English, baby! News by ebaby_news | English, baby! Blogs

Pearson Investing in Technology and Education in India

ebaby_news — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:13:03 GMT

Pearson Investing in Technology and Education in India

Pearson, one of the world's largest educational businesses in the world, understands the enormous potential of international markets.

Chief executive Marjorie Scardino announced recently that the company plans to invest heavily in technology and education in India. As part of its strategy for the country, Penguin Group has recently joined forces with mobile software firm Mobifusion to deliver books through mobile phones.

“We expect to increase our investment in India significantly over the next three years and see the provision of educational services as our number one area of focus,” said Scardino.

Scardino said that the increase in investment is due to the continued success of its operating companies in India and also due to the strong growth of the educational services sector.

We're very happy to see yet another example of an organization using technology to make education more accessible and efficient for the learner.

Connecting the International Social Networking Dots with English

ebaby_news — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:46:16 GMT

Connecting the International Social Networking Dots with English

Recently the Le Monde newspaper in France published this map created by the research firm Datamonitor showing the number of hours (in millions) users spend on social networks around the world, and which sites are doing best in each country.

Each organization is launching country-specific sites due to language and cultural issues and trying to accomplish compartmental growth. Each country is looked at as an individual territory requiring a unique site and group of users who will most likely remain geographically separated from the rest of the world. Examples of this strategy include recent moves by LinkedIn and Facebook moving into France and Germany.

What's it going to take to connect these isolated areas of the world? A common language. English, baby!

The Global Market is Getting Smaller

ebaby_news — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:42:54 GMT

The Global Market is Getting Smaller

More people from different countries are doing business together every day, and social networks like English, baby! that break down language and cultural barriers are helping to facilitate the process.

The latest installment of the Intuit Future of Small Business Report, written by the Institute for the Future, points to social networking as a key to smaller companies finding overseas buyers.

The report says, "Social networks will fuel borderless commerce. Online and offline social networks will help remove soft trade barriers, such as language and cultural differences. These networks will introduce small businesses to new markets and facilitate cross-border trade."

It's nothing new to mention the internet as a key contributor to globalization, and now international social networks are becoming part of the conversation. The ability these sites have to help like-minded people cross borders at a very low cost is unprecedented and will help shape the world.

English, baby! Given Site of the Month Award

ebaby_news — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:17:28 GMT

English, baby! Given Site of the Month Award

We're pleased to announce that Ebaby! has been given the Site of the Month award by EnglishClub.com. We have long considered EnglishClub to be a wonderful ESL site to learn English with their great materials for learners and teachers.

Thank you EnglishClub, and keep up the great work!

TOEFL Practice Tests on Ebaby!

ebaby_news — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:40:03 GMT

TOEFL Practice Tests on Ebaby!

Now you can practice for the TOEFL with Ebaby! We offer official practice tests from ETS with previously used questions. After you take the practice test, ETS will immediately score it and provide feedback on which sections you might need more work on.

Official TOEFL practice tests from ETS are an important part of getting ready for the test. We highly recommend you use them.

Do-Heon Kim, We're Here For You

ebaby_news — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:08:49 GMT

Do-Heon Kim, We're Here For You

It appears that Do-Heon Kim, one of Korea's best soccer players, has impressed the West Bromwich Albion Football Club during his trial with the team. In just a few days he has received positive feedback from the coaching staff and vows to learn English to help his bid to become part of the team.

Speaking through a translator, he says he'll start studying English twice a week. We'd like to do our part to help him assimilate as well and look forward to the day we see him guessing our Slang of the Week.

Learn English with Prince Charming

ebaby_news — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:17:53 GMT

Learn English with Prince Charming

We find Japan's fantasy culture amazing. From hostess clubs to themed love hotels, the country has countless opportunities to escape reality and disappear into worlds catered exactly to your dreams.

One of the latest stories to come from Tokyo is no exception. In an effort to spice up their lives and receive emotional satisfaction, women are heading to Butlers Cafe, a coffee shop where English speaking men dressed as butlers will treat them like the princesses they wish to be - and throw in an English lesson or two.

We're trying to get a couple applications for part-time gigs for Jason and Captain Jeff.

We Heart Bloggers

ebaby_news — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:09:10 GMT

We Heart Bloggers

The full video of the Ebaby! members who fell in love while learning English and got married went up today and it inspired a few blog posts on the Web.

Efl Geek put up a post about the video, the CEO of a marketing firm called eROI blogged to say he really liked the ecard we sent out yesterday, and Raoul's China Saloon was inspired to post a general review of our site. Thanks guys!

Hey maybe you should blog about English, baby!. See, we'll link you here from our blog. Don't believe me? Click on that seemingly random link two sentences back. It's a link to an Open Giga post about us. Boom. There's another link to a blog about Ebaby! This could be you! Just be sure to tell us when you blog about us so we won't miss it.

And see, everyone's doing it. Even Jason made a blog about some other adventures he had when he went to Turkey to make the video.

Social Networking Going Global

ebaby_news — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:28:17 GMT

Social Networking Going Global

It has been interesting watching the evolution of social networks here in the U.S. A few years ago sites like Facebook and MySpace wanted little to do with international users and analysts pointed to Friendster as a miserable failure because of the huge number of users outside of the U.S. What was most important then was U.S. advertising dollars, which meant traffic from the U.S. was what mattered most.

Then came News Corp's acquisition of MySpace and its international charge into countries such as China. It seemed they realized that their product could be used worldwide and expansion beyond the U.S. was a tremendous opportunity.

Over the past year Facebook has gotten into the international game and is touting its growth in other countries. We're now watching a race to grab customers outside of the U.S.

USA Today recently posted an article about the global expansion of social networks as well. Things are heating up.

As one of the few social networks concentrating solely on the international market, we've recognized the huge potential of users around the world from Day 1. And while other social networks seem to be focusing their international efforts on establishing country-specific sites, Ebaby! has a rare opportunity to have one site for everyone, effectively connecting the world.

Stay tuned for more activity in the social networking space as our world gets smaller and smaller.

Hot or Not: Social Networks

ebaby_news — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:04:27 GMT

Hot or Not: Social Networks

When we saw this story in Foreign Policy about the leading social networking sites, we decided to write a description of Ebaby!, the Internet's only social network for English learners, in the style of the article.

English, baby! (aka Ebaby!)

Where it's top: English learners. Especially in China, Latin America and Turkey.

Languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese.

Standout Features: As access to the Internet becomes more common in the developing world, so does the need for an international language. In addition to the industry standard member profiles with photos, blogs, instant messaging and comments, Portland, Oregon-based start-up English, baby! offers over 2,000 English lessons with streaming audio and a library of over 15,000 vocab words. The lessons and vocab words focus on conversational, real-life English (including slang)...which can be put to great use in the most popular feature on the site: The forums and chat rooms where people from literally every country in the world mingle.

Hot or not? Hot. There are 1.5 billion people in the world currently studying English, and English, baby!, which has been a profitable business since 2003, doubled its membership to over 600,000 in the last few months.
Ebaby! also recently launched Ebaby! TV, which hosts game shows and international human interest stories produced by the site (like a piece on a Ukrainian woman who met a Turkish man the site and married him). This
depth of content is not matched by another social networking or English

Also, check out this coverage of niche social networks in the Washington Post. It's really interesting to see how social networking sites allow advertisers to reach a very specific and motivated group of people.

China is Learning English for the Olympics

ebaby_news — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:20:57 GMT

China is Learning English for the Olympics

In an effort to welcome the world to their upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing, China's government is pushing its citizens to learn English like never before. Everyone, young and old, is being encouraged to improve their language skills.

China's interest in learning English has amazed us here at Ebaby! Both the government and the people believe it's a key component of their economic future. We agree 100%.

Learning English Kills Zombies

ebaby_news — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:28:16 GMT

Learning English Kills Zombies

We just learned that Sega is making a game called English of the Dead where Japanese players must write English words to kill zombies. In English of the Dead the zombies' words are in Japanese and players must translate them into English in order to win the battles. There's also a listening mode where the zombies speak English. Very cool.

It's great to see Sega mixing entertainment and education and this is an idea that needs to be taken worldwide. Every human on the planet has the right to have fun while learning English.

I'm Going to Immersionland!

ebaby_news — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:08:18 GMT

I'm Going to Immersionland!

Our goal at Ebaby! is to virtually immerse English language learners in young American culture. By showcasing real conversations by native English speakers and using examples of popular culture to demonstrate how English is being used today, we try to replicate what it's like to live here.

It sounds like the Taiwanese government strongly believes in the value of immersion as well after their recent announcement of an English Village for children. Learners there can choose from 21 differently themed rooms that simulate living in an English speaking country - from restaurants to airports.

We love the idea of setting up real world environments like this one. Might be a bit tough to scale, but great for the kids in Taipei.

Social Networks and Education

ebaby_news — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:31:10 GMT

Social Networks and Education

Many articles have been written about social networks and education and how teachers can leverage websites such as Facebook and MySpace to help educate their students. We've seen some good examples of using these sites to support classroom teaching and believe there can be some crossover. However, the reason students are using these sites isn't to learn - it's to network with their peers, and that's what they'll do.

This doesn't mean that social networking doesn't have its place in education. We actually believe that using the core concepts of interactivity and user-generated content can produce a highly educational environment. Students and teachers agree that some of the best learning happens when students have the ability to practice the skills they're learning with their peers, which is exactly what can happen in a social network.

To make a social network educational, it should start out with that goal in mind. The early adopters will quickly start building a culture of their own and set the pace, but they need the correct foundation to build from. And the beauty of a social network is that a site doesn't need fancy features to accomplish its goal - it simply needs the right people contributing content.

There should be social networks for every educational topic imaginable. Students of English, math, science, history, economics, psychology and computers would benefit from an online environment where they can learn, practice what they're learning, and meet other like-minded individuals. The markets will vary in size, but where there's passion for learning, there's a website waiting to be built.

If you're considering building your own educational social network, check out Ning. Lots of interesting sites are popping up, as shown by Steve Hargadon in his blog about education and social networking.

Ebaby!'s Turkrainian Wedding Preview

ebaby_news — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:54:30 GMT

Ebaby!'s Turkrainian Wedding Preview

Recently two Ebaby! members met on our site and decided to get married. We thought it was so cool we sent Jason, from the Ebaby! cast, to Istanbul to give them a gift and make a video.

The video from the wedding will be released February 14th, Valentine's Day, but you can check out a preview here and the full press release here.

Congratulations Zeus and Kinski!

Culture Cruise Videos!

ebaby_news — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:48:45 GMT

Culture Cruise Videos!

New Fun Videos!

Welcome to the Ebaby! Culture Cruise! We found some amazing ESL students to take part in an American culture and English challenge!

Watch the videos as the two teams sprint through Portland, our hometown, to learn American dances, pretend to be famous people, find a famous location, and make friends!

Watch Videos!

Ebaby! in ISTANBUL!

ebaby_news — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:11:32 GMT

Ebaby! in ISTANBUL!

Last weekend we sent Jason, from the Ebaby! cast, to Istanbul for the wedding of two people who met on Ebaby! and got married! He had a great time and soon we'll have a video of his trip!

Stay tuned!

Ebaby!

Ebaby! Vocab Widget

ebaby_news — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:30:03 GMT

Ebaby! Vocab Widget

Now you can put the Ebaby! Vocab Widget on your website or blog! Just copy and paste the code into your site and help your visitors learn English!

Japanese and Spanish Added

ebaby_news — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:27:16 GMT

Japanese and Spanish Added

We're pleased to announce the recent addition of Japanese and Spanish versions of Ebaby!

What languages should we choose next?

Add Photos to your Profile!

ebaby_news — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:16:36 GMT

Add Photos to your Profile!

Now you can add photos to your profile page! In MyEbaby!, use MyPhotos to upload your favorite photos of yourself or places you've been. Share them with your friends!

Member Comments

ebaby_news — Fri, 11 May 2007 18:36:59 GMT

Member Comments

Now you can post comments on your friends' pages! On their profile page, click "Add Comment" and write a comment for them.

Your friend will be notified that you've sent them a comment, then must approve it in My Ebaby! for it to appear on their profile page.

Have fun adding comments to your friends' pages!

Tag Lessons

ebaby_news — Fri, 11 May 2007 18:33:50 GMT

Tag Lessons

We've added a great new feature for members to tag lessons. Write words that apply to the lesson in the Tag box.

The more times the word is used as a tag, the bigger it gets!

Then click on the tag to see other lessons with the same tag!

Create Lessons!

ebaby_news — Fri, 11 May 2007 18:31:28 GMT

Create Lessons!

Now you can create your own lessons for Ebaby! All members will be able to view and rank your ideas. The more you contribute, the better our site is!

Creating lessons is also a great way to promote your English school or organization! Good lessons will be viewed by thousands of people!

Create a lesson now!

Surveys!

ebaby_news — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:09:13 GMT

Surveys!

We're happy to announce our new Ebaby! Surveys! We'll be posting new fun questions all the time so please check them out! And don't forget to vote!

- The Ebaby! Team

New Email Login

ebaby_news — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:23:15 GMT

New Email Login

To better serve our members, we now require your email address and password to login.

If you can't remember the email address you submitted when you joined, simply click "Forget Email?" under the login form and you can enter your username and password to retrieve the email address we have for you on file.

Thanks for your understanding and keep having fun!

The Ebaby! Team

Catch SPAM

ebaby_news — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:18:54 GMT

Catch SPAM

To help stop spam in Ebaby! Mail, we've added a "SPAM" button so you can let us know if someone is sending messages that you don't want. Please let us know so we can keep the spammers away!

Ebaby! Lessons for Your Site!

ebaby_news — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:56:15 GMT

Ebaby! Lessons for Your Site!

We've had many requests for our English lessons so we're now giving them away to websites around the world! Just get the code from our syndication page and paste it into your website. You'll start getting a new Ebaby! lesson every day. For free!

Get English Lessons

Traditional Chinese Added!

ebaby_news — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:22:34 GMT

Traditional Chinese Added!

We're happy to announce that we have added Traditional Chinese to our language view options. Those of you in Taiwan and other areas using Traditional Chinese, have fun!

If you'd like to view Ebaby! in other languages, please use the Contact form to let us know which one you'd like! There should be many more in the near future.

Helping you learn English,

The Ebaby! Team

Work for Ebaby! in Your Country

ebaby_news — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:12:33 GMT

Work for Ebaby! in Your Country

We're looking for members to help us with marketing projects around the world. If you're professional, friendly, and passionate about Ebaby!, we want to talk with you!

Please use the Contact Form to send us information about yourself and describe why you think you'd do a good job. We'll be evaluating people through February, so hurry!

We look forward to hearing from you,

The Ebaby! Team

Take Vocab Quizzes!

ebaby_news — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:09:44 GMT

Take Vocab Quizzes!

It's now very easy to test yourself on your English vocabulary skills with the new English, baby! Vocab Quiz!

You can select how many words you want to be tested on and then it's you pitted against the enormous English, baby! vocabulary database. You'll be quizzed on nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrases, and slang!

Best of all, you'll never take the same quiz twice!

Think you understood the vocabulary in today's english lesson? Look for the link in each day's lesson for a free quiz on that lesson's vocabulary terms!

In addition, we've made major upgrades to My Vocab . Now Super Members can even quiz themselves on the words they know -- and are learning!

It's never been this much fun to Learn English before!

Remember, have fun!

Your American Friends at English, baby!

Rate Members!

ebaby_news — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 22:11:50 GMT

Rate Members!

We're excited about a new feature here at English, baby! that lets you rate a member's profile. Think someone looks interesting? Rate their profile!

Start Finding Friends now!

Want to see the most viewed profiles on English, baby!?

Check out the Top 100!

Have fun!

Your American friends at English, baby!

Build a Friend List!

ebaby_news — Sun, 21 May 2006 01:36:45 GMT

Build a Friend List!

Now you can build your own friend list to display on your profile. Just click on "Add Friend" on a member's profile and we will send an invitation to the member from you. If the member accepts your invitation, the two of you will become friends and your photos will display on each other's profile!

Contact any member for free!

ebaby_news — Sun, 21 May 2006 01:33:26 GMT

Contact any member for free!

You can now contact any member for free! Just go to a member profile and click "Contact Me" to send a message. It's a great way to make friends!

You've Got Blogs!

ebaby_news — Sun, 21 May 2006 01:28:22 GMT

You've Got Blogs!

Now at Ebaby! you can make your own blog! Just log in to My Ebaby! and go to My Blog. You can talk about anything you like. Let's hear your thoughts!