Glossika Product Updates

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Speakeasy
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby Speakeasy » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:12 pm

This just in ...

Dated: 2017-08-20
Glossika Product Updates: A Message from the CEO (3 of 4) 


In the first email I mentioned that we've been listening to you and building new solutions.

In the second email I wrote that we're combining all products into one, increasing the number of sentences, and making lots of topics to choose from.

So here are a few bells and whistles (features) that we're releasing:

• Offline listening mode
• Adjust more/less time between sentences
• Adjust audio speed faster or slower
• Toggle anything on and off (language, transcription, repeats, text)
• Hands-free audio training (session keeps going without need to click anything)
• Record your voice (toggle):
1. Keep track of your speaking progress over time
2. We'll show where and how your pronunciation can improve (under construction)
• Toggle male/female and register selection (currently under construction)


GLOSSIKA = NATURAL

We want you to learn in the most natural way possible, like you did as a child.

Communication is not about right or wrong, answering grammar quizzes or filling in blanks. Communication is following the patterns of other native speakers. So there are no right or wrong answers. This is what Glossika delivers.

We'll keep track of how you've done in all your languages, from beginning to advanced. The new version will constantly learn how to deliver the most effective fluency results to you.

This email is going out to a select, secret group. You can only get access if you previously got on our mailing list before the cut-off date.

The new update is coming in a few days.

Click here to receive the fourth and final email that will give you access!

Michael Campbell
Glossika CEO

NOTE FROM SPEAKEASY:
As the "click here" link contains the Email address of the individual recipient, I deactivated it.
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Sgt Schultz
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby Sgt Schultz » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:19 pm

Speakeasy wrote:This just in ...
<snip>

We want you to learn in the most natural way possible, like you did as a child.

</snip>


I cringe every time I hear those words.
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby sfuqua » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:22 pm

Offline listening mode?
Tell me more :-)
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby sfuqua » Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:49 am

I'm just tired of this obfuscation.
I really feel pretty silly about trying to search for some good news in these announcements.
I'm feeling a little silly about being attracted to yet another "course".
The initial product has many flaws, but it is interesting.
The new product obviously is the vision of a smart guy who speaks a few languages and knows how to read.
I doubt if his insight is as dramatic as he makes it out to be, but that's the way selling a new product goes.
He will fill a need for people who want a teacher/leader/language learning guru.
What he is doing may be of interest to those people.
I'm just not interested in a nanny web site/genius to lead me.
I wish him and his business the best of luck.
I urge anybody who is interested in the new system to try it.
It may be good for some people.
I really hope he will leave his flawed, original produce available.

I'm moving on.
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荒海や佐渡によこたふ天の川

the rough sea / stretching out towards Sado / the Milky Way
Basho[1689]

Sometimes Japanese is just too much...

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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby Xmmm » Thu Aug 31, 2017 4:58 pm

Morgana wrote:For what it's worth sfuqua, I'm not much into apps and babysitters for my hobbies/interests/studying/etc. either. I've been following this thread with great interest as I've been waiting for Glossika to re-release Swedish, and it seems it will be timed with the new system's launch. If the new system is a monthly subscription-type deal, I might test it out, but I don't have any intention to be keeping up with something like that long-term.

I jokingly call myself a luddite now and then :lol: I'm not really interested in gamifying everything, or using apps for everything, which seems to be the trend.


And for what it's worth, this thread did scare me into buying Italian, even though I have no use for the course for at least a year ...
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby crush » Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:26 am

I'd also be bummed out about constantly requiring internet connection. I like the mp3 format, i wouldn't mind an app with offline mode, but i don't like the subscription model. I don't mind paying a one-time fee for the courses, though i've bought all my courses on sale or pre-order or early on before they were $100 a pop, $50-$70 is a bit easier to justify. The problem with a lot of the courses now seems to be that they have so many mistakes, i've been satisfied with the courses for Chinese languages i've done (Mandarin/Cantonese), but it appears other languages aren't so well off. I've been waiting for Basque to come out for a while and would be excited about Celtic languages as well (or the remake of Swedish), i just hope we won't be tied into a subscription. I'm feeling similar to sfuqua, but i guess i'll have to wait and see what the final product looks like before i really know for certain.

Also not sure why i never received the 3rd e-mail, i signed up for the newsletter back in 2014...
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Speakeasy
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby Speakeasy » Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:38 am

crush wrote: ... Also not sure why i never received the 3rd e-mail, i signed up for the newsletter back in 2014...
I suspect that the source of the problem is that, in order to continue to receive the series of Emails, recipients of the Emails were supposed to click on their individually-addressed "click here" links imbedded at the bottom of the Emails.

When I started this discussion thread with the publication of the "1st Message of 4", I took special care to include the "click here" link in my Email. At the time, I did not notice that the link included my own Email address. Subsequently, when I reviewed my post, I was surprised to see that I had inadvertently published this information. For security reasons, I removed the link from my post and mentioned it my comments under "EDITED" at the bottom of the post. However, it did not occur to me draw the attention of the readers of my post that, should they receive their own Emails from Glossika, they should remember to activate their own "click here" sequence. It was your observation that caused me to "connect the dots" on this one. I can only imagine that Glossika decided to create "individually-addressed" links as a crude means of evaluating the level of interest on the part of the Email recipients; that is "no click, no subsequent Email."

I have appended a screen-shot of the "click here" portion of the second Email that I received and of the response on Glossika's website.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby aravinda » Fri Sep 01, 2017 3:54 am

Sgt Schultz wrote:
Speakeasy wrote:This just in ...
<snip>

We want you to learn in the most natural way possible, like you did as a child.

</snip>


I cringe every time I hear those words.

Me too. To be fair, few other publishers of language courses have used the same idea (in slightly different words) for marketing. Fortunately, Assimil and other reputed publishers no longer use that silly notion.
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby reineke » Fri Sep 01, 2017 12:47 pm

aravinda wrote:
Sgt Schultz wrote:
Speakeasy wrote:This just in ...
<snip>

We want you to learn in the most natural way possible, like you did as a child.

</snip>


I cringe every time I hear those words.

Me too. To be fair, few other publishers of language courses have used the same idea (in slightly different words) for marketing. Fortunately, Assimil and other reputed publishers no longer use that silly notion.


I don't. I don't necessarily believe everything I read but we can learn a lot about the process if we observe children and the elderly. Btw...

"The heart of the Pimsleur Method is the audio lesson.
You listen. You participate. You learn … exactly like a young child who picks up a language effortlessly..."

Principles of ALG

"Our point of reference or comparison is the native speaker, not other students.
Children are the best examples of how to learn another language.
The adult ability to translate, memorize, and practice can NEVER produce as good of results as naturally learning a language can.
Practice cannot help and in fact it hinders the ability to learn naturally.
Good speaking ability grows out of a good foundation of understanding. Therefore, understanding is what must be gained, not practice speaking.
Exposure to understandable, interesting experiences is the key to learning another language."
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Speakeasy
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Re: Glossika Product Updates: Messages 3 of 4

Postby Speakeasy » Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:52 pm

Time for a comment of my own.

As I was aware of the generally favourable opinion held by the members of this forum concerning the Glossika Mass Sentence files, and having received the CEO’s “Message 1 of 4” concerning the Product Updates, I decided to publish it in this forum for the benefit of those who might not be on Glossika’s mailing list. I admit that I was surprised by the expression of concern by some members. As the discussions progressed, and not wanting to be subject to the new regime, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase a couple of products under the current (soon-to-be-previous) format. Now, then ...

First, I am confident in saying that the vast majority of the "product reviews" that I have published on this forum, on the previous forum, and elsewhere on the Internet, have been quite positive. This is not because I am a particularly upbeat person, on the contrary! It is because I have had been genuinely pleasantly-surprised by the quality of the language-learning materials that I have purchased over the years. The exceptions have been quite rare and, in passing, my favourable opinion extends to the Glossika Product Line.

Second, nevertheless, as all of my experiences with the Glossika website (including those in May of this year when I attempted to purchase a couple of products but, owing to repeated technical problems, ultimately abandoned my attempts at doing so) have been fraught with repeated technical problems, including those of the past few days, I will now – with the deepest of regret -- make the following prediction:

Irrespective of the virtues that the new product line might possess, Glossika’s inability to develop and maintain a simple order placement system on their website suggests to me that they will experience serious difficulties in the delivery of the new products.

I am pleased that I was able, following numerous failed attempts, to purchase the last products that I wanted. Although my reasons for leaving Glossika may differ from those expressed by others in the above posts, I’m out-a-here!

PS: Should I receive the CEO’s “Message 4 of 4”, I will publish it under this discussion thread.
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