The online interface found on the learn page is getting better all the time. The update launched today changes how cards are answered and displayed. Also, a new algorithm helps you learn the hardest cards you encounter in a flash card set by selecting the most recently missed words for you more often.

The changes to how cards are answered and displayed are most notable in how Popling handles incorrect answers. If you miss a card, you are immediately asked to try it again. This isn’t counted toward your score, it’s only a repetition exercise to help you remember the card. Due to the new card selection algorithm, you’ll get a chance to try it again in the next few cards you see.

If it’s a hard or easy card, Popling tells you so, and in the lower right hand corner of each card, you’ll see how many times you’ve gotten a card correct and the total times you’ve seen it.

As always, feedback is appreciated!

The brand new, super beta (it’s a little buggy still) Firefox Add-on for Popling is a much lighter weight and more responsive interface for Popling. It helps you keep your concentration while working in other apps, but you still get that learning motivational boost while browsing the web.

Notification window over a webpage

Like the desktop app, the add-on opens a small notification window every few minutes (you choose how often). The notification displays a question from one of your subscribed flash card sets in your browser. If you aren’t busy, click the notification to open the flash card in a new tab and learn something new, no motivation required. If you are busy, ignore it, it’ll go away.

New tab created for the Popling page.

You can tell Popling not to Pop on certain web pages or sites by right clicking (control click on a mac) and selecting Popling -> Don’t pop on this page or site.

Install the Popling Firefox Add-on and LMK what you think in the new forums!

Happy Popping!

I’ve created a forum section on the website to promote better feedback and issue resolution. Feel free to request content, ask any questions or provide suggestions!

Categories include:

Desktop App
Firefox Add-on
Creating Poplings
Feature Requests
Bugs

Happy Popping!

After much tweaking and fiddling, I’ve finally released the new application. It’s a complete rewrite of the interface, is much more stable and has a few nifty new features as well. Two of the biggest changes are the interface now docks to the side of the screen and the application minimizes to the system tray on windows or the doc on mac. Both of these changes were made to keep Popling out of the way when you aren’t using it. To bring Popling back from it’s minimized state, click the system tray or dock icon and a new card will display.

Other new features:

• Images in Poplings
• Improved incorrect highlighting
• Easier to access hide button

Images In Poplings
You can now add images to Popling on the website and have them display in the application. You’ll find a new field for each question in the ‘easy question editor’. If you have an existing Popling you’d like to add pictures to, navigate to that Popling and click the edit button next to the question you’d like to add an image to.

The image upload feature only exists in the single question editor. If you are using the batch create function, add all your questions, click ‘view Popling’ and add the images one by one as mentioned above.

Feedback!
I’d love to get your opinions on the new interface. Please don’t hesitate to leave comments here, or use the contact form!

There’s been tons of discussion of Popling on the interwebs the last few weeks. My favorite thing written so far, comes from a really awesome tumble blog called Very Pleasure:

Finally, some clever slacker has created an app that teaches a new language without damaging your hard-earned 0.3 second attention span… high five to you, sir.

High five right back!

The most interesting discussion so far has been at goodexperience.com, where a few are worried about interruptions, a few decry the depth and speed of today’s information flow and a few are so motivated they can’t understand the need for Popling. Wonder what their secret is?

Other very kind people wrote about Popling on:

• springwise.com
• makeuseof.com
• delicious for ‘learning’ Popling is currently 4th!
• A ton of blogs (Thanks guys and girls!)
• and lots of amazing comments on twitter!

I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to write anything about Popling. The criticism has been constructive, the links are appreciated, and the praise makes me all warm inside.

Popling was recently featured in the Make Use Of directory of cool applications. If you can, take a minute to drop by their site and digg, stuble, twitt and/or add the site to delicious, so’s popling can reach the Make Use Of home page!

Everyone knows it’s much easier to learn when you are immersed in your subject matter.  Popling widgets aim to place the stuff you are learning where you’ll see it frequently… your blogs, your start pages and other pages around the web.

Add a widget to your start page and you’ll see recent cards every time you open your browser. Put them on your blog or website, and your friends can see what you are learning and help you along. You can see mine in the sidebar of this blog. Roll over the cards to reveal the answer!

Widgets currently work on iGoogle, Blogger blogs and sites you can paste Javascript script into. I’d like to make more sites available, so let me know what your favorite startpage or website is in the comments below and I’ll try to add it to the list!

If you’ve installed Popling, you’ve also installed Adobe Air, which means you can get lots of great apps for doing things like updating your twitter status, building photobooks, tracking time and well… just about anything.

To help you wade through all the applications available, check out the beautifully designed refreshingapps.com. Their review of AlertThingy (which helps you manage your ‘lifestream’) got me started using the service.

Thanks to your help, I’ve fixed a few issues that might have disrupted your signup or login attempts. In no particular order:

• A rookie code mistake invalidated any birthday in December. I swear I have nothing against December birthdays… you’ve got it hard enough as it is.
• Get Password now provides a working password.
• Account page login box had an error.

If those bugs frustrated you, I apologize. Thanks again for the feedback!