then leave their qq.com email addresses.  Maybe some way can be found to integrate them and their native-Chinese speaking capabilities to correct grammar.

Yikes!  I might not be able to even look at this today.  (Why am I suddenly so busy?)  Please keep the ideas flowing.  I will join in as soon as I can.

I'm in!  All criticism welcomed!

zhen,

maybe we could have a parallel thread per conversation as a space for annotations, and that could be a crutch to use if we really have to explain ourselves

..yeah,I actually did think of that myself,but then I wasn't so sure how it would work,where to put it,or that it would be desirable.Not sure.

However I do think it's best if we just threw crutches out the window

..I think you're right.I know that's the idea here and I'm for it.

and I don't think we should be limiting the subject matter in any way.

..yeah,I think you're right again.I don't believe in setting rules.I threw my comments out there more as something for folks to keep in mind..to tread carefully,or at least with patience and understanding due to the propensity for misunderstandings.I think the proof of the pudding will be in the eating here.

At least an all hanzi group should put a natural limit on the length of my posts,hehe.Which leads me to another thought.If we were to have different levels,once again I don't believe in setting rules,but for the lowest level [newbie/ellie] the 140character length of the AS would probably be a good guideline to aim for.But of course if someone more advanced was coming in and trying to help explain something in Chinese to a newbie/ellie then I don't think an explanation should feel hindered by a length guideline.Once again,just a thought.I'm not for setting rules.I think we should all feel free to participate in any level if there are to be levels.

hey,I don't want to sound impatient,but I kinda woke up early and was hoping this group would be up and running already as I had an idea to start a thread [I was going to start one of the progressive fictional stories...you know...where I might start off with a line or two like once upon a time there someone went to china...and then someone else chimes in with a line or two and so on] and was hoping to jump in and join in on any that had started.Fair enough.Just can't wait,that's all.

ps Yeah,I don't mind criticism myself at all....just don't want others getting put off...but whatever...was just throwing some thoughts out there for consideration.And correction would always be appreciated by anyone generous enough to offer it.

Bodawei which poddies were you thinking of who would help correct? I don't mean my tone to be challenging, and I do understand your wish to be corrected. It's just--as far as I can see, one or two people would be asked to take on all the enormous burden; it can't be fair. Do you regularly correct others' Chinese? If not it's probably for the same reason I don't--because I can't, not because I don't want to (I often think I can correct part of a sentence but not the whole, so I don't touch it at all, on the boards. In AS I have actually been helping sometimes, even if it's only part of the sentence I can speak with any confidence on).

I think peer help has to be 100 percent voluntary, for it to be sustainable. I would say--there have been other efforts like this before--for those specifically wanting to be corrected there should be a separate place set aside for that. It's not very realistic to expect our utterings in this entire Mandarin-Only zone to benefit from consistent corrections. Whether it's by peers or teachers, that's just too much work.

If there are any concerns of BC (Bad Chinese) or SC (Suspect Chinese) sentences going up to fester in public, well? Is that so bad? We let so much bad English stay up on the boards to fester, right?

Baba,
It could lead to a lot of misunderstandings,[particularly with my habit of joking around] ..which could be hard to clarify without the crutch of English.Might be hard to explain what I mean.
Just a brainstorm--maybe we could have a parallel thread per conversation as a space for annotations, and that could be a crutch to use if we really have to explain ourselves, but at all times keep the conversation free of English, keep it strictly all-Mandarin.
However I do think it's best if we just threw crutches out the window and each made our best effort to communicate with the vocab and sentence structures we do have.

I'm seeing this Mandarin-Only zone in very simple terms actually: the only difference with any other discussion area is that we can only speak in Mandarin. That shouldn't make us nervous (yeah I know, I voiced the first concern), and I don't think we should be limiting the subject matter in any way.
I think it's good to label each conversation one of three "speeds"--Easy / Medium / Free for instance. "Easy" conversations would be started by those who want a slower-paced, easier conversation.

And I did have another brainstorm, but it passed ... 

@xiaophil

I am generally in favour - good idea.  One weakness in ChinesePod (for me) is that no-one corrects the Chinese.  Except Miantiao if we ask nicely, thanks mate.  It would be great if some poddies could contribute this way.  Teachers obviously don't have time in the vast majority of discussions.  

I have to say that this is a problem for me - I have difficulty seeing what is wrong with a sentence.  'Specially those where the meaning is fairly clear, but there is a better or more natural form of expression.  

xiaohu,

...yeah,I'm excited.I agree that "trogging posts" as you refer to them will very likely bring many more poddies and posts into [what could become ] the fray ,but I'm  somewhat slightly dubious [but don't have my mind made up about it] about the affect this will have on the group in the long term.Thus:

It's also important for everyone to approach this with a respectful, nurturing attitude

..would be crucial...particularly if such posts were encouraged.Perhaps you are right.Perhaps recognising that there is more potential for misunderstandings people will be more inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt and think the best of them.I certainly hope so.I know that's the attitude I'd like to enter into it with.I'm certainly very keen to partake no matter what form it takes anyway.I like your enthusiasm mate.Thanks also for your Chinese sayings you've put in your last post btw.Jiayou.

I'm all for splitting the group into three levels, or essentially starting three versions of the same group, elementary, intermediate and advanced. 

The more advanced learners are afforded the luxury of moving between levels, so in the lower levels we can come in as counselors.  We can keep the conversations simple without too much advanced vocabulary so that lower level learners can keep up without their eyes starting to droop and heads starting to spin.  This way we can answer people's questions in simple Chinese that can build upon and reinforce what they already know, gradually raising their level. 

In the more advanced levels we can freely talk about what we want and help each other in intermediate or advanced Chinese.

It's even possible for more advanced students to learn things from lower level students.  For example, answering questions helps me reinforce areas where I'm a little shaky on because it requires me to be 100% before answering a question, as I don't want to give any bad advice.  Also being required to provide explanations in Chinese might help clean up some areas where I'm weak and make mistakes. It's also quite possible for lower level students to know a word or two that I don't and I can learn that way too.

The Chinese have a saying, 压力是动力, yā lì shì dòng lì, pressure is motivation. Sort of like our, necessity is the mother of invention. When we're required to do something then we will find a way to make it happen.  This group will require us to excel.

In this setting we can yoke the native speakers who visit here, they're always willing to communicate in Chinese since it's easy for them, and they're the best one's to learn from, the perfect 模范 mó fàn. 

Coincidentally 模范 is a great example of how I could benefit from this group, as I'm really not sure if, in this context it's best to say, 模范, mó fàn 榜样 bǎng yàng, or 表率 biǎo shuài.  I'm certain someone here knows the answer.

If the C-Pod staff is willing, perhaps they can periodically visit the group to clean up the more advanced learners mistakes.  This can be a variation on the activity stream concept, but perhaps being more free form and user driven as opposed to moderator driven.  In this group we can use Chinese to talk about any subjects we like.  Starting strings that people are interested in can keep people motivated to participate.  First people must be interested before they will actively participate and it's necessary to participate before they can go to the next step, and we can only know what people want to talk about, what will hold their interest by trial and error, right? 

In this forum trogging posts can be turned into a positive because what gets people fired up to talk, in Chinese, about will bring people out of the woodwork to weigh in on the subject, and when people really want to be able to express themselves they WILL find a way.

有志者事竟成, yǒu zhì zhě shì jìng chéng.  Where there's a will, there's a way.

It's important that in the group everyone feels that their contributions matter and that we feel comfortable to make mistakes, because only by exposing our mistakes can we know what we need to correct and make progress.  It's also important for everyone to approach this with a respectful, nurturing attitude so people feel comfortable and free, this way people will open up and express themselves.

I'm excited about it, what's everyone else's feelings?

I'm in.Good idea mate.I'll certainly give it a crack anyway but personally I have a minor reservation.My trouble won't be quite so much following what others are saying..I think I can generally get enough of a gist.Also,I don't mind having a crack at trying to express myself,but the problem I spy is that my grammar is atrocious and my vocab choice at times not much better so I think there's a good chance a lot of it will come out as 狗屁。It could lead to a lot of misunderstandings,[particularly with my habit of joking around] ..which could be hard to clarify without the crutch of English.Might be hard to explain what I mean.But yeah,I think it's worth a shot all the same.

How to structure it and keep people involved? Dunno.I don't think anyone can guarantee they are going to stay involved and I don't think there should be any pressure in that direction.However,I suppose that if a group was formed ,any member could start a new thread under that group's banner.So while an individual thread will no doubt run it's course and fizzle,I think starting regular threads under that group should move things along.I would caution against starting threads on sensitive topics in an all Hanzi group.Even for those much more advanced than myself,I think there still would be way too much potential for misunderstandings and unpleasantness which may put people off.So I think a balance needs to be struck between finding things that are not too political or sensitive,and at the same time interesting.Others may see this differently of course and that's fine,but just my 2 fen.I suppose for those who do want to post about more sensitive topics,those who don't want to be misunderstood could just refrain from that thread.

ps Just had an idea for a thread...having a shot at Shakespeare quotes in Chinese.Would be a pretty benign topic.Only thing is ,I just remembered I think a started a group on Shakespeare here and no-one was interested as far as I recall.It didn't have the hanzi only slant though.hmm..will have to think of perhaps a more China-centric topic.I'm sure we can come up with plenty between us mate.Jiayou.

I like it! I have the same concern as zhenlijiang... Too high a level and it will be hard for me to stay motivated to keep up, especially if I am tired. Too low a level and those who are at a higher level will get bored. Maybe discussions within the group can be labeled at a certain level?

是个好主意！ Strangely enough in a way it would be the only place in all of Chinesepod in which we would only be "allowed" to communicate in Chinese.
I'm all for reserving a small corner of CPod for that purpose.

I don't like entering a conversation/debate that keeps switching between Chinese and English.
Right, that wouldn't happen in the new group.

How to structure the group so that people continuously stay involved in it (i.e. I don't want to start something that will fizzle in a week or two)?
For me personally, it would be so much work just to keep my head above water in an all-Chinese conversation so would likely be unable to take part actively if a discussion is moving too fast for me at high levels. At the same time, I would hate to have any restrictions that keep advanced people from talking about what they would like to.
So yeah, I'd be interested to hear from people with ideas too.
Meanwhile I'm off to think about it some myself.

Thanks for initiating this Xiaophil. I was hoping you would actually
(I see you as a hitmaker of sorts).