Board Thread:Off-Topic Discussion/@comment-35301431-20141201072351/@comment-32500188-20141217135308

@Mistery: I just started up with Lang-8 within the past few weeks... though I haven't had a chance to get back on yet due to my own personal time constraints. There, you can find native speakers of any language who are also trying to learn a variety of languages on their own and seek advice, sort of like a trade-post for linguistics. It's all free, though they have premium accounts that make your journal entries more prioritized when folks are looking for something to correct or learn from (and adds extra features like adding pics and more customizable features for journals).

There's also the ever-so-nifty-and-free Japanese Grammar Guide for times when you need to check your sentence structure or how to use certain terms. The author also has some video guides in conjunction to the site as well.

For video tutors, I personally like Japanese Pod 101 (they also have a site you can sign up to download some podcasts for listening/comprehension practice), Japanese Society NYC for a few lessons as well as some historical/modern cultural informational videos, etc., KANJI-Link (whenever he updates... he has some good lessons, but video updates are few and far in between.), and Nihongonomori, where they also have some basic lessons as well as some language tests for you to judge how much you've learned.

Now, some of the information may overlap, but I know for the most part each version of the same subject offers a different perspective of how to memorize what you're learning, so sometimes it's a good thing to check out all that they have. ;-)

However, if you're looking to spend some money on something, I'm not sure how much Rosetta Stone has improved over the years, since the last time I tried it, all I know was that I was learning how to say things, but never really understood the basics that I needed to know. I have seen where they have been taking measures to improve from just repetitive memorization and reciting phrases without explaining grammar,etc., so perhaps making the overal software program more interactive online has shown some positives. The subscription price during non-holiday sales, though... yikes.

On the other hand, after I had finished the only two classes that were available to me online (since it was still in-state, but way too far to commute to the intermediate sections they had on campus), I personally invested in Textfugu... even though they are said to be updating the online textbook and lessons, it's been a while since there was any word on that happening. For the most part, it gives you download links to flash cards and audio files, as well as has some worksheets. (They also were the ones that recommended the first link I have/Lang-8 as a practice point for looking for study buddies.) It's kind of steep though... $120 for lifetime access to it. But at least (hopefully) it's there to remain accessible and you can always check back for what you need to know. They also have a site called WaniKani (that helps to make learning and memorizng Kanji easier) that they'll allow you to sign up for and access when you do pay for the book (although that's also an extra fee for the time being if you want to continue past a certain point... no lifetime for that one, so I'm personally still in limbo on that one.)

There's a lot of other stuff out there, some of them I've probably glossed over, some are probably also linked in that listing Umbreon has, but for the most part, they'll definitely help you out in making some improvement if you aim to use them on a regular basis. (I know it helped me when I had that time to spare, Now it's just trying to find time when I'm either not tired/unmotivated/busy. Gets a little tricky, but at least the info is there when I need it.)

Hope those help! :-)