What is unique about CPod?

The sheer amount of high-quality content. Next come the points you mentioned.

I forgot: My breakfast: Ken, Jenny and a cup of coffee ;-)

I have to agree with WeiXiao4. It is mostly the wonderful content and she has given some great examples. The way these words are used, other choices, and where they came from is then discussed. I have to say the quality of the presentation and the discussion of how things relate to english is also important. I am constantly amazed at how well Jen understands the english language and can bring things into focus. All your bulleted items are important as well.

Jenny Zhu. ;)

I would have to agree with all of the above, especially Bazza ha ha, but it is the wonderful content of the lessons, even the beginner lessons being an enjoyment to hear you and Jenny talk about the "weirdness" or "differentness" I should say of the different between western languages/cultures (i.e. English) and Chinese. You just don't see these conversations, vocabulary and grammar point discussions, from beginner to advance in ANY text book, at least not unless you want to buy every frickin' one out there, and still they won't touch on the things like WeiXiao said above.

oops... I didn't finish the sentence about "weirdness" and "differences" you and Jenny talk about, wanting to say that evenn to beginner lessons with you and Jenny are even interesting to someone who goes to advanced Chinese classes at school and has lived in China for 5 years.

gosh my english is bad and I've become absent minded when typing. ---> "even the beginner lessons that you and Jenny produce are interesting to someone who..."

The first thing that struck me as different and wonderful, is something that still thrills me every day. When I listen to a lesson podcast, its general atmosphere is comfortable, familiar, low stress, and entertaining in a radio-like way. Every word spoken is spoken from my own perspective, as if I were sitting on the lounge between the two of you and we were all peering across at this foreign language together, and bringing delicious handfuls of it over to pass between us. Nothing is done to me. I don't have to do anything to you. We're in this together, just for our own satisfaction. It's quite ok to leave behind whatever's less interesting, and to pocket as many of the jewels as we like before leaving. And as if that's not idyllic enough, when I happen to wish for more of something, next time there it is! These pleasant experiences can be relived, over and over again. They can be broken down and analysed. I can check my memory and understanding of their construction. I can look at what others are saying about the same experience, and someone says they didn't quite get it, I can show them where the joy lies. After a while, I can create similar Mandarin sequences, and use them to brighten someone else's day as it once brightened mine.

I think it's the edutainment value of the site. Is there a Pepsi and Coke in this space? If not well you can claim a lot of the content as unique. But that shouldn't detract from what is very good and familiar content. A lot of the users probably have a habitual interaction with the site. Like McDonalds, some just drive thru and pick up the lesson and go mobile, others sit upright at a desk and go through the exercises and expansions while others like to hang out and contribute to the discussions. Learning Chinese is kinda like the Seasame Street experience for kids. Kids can be amused by watching the same episode several times and the nature of the Chinese language is so multi-layered that even easy lessons can be useful to Advanced learners. But it is the relationship between the users and the staff that is so unique. You need us as much as we need you - you need our input from the West to validate the experiences you have while living and integrating there. In a sense we ease that integration for you! At the end of the day we are both looking with one eye on a microscope and the other down a telescope trying to understand this fascinating but sometimes frustrating culture.

Ken: To describe the uniqueness one has to look at your competition. Compared to a conventional adult education course: Making use of all the advantages of the internet with 24-7 availability, user feedback and user interaction, flexibility of syllabus and the chance to look at every available level of proficieny. Setbacks: You don't meet actual people in real life unless you push it by organising a meetup. Nobody corrects your errors unless you sign up for it. Other online ressources: Higher quality of content and continuity. It was quite clear from the very beginning that you don't copy content or methodologies from textbooks, but develop on your own - albeit sometimes on the fly and as process testing things and eventually abandoning some. Setbacks: Your success is stretching ressources, e.g. server availability, software reliability. Conventional radio other podcasts: Listening and reading content are available with quizzes, vocab etc. Last but not least: User discussions and feedback, although the group88 probably doesn't work as good as previously expected. The blogs don't play that important role anymore, either.

One outstanding quality of Chinesepod for me is the relevancy of the lessons that are offered. In my favorite Zhang Liang and Lili soap opera I learned how to argue, console, connive, flirt, romance and be jealous. I can say someone is a "third wheel", "a great catch", and a "two-timer". I can describe a person as vain, devoted, stubborn, enthusiastic, considerate, honest, humorous, or modest. I know how to gossip, praise, cherish, and cheat. All this useful vocabulary wrapped in wonderful Chinese grammar and idiomatic expressions. Where else are you going to find this kind of stuff when you need it without waiting years until someone else thinks your ready for it?

YOU, Ken.

For me, the main attractions of Chinese Pod is the possibility to really have a chance of understanding spoken Chinese. There are some other sources of spoken Chinese specifically for students , but they are often quite simplified, or specialized. There is also lots of material available in Chinese, aimed at a Chinese speaking audience. but of course it lacks the explanations and the easily deciphered written versions. So they are of limited use. And as Henning says, there is huge quantities of very high quality material available.

Chinese is one language that seems very intimidating to Westerners. (Think the first reason is the characters and the second reason is the tones.) The lessons are entertaining and engaging and presented in a very accessible and low stress format. There is also a very good and supportive community of other learners on the site. Out of four times I visit the site, maybe once is to check for a new lesson or extra and three times would be to check for new comments and conversations. ChinesePod is also a very low-overhead way of learning both in terms of time, physical resources, and computer memory if you stick with listening to and downloading the smaller files. I travel and move a lot so it is really important to me not to accumulate things like books and not waste file space on my computer.

My number one point would be the presentation of the contemporary Chinese language from a western perspective. There are many resources available that present Chinese from the Chinese perspective; however, only on ChinesePod can I hear Jenny say that this singer is like "the Chinese Barry Manilow". While obviously a somewhat trite example, I find that type of comment often helps me understand a specific term on a more subliminal level. (Its also funny, which helps.) I believe that this approach compliments the more traditional materials (e.g. textbooks), as well as being a valuable resource in its own right.

I think something that needs to be mentioned is the incredible staff that you have. Jenny, Amber, Connie, Clay, John and sometimes even you Ken. The Jenny-Ken interaction, the Jenny-John formula and the Amber clay connie show are priceless. In addition your skill sets are overlapping and complimentary which works well to provide answers in all situations. I also appreciate the fact that the staff does take the time to answer questions. I am sure there are more unsung heroes in the background as well but the above mentioned group (as well as the listeners) make this experience what it is. What you do right you do well, maybe you should ask about what it is you do wrong.

The presentation in a manner which can be picked up at any time and then moved along with at your own pace. Listening to Elementary and not sure you're ready for Intermediate? You don't have to pay extra - you can just listen and decide. Been going through Advanced for awhile, but curious about something? Maybe going through a Newbie lesson will add some cultural insight you might have missed before. The well-done iPod/mp3 player interface that allows me to see the characters and not just pinyin is also fantastic; many other podcasts don't do that, and it's a great help if I'm listening on the train or at work and can't get to the site.

It's fun to listen to. But I would like it even more if the content would be offered with traditional characters everywhere without browser plugins, without mistakes in the text...

What originally drew me to cpod was the ability to listen, read pinyin and see the characters with english translations all at the same time. This seems normal now but at the time it was a huge improvement. The ipod mobility allows me to reinforce my study anywhere especially during my long commute.

1. Practical lessons, anytime, anywhere I learn new (sometimes interesting) vocabulary and their contemporary use. I get to apply them right away with Chinese friends at work and in China. While I learned some things from University textbooks, I thought I was learning "old" stuff. I can listen to the lessons several times, write down the words on my own (for lower-level lessons) and compare them to the transcript. I can also read the transcript as I listen to a lesson. 2. Creative Content The airport lesson is one of the best Chinese lessons I've ever heard. 3. Qingwen Practical patterns presented weekly by a terrific trio. 4. Cpod instructors don't take themselves too seriously. 5. Cpod is still small enough right now that the teachers are able to respond to occasional email inquiries. Amber went out of her way to help me figure out "我服了你“ several months ago. Jenny and John covered this phrase a day or two ago. Connie is the same way and exchanging holiday greetings with her always ends up with me learning some more new Chinese words and phrases. 6. Jenny Zhu We all love Jenny and what she does for all of us, but we will never surpass Bazza's love for Jenny. ;) But seriously, everyone at Cpod, including those in the background does a terrific job of helping me learn Mandarin. Now what I would like from Cpod in the future is for it to provide lessons to improve my reading and writing skills.