March 1st Pricing Changes
hankfdh
February 01, 2010, 06:12 AM posted in General DiscussionTo give everyone a lot of advance notice, from March 1st, 2010 we will introduce a number of changes to the pricing structure for ChinesePod subscriptions. Details on the ChinesePod blog here.
hankfdh
@bababardwan,
We would have done this sooner, but we want to be sure when we do there won't be any API changes that will break everyone's apps. The Tech Team is busy re-working the groups architecture on the site (to better support ChinesePod Teachers) and when they finish that we will get started. Our own iPhone & Android app's will use the same API, so all the features currently in those apps will be opened up.
daniel70
Sounds great. I hope you're not shy about releasing betas to the community. Anything would be better than scraping moving html.
jennyzhu
February 01, 2010, 03:20 PMPrice increase is hardly welcomed of course. Most Poddies who come to the office are surprised that we have around 50 people working at Praxis. And we are committed to bring the best people in the field. Taking ChinesePodfor example, it takes the academic team,hosts, sound engineers, tech team,customer relations and marketing, etc. to produce lessons and serve users.
Being with ChinesePod for 4 years, I can certainly say that our goal is to keep investing in the service and attract top talent so that we can add even more value to you guys.
pretzellogic
February 01, 2010, 07:27 AMi'll be interested to hear more about the grammar guide changes. Thanks for the heads-up.
sebire
February 01, 2010, 07:51 AMOh dear. Maybe if I get 2 years Basic now, the Pound may be worth something by the time I have to renew.
henning
February 01, 2010, 07:53 AMI like it how the blog entry includes the announcement of the full grammar guide. Only long-term users can fully appreciate that humour.
;)
kimiik
February 01, 2010, 11:15 AM80% increase on the 12 months basic subscription is actually quite a jump ... or quite a salto !
kimiik
It goes without saying that I will be able to get over this price change. ;o)
By "salto", I didn't mean "salto mortale" (from italian) but challenging jump (aka athletic salto or salto).
go_manly
February 01, 2010, 12:14 PMI'm happy to pay extra for improved quality. But I'd like to think that the majority of any price increase would go towards the lessons themselves, as that is what makes this site unique. I can get all the other bits and pieces (like grammar guides) elsewhere, and the current splurge on window dressing is only an annoyance for me. How about 7 lessons a week instead of 6 for starters?
bababardwan
What do ya reckon the 7th should be?
go_manly
Well we're already getting 2 Elementary or 2 Intermediate lessons each week. There's no reason why 2 levels can't be doubled up.
Or, we could have an Elementary-Intermediate bridging level.
Who said that?
bababardwan
Oh right.This makes me really curious as to how many lessons most poddies are getting through a week.I can't keep up with all the new lessons coming out ,let alone ever finding time to delve into the archive.Having said that I have nothing against more lessons.Personally if there were to be more I'd either like to see pretzell's suggestion of a return of movie madness or another whole new channel exploring the language from a different level.I'd really especially love to see them have another crack at a radical show.
go_manly
Personally, what I really want is not more new material. Just 5 or 10 minutes each week of discussion using old material from the Newbie and Elementary lessons, and perhaps lower Intermediate. No new words, no explanation, just discussion at a nice steady pace. I find that every Intermediate lesson I hear has so many new words, and so many other words that I've seen only once or twice before, that I just can't sit back, relax, and listen. Sometimes we need to stop learning new material, and consolidate what we have already learned, and I think consolidation is one thing lacking on this site.
So pick a theme, find all the lessons at say the intermediate level related to that theme, and just have 2 people having a chat using that vocabulary, and little other specialised vocabulary.
Tal
I'm afraid you're wrong re. consolidation. If you stick with the Intermediate level (for example) long enough you should certainly notice words, phrases, and patterns cropping up again and again in different contexts and situations. I think it's possible to be too impatient for progress which has to come with persistent and patient effort over the long term. Having one's comfort zone constantly stretched is part of the deal of language learning I'm afraid.
A large proportion of the "new material" is old material, and if you do check out older Intermediate lessons I'm sure you can't fail to notice that the "Intermediate" level is now much easier and slower than formerly. It might be better renamed as your "bridge" between Elementary and Intermediate, since the UI level is now the real intermediate level.
bababardwan
February 01, 2010, 12:18 PMWhat do ya reckon the 7th should be?
hankfdh
February 01, 2010, 06:30 AM@bababardwan,
We would have done this sooner, but we want to be sure when we do there won't be any API changes that will break everyone's apps. The Tech Team is busy re-working the groups architecture on the site (to better support ChinesePod Teachers) and when they finish that we will get started. Our own iPhone & Android app's will use the same API, so all the features currently in those apps will be opened up.
go_manly
February 01, 2010, 12:50 PMWell we're already getting 2 Elementary or 2 Intermediate lessons each week. There's no reason why 2 levels can't be doubled up.
Or, we could have an Elementary-Intermediate bridging level.
Who said that?
kimiik
February 01, 2010, 01:38 PMIt goes without saying that I will be able to get over this price change. ;o)
By "salto", I didn't mean "salto mortale" (from italian) but challenging jump (aka athletic salto or salto).
bicmatic
February 01, 2010, 01:39 PMDespite the fact that I love the lessons and get a lot out of them, I think the customer service could be much better. I was contacted in December offering me a two-week extension to my Premium subscription in return for doing a phone survey (the one that is mentioned in your blog post), and despite me replying several times, both by email and through the website, saying I would like to take part, I have had no reply whatsoever. I think it is a bit much to offer things like this if you can't follow through with them.
If I am to consider buying a six-month or one year advance subscription, the support needs to be there.
suxiaoya
bicmatic - I'm sorry to hear this. I'll look into it for you first thing tomorrow, and make sure it is followed-up.
suxiaoya
February 01, 2010, 01:47 PMbicmatic - I'm sorry to hear this. I'll look into it for you first thing tomorrow, and make sure it is followed-up.
Tal
February 01, 2010, 02:03 PMThat does seem like a big increase in the cost of a Basic subscription, can't say it makes me happy to be honest, but business is business I guess.
Personally I'm sick of hearing about iPhone or Android apps. I do not, and have no intention of using either. (So I'm paying for toys I won't be playing with, arent I?)
I am a serious student, so I invested in Pleco a while back, that's enough for me. I'd really like to think that effort and resources were being mainly devoted to the website and the teaching/learning process.
Maybe I'm an atypical Chinesepod user, but the greatest value of using this website for me, a westerner living and working in China long-term, is the help it gives me in improving my knowledge of and ability in Chinese. I'm grateful for that and will continue using the service, but to be honest I more often feel the best days are now behind rather than ahead.
orangina
I'd be all for the Android/iPhone app being an add-on rather than part of the service. I don't think it is for everyone. I considered getting an android so I could use the service, but decided it was an expense I did not need and wouldn't greatly add to my learning experience. I have occasionally have time to study when I am out and about, but not enough to make it worth it. I can see how it would be useful for some. But I'm not comfortable subsidizing it.
That said, I am very happy with Chinesepod.
orangina
February 01, 2010, 02:26 PMI'd be all for the Android/iPhone app being an add-on rather than part of the service. I don't think it is for everyone. I considered getting an android so I could use the service, but decided it was an expense I did not need and wouldn't greatly add to my learning experience. I have occasionally have time to study when I am out and about, but not enough to make it worth it. I can see how it would be useful for some. But I'm not comfortable subsidizing it.
That said, I am very happy with Chinesepod.
daxiong
February 01, 2010, 12:27 PMNear 50% increases for all basic subscriptions is not the way to keep me onboard. That's more than your averaged horse sized pill without water to swallow it down.
I understand the need for price increases, but you've put the basic service in a price range that to me is not really justifiable.
Thanks ChinesePod. It's been fun.
bababardwan
February 01, 2010, 06:24 AMHey,this part of the 2010 plan is particularly exciting.At least,it's the first time I've heard it:
"API’s (we hear you WeLoveChinesePod people)"
..will be interested to hear more on this.
..also looking forward to the iPhone improvements and grammar guide etc.We're in for a big year I can see.Jiayou.