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Lesson Introduction
Today's ItalianPod news and features show podcast is full of interesting stuff. There's news! There's features! There's... well as usual there are also shenanigans... So join us and find out what's going on at ItalianPod!
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Allowed comments do not necessarily represent the views of ChinesePod.com. We also reserve the right to reject personal attacks, false/unsubstantiated allegations, spamming of any kind, and comments that include vulgar language or libelous statements.
Out of consideration for our Newbie and Elementary users, English translations should be provided with any Chinese (characters or pinyin) written in Newbie and Elementary lesson discussion posts. New lesson idea? Please let us know on our contact page.
Cornelia says
May 17, 2009
As already stated on FrenchPod, which is concerned by this cut-back of new content in the same way, I do protest. Rehasing existing content, which I have already on my computer, is something I could do on my own, interrupting my subscription.
You do not only have English native learners. People with complex grammar structures in their mother language need a lot less general grammar guidance. They benefit form content, content, and content - to pick from according interest in the topic.
If you run out of ideas for lessons why not replicating culturally compatible lessons from FrenchPod and SpanishPod? It could help a lot not to confuse Spanish & Italian all the time.
anna8 says
May 17, 2009
Wow. That's really disappointing.
nchriste says
May 17, 2009
I agree with Cornelia. Remember, this is the second cutback to come around recently. I just upgraded my membership so that I could do both French and Italian. If I cannot get a new lesson from one or the other every day, then I am out of here. Cornelia put it well, I already have full access to the site, and I am perfectly capable or organizing things for myself. I have a wall full of texts on French and Italian grammar. What I need is constant practice in listening and speaking.
nchriste says
May 17, 2009
... the lessons as they are structured are fun. While grammar is necessary, there are many other venues to learn those. What is unique about a podcast is the ability to hear and respond. That's why I really want to have constant "fresh" lessons.
lemykh says
May 18, 2009
guys i agree with cornelia and nchriste:((nothing 2 say except this is very disappointing:(i already studied most of the old lessons,what shall i do now?wait every week 4 a single lesson ,guys u have 2 reconsider,one lesson 4 the same money as 3 lessons as was for 5 lessons before??????c\'mon,anyway i will always be in italianpod,but i am just asking 2 reconsider,best of luck:)))
damien688 says
May 18, 2009
Downsizing!!? Eight lessons a week are getting pink slips!! Cosa Diavolo?!!!
One lesson a week is a dramatic cutback. I\'m assuming that most users download the content to their computers which in that case, ItalianPod can just as easily post a list of related lessons and then the user can create his own playlist on his own.
I believe the strength of ItalianPod is the presentation. Unlike reading a book on Italian idioms, actually listening to those colorful phrases creates an imprint on the brain that pops up later like when one looks at a cabbage.
This podcast is like a blog. The most successful blogs are those that continue to produce new content. I believe most bloggers will testify that once the frequency of the blogs decrease so do the number of viewers.
The understanding of grammer is very important in learning any language. I also have several books on essential Italian grammer, conjugated verbs, idioms, Italian-english dictionaries etc., yet I have to say again that the strength of ItalianPod is returning on a frequent basis and hearing the language spoken. Oftentimes when I listen to a new lesson I return to an archived lesson and listen to it again and sometimes a light bulb comes on and things begin to make sense. I play the archived lessons often and gradually I feel I\'m making progress. Even my wife is amazed!
I also wish to say that using story series like Vatican Intrigues and GAG are both creative and effective means of teaching a new language. I was hoping to hear more of that in the future. If you proceed with the one lesson per week format then the use of story series become less practical considering the different levels of learning.
Prior to this announcement renewing my subscription was a foregone conclusion. Now from an economical standpoint, it is more cost effective for me to interrupt my subscription and return once the new lessons have accumulated.
damien688 says
May 18, 2009
Correction, eight lessons per month will be unemployed
md1485 says
May 18, 2009
I have just updated my subscription to Praxis subscription because I like your podcasts to \"maintain\" my level of Italian, French and English. (I also follow Chinesepod, but I have just an Elementary level in that language.) I liked that there were new lessons every week. As I mentioned in a recent comment, I have been following Upper Intermediate and Advanced lesson, and you say that there will mainly be lessons of the lowest levels. I can understand that, because there are more users of those levels, but then unfortunately it is not useful for me any more.
So, after knowing the huge changes happening in Frenchpod and Italianpod, I think I will get in contact with Praxis Language to pass all my credit to Chinesepod, and I will stay longer as a Premium used only with them. I will not ask for any money back, as I suppose it would be my right. In the way that I have commented, I will continue supporting your company, as I think you deserve, but with the only product that is valid for my needs at this moment.
I am sure this is out of your responsibilities, and so I still would like to greet you all and congratulate for the fantastic lessons offered. I hope the level of the users will increase in some time and then I will be happy to come back.
mike52626 says
May 18, 2009
This is disappointing. I have been archiving the lessons myself since the beginning, and I go back to them from time to time. So repackaging the old content is not valuable for me. What I want is new content at the intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced levels. If there is only going to be one lesson per week, and most will be at the newbie or elementary level, I am probably not going to be able to justify renewing my subscription.
catherinem says
May 19, 2009
Thank you all for your input. We really appreciate it, and we also appreciate your patience as we\'ve been making these changes. It\'s been really great for us to hear you speak so candidly about your experiences with ItalianPod, and to hear about what content you focus on personally.
I\'m happy to hear that so many of you focus on the upper-level content. For us that\'s perhaps the most exciting to come up with and produce! We have a lot more in store, and we\'re not going to stop releasing it, so rest assured that we won\'t be publishing exclusively lower-level content.
Please keep the comments coming!
-Catherine
sanptest111 says
May 19, 2009
Good lesson
nchriste says
May 19, 2009
Catherine, Can you guys just be honest and say that this is a cost cutting measure?
Seriously, if you do not change back and make more than one new lesson a week (namely 3) then I am out of here when my subscription ends.
mike52626 says
May 19, 2009
I am glad to hear that there will still be some new lessons at the upper levels, but if there is only going to be one new lesson per week, and a substantial number of those will be newbie or elementary, how many lessons will we see at the upper levels? One or two per month maybe? For me, the service will be too expensive if that is all the content there is goiing to be.
mmezz says
May 19, 2009
I have to say I'm pretty much in the same boat everyone else is in. I also archive all the lessons and cycle through them over and over. I can follow along with the upper intermediate and advanced (with more difficulty however), but I constantly re-listen to many of the newbie and most or all of the elementary and intermediate lessons since there are invariably words or phrases that I'd forgotten since the first time I listened. But I get the most out of the intermediate, upper intermediate, advanced, and Te lo dice Irene. I'm just a basic subscriber but cost-wise I'd probably be better off just canceling my subscription for 4 or 6 months, re-upping and then archiving all the lessons since I canceled. Like I said, I have plenty of old lessons to listen to until then.
ruscello says
May 19, 2009
Catherine, ma dai!!! I join the others in praising the Upper Level podcasts with Marco and question your judgement in deciding not to provide services we signed up and paid for. We represent your success.
ruscello
cwparla says
May 19, 2009
Ma, dai, ragazzi! 8^) There is a need for structure, an organized curriculum for those that depend on Italianpod as their main source for language learning. I suppose some users have gone through every lesson available at their level, perhaps repeatedly. The need for new material makes sense. Being able to help users that need more guidance makes sense, too.
May I suggest that acommodation be made to both kinds of users.
-For the 'power' user, more frequent lessons; at least 2 a week, a lower level and an upper level. Need more? Take the archive feed for review.
-For the 'bewildered' user, work on the organization of an integrated curriculum. Perhaps bring it out in a gradual fashion, the same way you built the lesson archive by adding a few lessons each week.
I apologize for being away from Italianpod for a while; Kirsten and I are back at it again. Thanks for building such a great resource! We're glad you guys are there.
Ciao!
Charles
manen says
May 20, 2009
I am frustrated. I just changed my subscription from ChinesePod only to a Praxis pass. With the changes in SpanishPod, FrenchPod, and ItalianPod, I feel a little cheated. It sounds like Praxis has their language experts doing the work of a webmaster.
oralmed says
May 20, 2009
As a newer member, I too am frustrated with the sudden reduction in content frequency. I predicated my decision to subscibe based on the frequency and quality of updates.Though I appreciate the current financial climate, and I agree that a tweak in organization of educational concepts is warranted, I'm completely gobsmacked. And feeling a bit like I was taken.
catherinem says
May 20, 2009
Dear ItalianPoddies,
For a long time now, we have received emails and comments that ask for better organization and structure to the website.You've seen some of the changes already, and there are more in the works.
It's a surprise, I know. It's frustrating and confusing for a lot of people, and we encourage you to get in touch with us!
If you want one to one support for any of your subscription questions, please email our Customer Service team at support@praxislanguage.com.
Catherine
spanishlearners says
May 21, 2009
The disappointment of people show that your content is top class and people care. As a praxis subscriber I understand that I will get less lessons for the money I have paid.
However I understand that the changes are temporary and that you will be shifting the gears very soon to the same old number of lessons, with a full updated set of lessons and a better served site.
Is there a time frame for these changes to end, as we as subscribers are very thirsty for your lessons which represent to us a change from our routine every day life. I enjoy the Praxis way and hope it leads to more lessons to cover the cutback.
dariko says
May 22, 2009
My subscription is finishing tomorrow, but i am in a big doubt now whether i should renew it..very dissapointing news...
This site was best because of interesting dialogues..and that was the main special thing about italianpod. now you are taking it away from us. Those who need more grammar info, can refer to books or other materials...no need to hamper the flow of lessons because of this! We need more lessons every week!
sami02 says
May 23, 2009
it's tooooooooooooooooo bad, really too bad. can you (for exemple) download a lesson/week + lesson in italian grammar.
Tanx anyway
ragazzoaustriaco says
May 24, 2009
As I've already mentioned in a comment a few months ago when there was the reduction from 5 to 3 lessons per week I regret the changes coming up at Italianpod. Also the current changes are very disappointing for me as I think the main strength of Italianpod was the high frequency of newly produced lessons and episodes of Italianpod. This was also the reason for my subscription to Italianpod as I was "confronted" with the Italian language day by day. I think this is the most important thing if you want to learn a foreign language to deal with it on a daily basis. If the amount of lessons is now reduced to one lesson per week there is not any difference to a language course at any institute anymore.
You also mentioned that you know want to focus more on the grammar part but also in this case I think there are already many sources (books, Internet, ect.) which can be used to acquire knowledge in this area.
The last point I would like to comment on is the structuring of lessons on Italianpod. Surely it can be a little bit confusing for new users at the beginnging but you have already installed good ways to get a quick overview like the classification of different levels, the key words or the related lessons. So also if you are new I think you will get used to it soon. Besides that I think that every user here has it's own way to structure the lessons needed.
Finally I hope that Italianpod will put more emphasis on creating lessons again because this was the thing I benefited from the most. Your excellent dialogues really reflected the reality of daily spoken Italian language.
A few days ago my subscription ran out and unfortunately I don't see any sense to extend it at the moment. Nevertheless I will follow the development of Italianpod and hope that there will soon be a reason to take part again in Italianpod activities.
Till then cu and all the best
dariko says
May 24, 2009
Totally agree with ragazzoaustriaco.
Today is my last day of subscription. I decided not to extend it for above mentioned reasons.
See you when (if) the frequency of lessons will get back to 3 or 5 lessons a week as before.
Hope we will all be informed of such changes.
catherinem says
May 24, 2009
@dariko @ragazzoaustriaco
I understand your decisions and thank you both for being vocal about your opinions. We've appreciated your participation, questions, and excitement over the last year, and hope that you keep in touch so we can let you know of any changes/developments here at ItalianPod.
Best to you both!
maryam86 says
May 25, 2009
Waaaaaaow! I was away for 2 weeks and now…..
I have no words! The only thing I can say is that it sucks!
jordizc says
May 26, 2009
Well, as someone who just started learning Italian I'm not sure how i feel about these changes.
shoshanna says
May 27, 2009
This is so disappointing. I go on-line each evening & there is nothing new to learn.....not even the grammar. The activity feed is also lacking. I thought with the decrease in lessons, more content would be added to grammar, etc ...but I am not finding this. Also, the conversational feedback on the activity stream is definitely lacking. If this was a financial decision, I hope that you realize that if this continues, you will most likely lose alot of customers....& this in the long-run is not cost effective.
Please address.
Thanks
beachsn7 says
May 28, 2009
I'm sticking with Italian Pod no matter what happens. Not only do I get the chance to learn useful Italian phrases, I'm also entertained by the witty banter between Marco, Catherine, and Irene. I still laugh at their jokes and comments even though I've heard them over and over. (And don't forget the great sound effects too!)
Well, that's my 2 cents.
catherinem says
May 30, 2009
@beachsn7
Thank you so much for your lovely comments! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy the banter - it's fun for us too :) Will pass your compliments on our sound effects to the engineers!
Thanks!