Hi shidifen,

Glad to help :D

The usual complaints about Rosetta Stone Chinese are (1) its price, and (2) its cookie cutter approach to language learning (i.e., it hasn't been optimized for the unique challenges of the Mandarin). Here's a review from the Economist last year:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2013/01/review

...and if you check the product page on Amazon, you'll find similar criticisms. That being said, if Rosetta motivates you to learn Chinese, that matters the most--I just think there are better methods out there.

I'll add to my original list:

11. When you encounter new characters or words in isolation, look up example sentences on http://www.jukuu.com . These are native-level sentences (with English translation), so you might need a teacher's assistance at first.

12. Find support from those who speak better Chinese than you do. I ask a lot of questions here, because I get great answers. (Sometimes it's scary how much David and Brendan know.) Another great resource is http://www.chinese-forums.com

13. Learn about China culture from a language learner's perspective. John Pasden's blog ( http://www.sinosplice.com/life ) is one of the best out there.

14. Take a trip to China. This is an amazing country, and experiencing the people, the cities, and the food in Mandarin will definitively answer the question: Why am I learning Chinese?