2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Discuss the LLORG's and HTLAL forum's past and its future here.
Thunter
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby Thunter » Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:35 pm

You have done a great job!

By way.. while reading through the old forum i noticed that lots of really important topics were spread over hunderds of pages. I think lots of them i will never be able to read because i woun't find them.
It would be awsome is there was an index for the most helpful topics posted in this forum. I mean somehow to preserve the topics of the best quality or most value that new members can easily find them. New members may find some topics that will question the quality of postings here, and i think it should be ok to post even not so wise question, but somehow it would really be helpful to have some kind of index for the most important questions that most language learners will face.
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tomgosse
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby tomgosse » Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:44 pm

Thunter wrote:You have done a great job!

By way.. while reading through the old forum i noticed that lots of really important topics were spread over hunderds of pages. I think lots of them i will never be able to read because i woun't find them.
It would be awsome is there was an index for the most helpful topics posted in this forum. I mean somehow to preserve the topics of the best quality or most value that new members can easily find them. New members may find some topics that will question the quality of postings here, and i think it should be ok to post even not so wise question, but somehow it would really be helpful to have some kind of index for the most important questions that most language learners will face.

One thing that this forum has is a good search feature. And, it doesn't ask you to pay for the privilege like the old forum. :lol:
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iguanamon
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby iguanamon » Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:54 pm

A lot of the static material on HTLAL is woefully out of date. Links go dead. New techniques and resources have popped up since they were originally written. I always enjoyed Chung's language profiles. They are very thorough, but, again, these could and probably should be updated at some point as to the resource links.

The rise of Duolinguo as a "go-to" beginner resource in the last few years has surprised me at how it has been adopted as a supplement or introduction to many of the bigger languages and there's nothing in static content over there at all about this. Nor is there anything in static content about subs2srs, Bakunin's use of the "Growing Participator Approach", Smallwhite's "Excell spreadsheet" use. There's nothing about MCD Anki cards; nothing about how to find freely available subtitles; nothing about how to use VLC Media player to add subtitles; nothing about how to make one's own parallel texts; nothing about how to make one's own ebooks; nothing about using tablets and e-ink readers with pop-up dictionaries for language learning; nothing about Learning With Texts, nothing about using comic books/graphic novels/BD's, etc., etc., etc. Given some of the new changes in how we learn languages, in a decade, how different will learning a language become? So, the copyright issue is actually an opportunity to get with the technological changes we are all seeing and using on a daily basis.

While HTLAL is fortunately still around (giving us acces to the archive), entropy will eventually have its way with that site, given the lack of updating and interest of the owner/administrator over there. It will indeed, sadly, go away one day, forever. HTLAL is becoming less and less relevant with the passage of time. So we have an opportunity now and we need to build that static content up here to become the new one-stop shop for self-learning languages. In this way the forum becomes a more useful place for those beginning to learn a language and, despite the general decline in forum use on the web, I believe it can gain a new lease on life... or, we can leave that vacuum to be filled by others who are ringing the cash register.

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Last edited by iguanamon on Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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tangleweeds
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby tangleweeds » Tue Dec 15, 2015 2:05 am

Could there be something like a Static Content challenge? Participants could create one meaningful unit of helpful expository content per 6 week period. Even newer learners have skills from "real life" that they bring to their language learning.
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PeterMollenburg
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby PeterMollenburg » Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:46 am

A most excellent job team!

You've either been too busy to give a rats about my occasional rant, or over it, still I'm really happy the most excellent team has this website running really well. I sincerely appreciate it, even though I'm somewhat odd at the best of times and I don't have half a clue of what it takes to run such this site, but I still can gauge that a lot of comprehensive and considerate work has been done to keep this community thriving with all kinds of people (and maybe cats?) from all corners of the globe... Did I mention my latest protests on the political situation in... never mind ;)

Fry on, like for realio.
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Meramarina
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby Meramarina » Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:13 am

Rdearman, I hope your grudge against me is not too serious! :)

I, along with so many others, owe you much thanks. You offered help at a time when we desperately needed it. Without your work and dedication--and you are NOT totally clueless!--we might have disintegrated as a community. Instead, we are here, and growing! I know it's a lot of work and responsibility to be site admin, but a we discussed earlier, our eventual goal is to keep the site up and running, growing, and vitally alive in a way that's not totally dependent on any one person. We aren't quite there yet, but we can do it, so, you'll be able to relax a little more and just enjoy language learning as the rest of us do. I think we'll eventually find a workable solution that includes all as contributors and that distributes responsibilities/contributions amongst a wide range of members.

Thank you to all HTLAL members who have supported the community during its transition. I've been inactive for a while, but I very much look forward to building his new site with the rest of you! :)
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Spoonary
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby Spoonary » Tue Dec 15, 2015 10:59 am

Thank you for all your great work, everyone. I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but I'm actually... glad... that what happened with HTLAL happened. :shock:

Bear with me. :oops:

It has allowed me to become part of a whole, new community which is shaping up to be just as great as I hear the original was.

Here's to the future!
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Ogrim
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby Ogrim » Tue Dec 15, 2015 4:11 pm

May I join in the chorus of thanks? When good old HTLAL crashed last summer I thought that the whole thing would fall apart and the forum as a community was coming to its end. At first I was a bit hesitant about this new place, but now, having seen how it has developed, I must say I am enormously greatful to rdearman, emk, meramarina and all you others who worked hard to give us a new home and are still working hard to keep this forum running and growing. I look forward to still being with you in 2016.
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TexDeuce
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Re: 2015 thoughts, 2016 plans

Postby TexDeuce » Thu Dec 17, 2015 6:02 am

Another lurker from HTLAL. That place was crucial to my beginning learning another language. It is sad to see it go the way of the dodo but I am grateful for those who moved over here. Eventually it would help to color up the website and add some cool and informative front page information like HTLAL had. This will also help get membership up I would imagine. I don't know much about maintaining a website but I would gladly donate to help the cause. I would love for this to be THE place to discuss learning languages.

Thanks to all those who have helped make the new website.
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