I think the main reasons for me to sign up here was the fact that it's for free and that there were no other Japanese learning pod-sites around. However, just like Belton said, had there been a Japanesepod just like Chinesepod, I would have gone for that one rather than Japanesepod101. Simply because their structure and layout are simpler, it gives a way more serious and calm impression and it allows the customers to take their time to find out themselves whether they think it's good or not. The information about costs and conditions IS to find there anyway. No need for superlatives everywhere reminding how fantastic and priceworthy the site is. Besides, just as mentioned before, people don't trust banners with words like "FREE!!". The more "FREE"s the less trustable.
And like mentioned, I too found the newsletters in the beginning too long with too little substance. Too many openings questions making the customer feel ashamed not trusting the site's people and pay money. Just some short info about updates and new episodes whould have been enough. Again, just like Chinesepod.
I remember when a friend of mine (teenager) signed up for Koreanclass101 a few months ago. Just as expected she was confused and sceptical. Then she showed me one of those once in a life time-offerings coming up immediately after or between the procedures. Something about many CDs with so-and-so many episodes for half the original price bla-bla.
What annoyed me was indeed the loooooong text (maybe 2 pages long?) with all the superlatives telling how cheap and fantastically amazing this was. Honestly, I got tired after reading a halv page's length but forced myself to read it all through just to see whether it was worth accepting. (I should add here that we're both Swedes and don't have English as our mother tongue, which is why I (being the older one of us) had to help her out here).
Eventually we reckoned this offer might be interesting for others but not for us. And that half an hour we spent reading and thinking (sceptically. Just adding scepticism makes reading even more tiresome) could have been used for something better.
Just a few lines about the deal would have been fine, and we might have been a bit more likely to give the offer a shot.
By the way, why offer such a thing before you had a chance to explore the site? And why call it once in a life time-offer? Are you trying to scare people into becoming your customers?
So: cut the superlatives and use the space for more substantial and relevant things. And stop scaring customers and let them have a look first and decide for themselves whether things on the site are fantastic or not.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true.
Apart from this I like Japanesepod101 pretty much (and the other sister-sites I'm signed up for). It does have many good things and I learn a lot from the lessons. But but to tell the truth, because of all the commercial stuff everywhere I've e-mailed the creators of Chinesepod and asked them to make their own counterparts for Japanese and Korean. Just (?) as a complement.
PS. I agree with Yolan that the geisha and Fuji heading feels a bit too "touristy". Besides those two things are probably the least an average visitor will see in real life there. Why not add or replace with other things still associated with Japan? Something more "daily lifey"?
And while on it, why not having more Japanese photos along with the lessons? I believe most people want to see what the country and the people are like. We (?) Westerners already see other Westerners everyday anyway
