Free vs. Fee - Learning a Foreign Language

I've written several times about my interest in the nuances of the freemium business model. I've also written about my struggles to learn some basic Chinese (Mandarin) both prior to our China Trip and since then.

So when I came across this article from Bill Gurley (VC) recently, it peaked my interest because of the intersection of these two recent passions. It highlights the differences between Rosetta Stone and Live Mocha, both in their business models (fee vs. free) and their approach to teaching (individual vs. social communities). As Mr.Gurley points out, free or freemium might not be the next generation of business models for everyone, but every company needs to consider how a competitor using those models could impact their business.

Having struggled with the Rosetta Stone model of teaching, I'm going to give the Live Mocha approach a try. I'm intrigued by the community aspects, as I truly believe that the real trick to learning a new language is putting it to use. I was willing to pay for Rosetta Stone in the past, but I truly believe that community-based learning is the way of the future. I hopeful that Live Mocha leads to better success.

The Chinese Assimilation begins tomorrow AM

Well, not in the cool Dollhouse sense of assimilation, but as close as I'm going to get in 2 months in preparation for the International trip in May.

My Rosetta Stone Level 1 Mandarin showed up this weekend, and I've blocked off 30 minutes a morning from now until May 9th to learn as much as possible. I'm actually 2 months behind on my New Year's Resolution, but life's been a little bit hectic lately. I'm not expecting miracles, but it's a starting point in a longer journey. At a minimum, I need to get a little bit fluent (whatever that means), because as soon as my 4 year old gets a hold of this, I suspect that she'll be fluent in 6 months.