

Ask HN: Please review my language startup - mise

http://www.bitesizeirishgaelic.com/<p>Submitted once before, but now I've added a "Learn a Little" free membership to check out. 10 people signed up for the free version overnight, which indicates to me that there's at least some market for it.<p>It's very basic. The site is there to teach you some of the Irish language (Irish Gaelic). As you complete each lesson, you can mark it as finished or revised. Audio accompanies any Irish language text.<p>It was launched last month, and I would appreciate any thoughts you have on it.
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patio11
When I think "Compelling reasons to learn Irish" (and my name is McKenzie),
piranha shamrocks are not quite the image I think of. Maybe something more
with Celtic crosses or other iconography, _people_ , the Irish countryside, a
castle/cathedral/hamlet/etc, etc.

It will also make it _impossible_ for you to get a boost from the most
plentiful, most powerful link source for language learning tools: university
professors. You need to be able to "talk the talk" to get the Notre Dame Irish
Studies Department to recommend you to their students and the Internet at
large. (If you're not a SEO, you might not understand this, but if I were you
I give a kidney for that link.)

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wccrawford
I don't think his logo will make it impossible to be taken seriously by
academics. It's a logo.

Besides, from the comments in the lessons, he knows enough that he probably
lives there and knows all about the culture.

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BTBurke
I'd hire a graphic artist to upgrade the logos. Also, I don't like the pricing
strategy. You should pay for the content of the course, not month by month. If
you want other ways to make money, try something like so many minutes on skype
with a native speaker for practice, downloadable podcasts to listen on the go,
side-by-side translations of news articles in both languages to practice
reading and learn about the culture/current events at the same time.

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wccrawford
I've been considering learning Irish since Benny the Irish Polyglot did a post
on it. I'm definitely going to try this, but I don't know if $12/month for 30
lessons is a good enough price compared to what I pay other sites. (I'm
already learning Japanese.)

BTW, lesson 2 has é twice, instead of having á.

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mise
Thanks, I've fixed that typo.

Benny's a good guy (good crazy :) ). I will have to build up our value
proposition over time. 20 new lessons are being launched this month. Better
learning features will have to be introduced (suggestions welcome). Meanwhile,
you may cancel at any time, so 1 month's access costs you $12.

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s2r2
<http://www.bitesizeirishgaelic.com/> clicky

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iworkforthem
I think you should have a short quiz at the end of each lesson. it could help
to promote more interaction on your website.

