Busuu
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (November 2011) |
| File:Busuu com logo.svg | |
Type of site | Language Learning |
|---|---|
| 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 is website for learning languages. It is based on a freemium business model.[2] The website provides learning units for twelve languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese. Users select one or more of these languages and work through the self-paced units.
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 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 is typically broken down into around 150 units. Units consist of multiple-choice questions, speaking assignments, and writing assignments. Some sections within each unit 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 member, and paying premium member. Grammar units and some of the multimedia functions, such as video units, voice recording, and podcasts, are available only to premium members[3]. 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" [4]
In September 2008, as part of its commitment for having been selected as an official UNESCO project[5] during the international year of languages, busuu launched a campaign to rescue Silbo Gomero (a nearly extinct whistled language from the Spanish Canary Islands).[6] This campaign won a Silver Lion in the International Advertising Festival in Cannes,[7] the most important award in the advertising industry. In September 2009, UNESCO declared Silbo Gomero as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[8]
In 2009, busuu.com was nominated for some prestigious Internet awards, including the European Tech Crunch Awards[9] and Spain's “Premios de Internet” awards for the Top 3 Best Websites of the Year.[10] In the same year, it won the Digital Education category in the AlwaysOn Global 250 (top private companies) awards.[11]
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.[12]
busuu.com's most recent award was in November of 2011 for "Best Education Start-up" at the Tech Crunch Europa Awards.[13]
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.[3] 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.
- ^ a b "Bussu Free versus Premium membership matrix". Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ 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 wants to be your language gardener". www.mashable.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16.