Time was, and not so long ago,  that i couldnt understand "word one" of spanish, even when people were speaking clearly and slowly. After a couple of years of studying  I now have an understanding of grammar that dwarfs the one i left school with. However, even then, dere wos uvver peepo wot finked vat i towked awl posh (swearwords deleted) so I think we need to be wary of wanting to learn how to speak badly. I would much rather come off as an overly polite englishman who talks like a textbook  than a foul mouthed street urchin with attitude.
(obviously you werent proposing that rodney but i needed a good contrast :-)

fast listening practice yes but "street", not so much.having said that esti and lilli gabbling away are plenty fast enough for me at the moment.

there was an episode of familyguy on the telly last night that had an ironic scene with two non native speakers displaying an impressive command of "real" english and the "joke" was that dispite their virtual mastery of the language they seemed cute and amusing simply because they had slight residual accents and made tiny errors in delivery.

In my mind, there would be a at least few things that could  happen in the advanced podcasts...

(1) Increase the speed of the spanish.  There could also be guest appearances of people with varying accents in the lessons they same way we have them in Del Taco al Tango.  Between the PDF's and the explanations in the lesson, we could really train our ears to better deal with rapid fire Spanish and accents.

(2)  As for the Spanish itself, think about the many colloquial ways we speak English.  Some examples...

If I want to tell a friend to call me back, I might say "Yo man, hit me back when you have a chance", "Hit me up when you get back to the crib", or even "Get at me later on, I'll be out and about so you can hit me whenever".

If I want to ask a friend if he has plans I might say "What have you got up for tonight?", "Do you plan on going out to kick it tonight",  or "What are you getting into tonight?"

I could on forever with examples like that, and you won't find any English books or courses  that teach that stuff.   And I'm positive Spanish speakers have just as many colloquialisms as we do, and nobody teaches that stuff either.

I'm sure our very talented SpanishPod team could put together lessons like that all day long, and knowing that kind of stuff is going to tremendously increase your ability to understand what's being said. 

It's that common everyday colloquial usage of the language that's going to take you closer to native level fluency.  And traditionally that comes from simply spending time with native speakers, but there's no reason a lot of that can't be put into lessons and taught like any other aspect of Spanish.  The lessons don't have to change completely, just incorporate these things into the existing format.

Besides in "Entrevistando a SpanishPod ", didn't they say SpanishPod became famous for revolutionizing the way Spanish is taught?

SpanishPod, any thoughts you'd care to share on the subject?

I do not know how hard or expensive it would be to implement but there is technology which runs server side that will slow down streaming data, see the Demo on LoMasTV.  

I think that it would be very useful if the speakers spoke at a natural speed in the advanced lessons but users had the capability of listening do the dialogues on line at a reduced speed if required.

I too am frustrated with my progress.  Last year in Cuernavaca Mexico, I was able to speak with my teachers but when I would of into “the wild” I had a very hard time understanding people and they had a harder time understanding me.

1) absolutely, i think all they need to do is give esti and lilli free rein and everyone will soon be screaming slow down. as i say they already leave me trailing along behind but i know that this is something that comes with time. im not ready for supercharged spanish yet. Happily, Most people take the time to speak slowly and clearly and to avoid confusing coloquialisms when speaking to non natives, people who dont are, imho, best left alone.  

2. I hear what you're saying, i know where you are coming from, i like the cut of your jib etc etc. all these expressions are fun personally i go out of my way (sic) to collect them but i think that at heart, they are exclusive i.e. designed to be used by the "in crowd" and outsiders using them just sound phoney.

If i were to to say "hit me up when you get back to the crib" people here would assume i was a) trying to be funny b) quoting a film that they hadnt seen or c) having a midlife crisis. just the same as your friends would be confused if you "came out with" wheres it to then?" likewise, i imagine that, droppping in expressions from the streets of valpariso to some guys in mexico will surely only elicit puzzled looks.

I can see that its useful to know these expressions for eavesdropping or listening to the local DJ  but other than working undercover i cant think of a situation where i would "need " to employ them, though perhaps i just have more modest language aquisition goals. If like hypersport you work closely and for any length of time with guys who use a lot of slang then perhaps that is when and where you pick it up. because you learn the appropriate "local" noises.

I suppose spanishpod could do even more "local colour" podcasts, id be very interested, but i dont think theyd be very "useful" in as much as if you genuinely "need" this stuff you are probably already hearing it everyday and can get the skinny straight from the horses mouth. ;-)

My skills in interacting with native speakers are still not good enough to support more than a very basic conversation.  SpanishPod fills an enormous gap, but  adding an interactive component would be a plus. 

LoMasTV's media is really good, but it is not enough to build fluency. Some combination of interactive media wold IMHO be the best approach.

Honestly I think music is a good for learning slang and getting you speed up, reggaeton with the lyrics will work.  And it will save the Spanishpod team from the embarrassment of breaking down the Spanish equivalent of "Yo ma what it iz, Im sayin where u be at?"  I would cringe if I heard Marco say this on Englishpod.  And I think DonP said it right you would come off phoney learning it from lessons.  Maybe you could find a Spanish Urban Dictionary too.

Just thought I'd add my dose centavos:

It’s kind’a disturbing to hear that some folks are less than thrilled with the advanced lessons. I'm at the Elementary level and I download the lessons to CD and listen while doing my morning routine or sometimes while traveling. I've recently tried a few of the Intermediate category, which seem to be quite a jump, but I see there are 77 lessons already.  This is going to keep me busy for the next three years at least, so I will be renewing my subscription.

This is the best program I've ever seen, and anything I want to know that SpanishPod doesn't teach me I can get from my Spanish-speaking students or colleagues at school.

Also there is a book called to “Streets and Spanish” with a CD, and a great book called “Mierda!—the Real Spanish You Were Never Taught in School.”  I have the songs by Belle Perez, who is one of my original inspirations for learning Spanish. Here in California there is Spanish TV.

it’s a great program. Now I’ve got my mother subscribing to ItalianPod, so Catherine and Marco owe you a lunch.