Busuu: Difference between revisions
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==Development== |
==Development== |
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The site left [[Betaware|beta]] in February 2009, and moved to a [[Freemium| freemium]] business model. As at August 2012, a single month's premium membership cost €16,with reductions for longer-term subscriptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.busuu.com/archives/85|title=Busuu blog on website changes|publisher=www.busuu.com|accessdate=2009-02-14|last=|first=}}</ref> The site's design is based on the [[Drupal]] framework. On joining, users are presented with an animated graphic representing a garden. They can earn points by completing units, and use the points to add ornamentation to the garden—clouds and butterflies, for example.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2008/09/16/busuu-wants-to-be-your-language-gardner/|title=Busuu wants to be your language gardener|publisher=www.mashable.com|accessdate=2008-09-16|last=|first=}}</ref> Busuu offers courses in twelve languages: [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Brazilian Portuguese|Portuguese (Brazil)]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], and [[Chinese language|Chinese]]. |
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busuu's site left its [[Betaware|beta]]-stage in February 2009. Since then, a premium membership with access to advanced features has been added. This premium offer starts at 11.69€ a month and includes podcasts and PDFs of the lessons as well as detailed grammar units. |
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However, a majority of busuu's website and its features remain free of cost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.busuu.com/archives/85|title=Busuu blog on website changes|publisher=www.busuu.com|accessdate=2009-02-14|last=|first=}}</ref> |
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The site's design is based on the [[Drupal]] framework and has been praised for its clean and crisp colourful graphics and fast-loading attributes. busuu.com also features an easy-to-use interface with an interactive dashboard that changes as your language skills improve and grow, which is coined as the busuu Language Garden.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2008/09/16/busuu-wants-to-be-your-language-gardner/|title=Busuu wants to be your language gardener|publisher=www.mashable.com|accessdate=2008-09-16|last=|first=}}</ref> |
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Currently, learning units for twelve languages are available at busuu.com with interface support: [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Brazilian Portuguese|Portuguese (Brazil)]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], and [[Chinese language|Chinese]]. New languages are to be added in the near future. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 23:30, 19 August 2012
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (November 2011) |
| File:Busuu com logo.svg | |
Type of site | Social network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese |
| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
| Owner | Busuu Online S.L. |
| Founder(s) | Bernhard Niesner, Co-Founder & Adrian Hilti, Co-Founder[1] |
| URL | www.busuu.com |
| Registration | Required (free) |
| Users | ca. 12 mio. (March 2012) |
| Launched | 16 May 2008 |
busuu.com is an online social network service that serves as a community language learning platform, where users can help each other to improve their language skills.[2] The website provides learning units for twelve different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese. Learners can set up a profile, add one or more of these languages to their learning portfolio, work through the units at their own pace and keep track of their progress.
Name origin
Busuu is a language spoken in Cameroon. According to an ethnological study conducted in the 1980s, only eight people at that time were still able to speak this language. The ISO 639-3 code for Busuu is bju.
Concept
busuu.com is a website for learning languages. It offers courses based on (CEFR) levels A1, A2, B1 and B2. Users enrol to study one or more languages. The study material for a language typically consists of around 150 units. The units are made up multiple-choice questions, speaking assignments, and writing assignments. Units include multimedia material, such as spoken multi-choice questions. Users act as both student and tutor, correcting one another's work. They can converse via a chat-window, an audio connection, or a webcam connection.
There are two classes of member: ordinary members, and paying premium members. Grammar units and some of the multimedia functions are available only to premium members. The site sells materials from its partners, such as grammar reference books from Collins.
Recognitions and awards
busuu was considered by EU-Startups.com in 2011 as the "Best Education Start-Up in Europe" [3]
In September 2008, as part of its commitment for having been selected as an official UNESCO project[4] during the international year of languages, busuu launched a campaign to rescue Silbo Gomero (a nearly extinct whistled language from the Spanish Canary Islands).[5] This campaign won a Silver Lion in the International Advertising Festival in Cannes,[6] the most important award in the advertising industry. In September 2009, UNESCO declared Silbo Gomero as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[7]
In 2009, busuu.com was nominated for some prestigious Internet awards, including the European Tech Crunch Awards[8] and Spain's “Premios de Internet” awards for the Top 3 Best Websites of the Year.[9] In the same year, it won the Digital Education category in the AlwaysOn Global 250 (top private companies) awards.[10]
busuu.com won in September 2009 the European Language Label for innovative projects in language learning. This prestigious award is co-ordinated by the European Commission and awarded every year by individual Member States of the EU.[11]
busuu.com's most recent award was in November of 2011 for "Best Education Start-up" at the Tech Crunch Europa Awards.[12]
Development
The site left beta in February 2009, and moved to a freemium business model. As at August 2012, a single month's premium membership cost €16,with reductions for longer-term subscriptions.[13] The site's design is based on the Drupal framework. On joining, users are presented with an animated graphic representing a garden. They can earn points by completing units, and use the points to add ornamentation to the garden—clouds and butterflies, for example.[14] Busuu offers courses in twelve languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese.
See also
References
- ^ "About the founders". www.busuu.com. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ "Learn a new language with busuu". www.lifehacker.com. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ^ Ohr, Thomas. "Busuu Has More Than One Reason to Celebrate". EU-Startups. Retrieved 7/30/2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ busuu.com is officially accepted as project for the UNESCO
- ^ View the Silbo Gomero video
- ^ busuu.com wins a silver lion in Cannes
- ^ Silbo Gomero is declared as cultural heritage by the UNESCO
- ^ busuu.com nominated for the European Tech Crunch awards
- ^ busuu.com in top 3 of best website of the year award
- ^ busuu.com named as AlwaysOn Global 250 Winner
- ^ busuu.com wins the European Language Label for innovative projects
- ^ Butcher, Mike. "Peerindex Wins the Grand Prix as the Europas Awards Drift Eastwards". The Europas. Retrieved 7/30/2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Busuu blog on website changes". www.busuu.com. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
- ^ "Busuu wants to be your language gardener". www.mashable.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16.