I am, aren’t I, you lucky boy. (You just hit 55%)
Hi Peggy,
First of all, congratulations on taking the initiative to launch your free lessons. I’ve gone through the same experience myself, so I know the trials and tribulations involved.
I too am curious what your goals are for your program? Is it a venture that you plan to do as a hobby, or would you like to turn it into a business to earn money from? I assume from your promoting Skype lessons that it’s the latter. If so, do you plan to earn money solely from the Skype lessons, or do you also hope to make money from ad sales on YouTube?
Perhaps knowing your goals will help us better help you market it.
Adam
Hi Adam,
I’m doing this pretty much of both. I’ve been tutoring foreigners Chinese for two years before I got this YouTube thing started so it’s turning into a hobby. Now I’m just trying to gather a community. But I sure would want to turn it into a business, if possible.
Are you doing something similar as well?
Sure, any help would be appreciated! 
Peggy
Hey Peggy,
Your video is featured on the frontpage of METACAFE. www.metacafe.com
Congrats you are getting noticed.
You need to do the tones “clearly” and “consistently.” Your two sometimes looks like a two, other times like a one and others like a three. Your YI bai Er shI Kuai looks like air guitar. Like this…
Cute but a little confusing.
You need to be very purposeful about it until the tones come absolutely naturally.
One should be high and very level. As you move to indicate the tone stop for a moment, your hand should be up around your eyebrows. Then as you say the word move your hand exactly parallel to the floor.
Two should start low, around your hips and move diagonally up till you get about shoulder height,
Three should start quite low, dip and come up higher than it started.
Four should start high and drop forcefully.
In each case pause for a moment before you start indicating the tone and be sure that the gesture actually matches the voice.
The gesture you use to indicate each of the tones should look exactly the same each time. Your students should be able to say what tones you are indicating with the volume “off”. If they can’t do that you are not being clear and consistent enough.
It is surprising really how difficult this seems to be for native speakers of Chinese. I’d bet that most students of Chinese could read aloud and indicate the tones (if they could pronounce them) much more accurately than most native speakers.
I’m sorry I missed this earlier. OK, I will write a script for you and post it here. The other language affecionados (sp?) can look at what I do and make corrections and suggestions etc.
If I do this though you have to do two things:
-
Provide me with an alphabetical list of all the vocabulary you have taught so far. Listed in pinyin so it looks like: hao = good etc.
-
Provide an absolute guarantee that “I” have final say on the script. You will have to do it “exactly” as I specify in the end. You can argue and complain but within, let’s say four weeks, the script is done and you perform it the way I write it. You also perform the tones “exactly” the way that I specify.
Those terms are not negotiable. If you agree to them, I’ll do it. If you don’t, I won’t.
bob, the Kravitz’s John Friar of CFL film making.
I have some old jodhpurs and a monocle you can borrow, bob. You’ll need your own riding crop and beret, though.
Anyway, that’s the deal. It is an interesting little puzzle, you have to admit. Very few Taiwanese would accept the idea that a foreigner could teach them how to teach Chinese.
Peggy put a lot of work into this. If she accepts my offer and lives up to the agreement she has proven herself big time no matter what else happens.
How good is your Chinese Bob?
Can you teach me?
I want to study some newspaper articles.
No, but I am writing a comic book in Chinese. Would you like to study that?
Sounds good…
New Chinese Lesson is OUT!!!
How to Ask for Directions in Chinese:
Thanks for watching!
Peggy
Da Jia Hao,
Wo shi Peggy! I’m teaching Mandarin on YouTube. You guys can check it out, it should be helpful.
This is my YouTube channel:
youtube.com/peggyteacheschinese
This is my website, in which I blog about Taiwan, lessons and write book reviews.
peggyteacheschinese.com
Xie xie! 
Peggy
Peggy, please do not start more than one thread promoting your videos, or you’ll get put down as a SPAMmer. You already have a thread on this. I will merge them. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
DB, Moderator
Hao de. 
Xie Xie!
Peggy
This is pretty cool actually: youtube.com/user/PeggyTeachesChinese
Her lessons could use a little tweaking, but the skits are fun to watch. She’s off to an excellent start!
Just add her to your resource list of Chinese content. She’s also really responsive to text comments and the like (right now anyway).
You’ve been away from the flob too long. We’ve known Peggy for a long time, she’s even a flobber too and has her own thread here somewhere.
lol oops!
When I saw 10 pages I though to myself “This can’t be good…”
Guys…what is a flobber?
Thank you so much for your support!
Xie Xie!
Peggy