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Author Topic: business opportunity: language services over skype  (Read 1152 times)
ThomasV (OP)
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April 18, 2012, 01:45:51 PM
 #1

There is both demand and supply for it.

Demand: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=76664.0

Supply: http://forbitcoin.com/Other/1153/skype-you-for-5-minutes

All we need is a service to match them.

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finway
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April 19, 2012, 03:31:21 AM
 #2

This is a big market.

Shuai
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April 19, 2012, 08:51:22 AM
 #3

That's actually exactly what I do. I made the post in the Spanish forum because I right now have a bunch of new clients who are interested in Spanish. Also posted about the service in Marketplace:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=76064.0

However the interest from the Bitcoin community has been limited (The service is still in it's beta so I'm not advertising it heavily just yet).
ThomasV (OP)
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April 19, 2012, 09:08:59 AM
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That's actually exactly what I do. I made the post in the Spanish forum because I right now have a bunch of new clients who are interested in Spanish. Also posted about the service in Marketplace:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=76064.0

However the interest from the Bitcoin community has been limited (The service is still in it's beta so I'm not advertising it heavily just yet).

I do not think you have the right approach.

It looks like you are trying to intermediate between teachers and trainees, and to collect payments.
It will not work, because it is the essence of Bitcoin to enable direct payments.

I would be better to provide an infrastructure where tachers and trainees can freely meet and decide on price, etc.
the website should allow teachers to have a profile, and trainees to recommend teachers.


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Shuai
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April 19, 2012, 09:41:18 AM
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That's actually exactly what I do. I made the post in the Spanish forum because I right now have a bunch of new clients who are interested in Spanish. Also posted about the service in Marketplace:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=76064.0

However the interest from the Bitcoin community has been limited (The service is still in it's beta so I'm not advertising it heavily just yet).

I do not think you have the right approach.

It looks like you are trying to intermediate between teachers and trainees, and to collect payments.
It will not work, because it is the essence of Bitcoin to enable direct payments.

I would be better to provide an infrastructure where tachers and trainees can freely meet and decide on price, etc.
the website should allow teachers to have a profile, and trainees to recommend teachers.



You're totally right, and that is the plan eventually. The business model will be to take a little cut of the teachers fee though, as that will be much more neat than advertising or similar.

The thing about skype teaching is that anyone can do it, they just need a little bit of training in some specific methods that needs to be used when teaching beginners over skype. My idea is to automate this through videos/software, and then just let people freely sign up as teachers. Right now I train the teachers manually and find the students manually so it's rather sluggish.

I have grand plans for a big software solution to all of this, and I've even got the capital to get it made, but right now im just way to busy with my current start up to move further with until at least next year. So I just set up the website and the service as a proof-of-work, that there's a great market for online one on one teaching.

Also, if any developers want to work with me on this project, feel free to PM me here about it. I plan to outsource most of the development, but I want at least one developer with great ambitions on the team, and so far I haven't found anyone suitable.
ThomasV (OP)
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April 19, 2012, 09:46:34 AM
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im just way to busy with my current start up

just out of curiosity: what is your current startup?

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Shuai
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April 19, 2012, 10:42:27 AM
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im just way to busy with my current start up

just out of curiosity: what is your current startup?

www.Try-China.com

It's sort of related because pretty much all the current skype teaching clients are people who are preparing to go to China through this company.
ThomasV (OP)
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April 19, 2012, 03:49:16 PM
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Also, if any developers want to work with me on this project, feel free to PM me here about it. I plan to outsource most of the development, but I want at least one developer with great ambitions on the team, and so far I haven't found anyone suitable.

I am afraid I have no time for that.

However, I can suggest you a very simple approach:
if you do not have time to write software, just start with generic software, and adapt it progressively to your needs.
this will allow you to launch your product and to build a community early.

For example you could use already existing forum software (I believe that's what the ogrr developer did),
or a wiki engine (mediawiki has a lot of extensions and is extremely configurable)


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April 19, 2012, 08:27:59 PM
 #9

There is also a huge market just to talk to native english speakers. My city is plastered with language labs and private tutorial advertisements where students can just practice english and they all appear sold out.
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