Is everybody happy with CPod - or maybe not?
7dwarfs
September 09, 2008, 11:48 AM posted in General DiscussionI've just tested CPod for seven days. The podcasts are very good, no question!
But what I don't like:
(1) ... the navigation of the whole website. E.g. why is the Vocab trainer hidden under "Me". The trainer is no fun to use.
(2) ... there is no possibility to copy and paste the lesson text.
(3) ... the Community section, where it is very difficult to find something. There is no threading, no search, everything is together: lesson posts, group posts, ... Very bad.
(4) ... the traditional character support is very poor.
As I am quite new here (and thinking about a subscription), I would like to hear some opinions about these deficiencies, and how paying subscriber cope with these.
Thank you in advance!
calkins
September 10, 2008, 01:57 AMAs usual, Henning has hit the nail on the head. No need for me to add more, other than to say that I absolutely love CPod. It's not perfect, but the key is that it is constantly improving and innovating. That, in combination with the incredible staff and community, make it the best (IMHO) online site for learning Chinese. Hands down.
user76423
September 10, 2008, 08:35 PMMy comments:
(1) ... the navigation of the whole website. E.g. why is the Vocab trainer hidden under "Me". The trainer is no fun to use.
I agree. Some areas of the website are misleading, some contain links with 404-error. Flashcard testing could be done much better.
(2) ... there is no possibility to copy and paste the lesson text.
Why are lesson texts not available just as a text-file (UTF-8)? Clicking on a pdf, then clicking on a link in the pdf to access the html-version... That's by far too complicated. Others recommend to change the URI to access the trad. script version. No. No. No.
(3) ... the Community section, where it is very difficult to find something. There is no threading, no search, everything is together: lesson posts, group posts, ... Very bad.
Agree, a forum software would do a much better job.
(4) ... the traditional character support is very poor.
Trad. char. Firefox-Plugin, no simp/trad. user preference, for me as a learner of trad. characters I feel a little bit neglected. And I am forced to use Firefox as a Safari lover. To switch off the plugin I am foced to restart Firefox.... etc. etc.
henning
September 09, 2008, 11:51 AMNo question, the podcasts - with the expansion, exercise, and audio reviews - are the beating heart of this service and so far unchallenged. Those almost 1000 lessons are providing fodder for a while.
ad (1) I tend to agree, the UI is indeed a big construction site.
On the other hand: It only is an issue because there is so much to find. Tons of information, content, sources, and ressources buried here. Just look at the groups. And the community is like an omniscient being. You get answers on even the weirdest Chinese and China related questions.
ad (2) In the footer of each PDF there is a HTML link. You can C&P from there. One day there will be a direct link to that file. I hope.
ad (3) You find a search function on the right of the comments. It isn't yet based on a full-text index yet. You can furthermore select sub-sets of the conversations with the combo box (adding the groups in there would be indeed an idea).
Overall, those deficiencies are annoying and I sicerely hope they will be dealt with. But they are all on the surface. It is the content below that boosted both my Chinese abilities and my motivation. There just isn't anything out there that comes even close.